(Editor's Note: This is the second of a three part series on weapons of the heraldic age, their construction and basic use. Part two deals with the missile weapons of the age with the exception of the gun and cannon.)

Missile weapons were the ancient standoff weapons, and allowed the destruction of enemy forces and defensive structures with little personal danger. With the exception of the Bosson and Belfrie, siege weapons fall under the general titles of bombards, catapults and Mangonel.

Most siege engines were invented over 2000 years ago by the Greeks and were little improved by the Romans. Development stagnated over the period from 500 to 1500 AD, and there were no real improvements on this ancient artillery until the advent of gunpowder and the first mortars.

The rest of this category contains the individual missile weapons. The javelin and the bow as personal weapons were limited in range to less than 100 yards and basically remained unimproved over the last 10,000 years. The longbow and the arbalest changed this, increasing the range to 300 yards with deadly accuracy and penetrating power.

Arbalest or Crossbow: The arbalest was introduced early in the 14th century. The crossbow consisted of a heavy bow mounted on a stock that could be cranked or pulled into place using more leverage. The result was a very high-powered, low trajectory weapon of great destructive potential. It fired a bolt, a shorter version of an arrow. The disadvantages of the Arbalest were its slow firing rate and cost of manufacture. Therefore, the longbow remained the favored missile weapon of the 14th and 15th century. From time to time various laws banned the crossbow, probably because it could penetrate the armor of the knight.

Ballista: Specifically the Ballista usually fired very heavy spears or bolts, when used against troops this would clear a path, when used against a structure it could break a hole in the defenses. The ballista resembles a large crossbow in design.

Belfrie or Siege Tower: A rolling siege engine that worked as a portable system of ladders with a cover to protect the soldiers inside from attack. It typically had a ramp that would drop on top of the defending wall to allow access.

Bolts: Shortened arrows used in arbalests, small thick missiles capable of incredible penetration, even capable of penetrating the plate armor of the time.

Bosson or Battering Ram: A 'battering ram' designed to pound down the gate on a besieged castle.

Catapult or Bombard or Mangonel: A piece of heavy ordnance for heaving missiles used during a siege. The missiles could be stones, large spears, bolts and even flaming debris among other things.

Javelin: The javelin, while it greatly resembles the spear, is a lighter weapon used for throwing.

Longbow: The weapon of the archer, compare it with the shorter composite bow of the Saracen, which had a shorter draw but was easier to use from horseback. It is said that the Welsh developed the weapon, but the English mastered it after the middle of the 14th Century. The longbow, with a draw from 30 to 36 inches, could launch an arrow more than 300 yards, was deadly against opponents not defended by plate armor. This was one of the most effective weapons of the Middle Ages, but required a high degree of skill. Archaeologists today can identify the skeletons of longbowmen from this period because of the twist in their spines. This twisting was caused by the estimated 100 pounds of pull required to use the bows.

Onager: The Roman improvement of the catapult, this engine worked on torsion and had a large bucket that was filled with the thrown item of choice.

Standard or Shortbow: This may be more properly represented as the Saracen bow, a bow of approximately 30 to 36 inch length that could be used in restricted quarters or by a rider of a horse. Its range was generally 100 yards or less. The only improvement to this weapon over the time covered was the horn and sinew compound bow.

Trebuchet or Giant Sling: This siege weapon resembled the Catapult greatly. The major difference was that instead of a basket it had a sling that could be filled either with one large stone or many smaller ones. It also worked under by use of a counterweight instead of tension. Upon the weapons release a counterweight would fall and the sling would fling its contents forward in the desired direction.

by BW, January, 2000

Back to Weapons of the Heraldic Age Main Page

Part One: Swords and Daggers

Part Two: Siege and Missile Weapons

Part Three: Weapons of the Heraldic Age

Links:

The Catapult Museum Online

Brittanica.com