Created by Al and Dave for War and Peace class Ages of Warfare unit presentation 2011

1. Medieval Warfare
Alaric Wrasman
Dave Sizer

2. Melee Weapons
Swords - Most famous weapons. Associated with
knights and chivalry
Single-handed: Accompanied by a shield, light.
Could not penetrate heavy armor until later.
Good against unarmored units.
Were not cleaned thus infections common
Two handed: Much heavier. Units carrying these
were heavily armored to compensate for lack of
shield. Slow, but powerful. Could cut a man in
two, armor included.

3. Melee Weapons (cont.)
Hammers - were another of the many weapons used. Could knock
over an enemy with armor. Variations became more effective, though
still no match for two-handed sword. Thus, used by mainly poor or
under-supplied soldiers
Daggers - small, sharp blades. Used as a backup for armored units,
but mainly archers in close contact. Could penetrate light armor; kill
instantly if no armor present

4. Archers
Bows - most common long ranged weapon. Included
Regular bow - most standard, was effective and could be fired
quickly
Long bow - developed by the English. Longer, more
powerful, killed in a single shot, became popular because of
this
Crossbow - came later. So effective it was banned, but used
anyway. Could shoot and kill a moving target easily

5. Infantry
–Light Armor
–Light Weaponry
–Formations
-Wall
-Circle / Crescent
-Square / Triangle

6. Knights
–Cavalry of the era
–Swords, sometimes bows
–Training begins at 7
–Fought for lords

7. Siege Engines – 1
–Trebuchet
-Man-powered
-Counterweight
–Onager / Mangonel
-Torsion-powered

8. Siege Engines – 2
–Siege Tower
-Castle raids
-Holds infantry
–Battering Ram
-Tree trunk with metal head
-Built to penetrate structures

9. Castles
–Easy to defend
-Built on hills, peninsulae, etc.
–Difficult to capture
–Thick-walled
–Susceptible to
gunpowder weaponry

10. The Advent of Gunpowder
–Traditional warfare changed dramatically
-Knights / Archers
-Peasants
-Castles
–Invented in China, ~900BC
–Scare tactics
–Bombard
-Large caliber
-Heavy / flammable projectiles

11. Battles
–Hastings, 1066
-Mass of knights
–Sluys
-Extent of navy
–Agincourt, 1453
-Mud vs. cavalry

12. Bibliography
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"Battle of Hastings, Battle of Crecy, Battle of Agincourt, Battle of Sluys." British Battles - Analysing and Documenting
British Battles from the Previous Centuries. Britishbattles.com. Web. 05 Apr. 2011. <http://www.britishbattles.com/>.
"Castles in Medieval Times." Free Educational Software - Maps, Learn to Read and More. Owl and Mouse Educational Software,
1998. Web. 05 Apr. 2011. <http://www.yourchildlearns.com/castle_history.htm>.
De La Sierra, Joaquin. "Medieval Warfare." Medieval Times & Castles. 2005. Web. 05 Apr. 2011. <http://www.medievality.com/warfare.
html>.
Joaquin. "Medieval Warfare." Medieval Castles. Web. 05 Apr. 2011. <http://www.medieval-castles.org/index.
php/medieval_warfare_reading>.
Medieval Castle History, Design of Medieval Castles, Haunted Castles: Www.medieval-castle.com. 2008. Web. 05 Apr. 2011. <http://www.
medieval-castle.com/>.
"The Medieval Warfare." Spartacus Educational - Home Page. Web. 05 Apr. 2011. <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/MEDTwarfare.
htm>.
"Medieval Warfare Weapons." Medieval Architecture, Knightly Life, and Medieval Society. GECOSAF Consulting, 2006. Web. 05 Apr.
<http://www.medieval-spell.com/Medieval-Warfare-Weapons.html>.
Nimocks, Aaron. "Medieval Trebuchets - Medieval-Period.com." Medieval Period - Castles, Weapons, Torture Devices, and History.
SiteAlicious Inc., 2006. Web. 05 Apr. 2011. <http://www.medieval-period.com/medievaltrebuchets.html>.