Weapons In The Anglo Saxon Period
Anglo Saxons Time Period and Weapons
The Anglo-Saxons are an ancient people that had and still have an impact on the world. The Anglo-Saxons came over from Europe and raided England from approximately 500 A.D. to 1000 A.D. bringing with them their culture and their brutal style of warfare. Historians call this period the Anglo-Saxon period of England. During the Anglo-Saxon period the society revolved around warfare and various types of weapons that supported the warring nature of the people of that era. Some of the weapons that were the most important in this time period were the spear, sword, battle axe, and shield.
The Anglos, Saxons and Jutes had a warring nature that helped shaped England from 500 A.D.- 1000 A.D. The Anglo Saxons lived during a time when they were led by kings and lords. They increased their wealth and land by warring and conquering other nations in this way they increased their kingdoms and gained respect:”The Anglo Saxon social structure consisted of tribal units led by chieftains (“kings” or “lords”) who, theoretically at least, earned their respect from their warriors.” (Anglo Saxon Culture). In this time period, …show more content…
fighting was a usual occurrence. “Fighting was a way of life, and not to avenge the death of a family member was a social disgrace, so endlessly intricate blood-feuds generated perpetual excuses for going to war.”(Anglo Saxon Culture). Fighting was such a way of living back then that everyone got involved in the fight; During the fights it was not only men fighting but also women. ”It was not only men who fought and became respected heroes during the Anglo-Saxon period. Recent archaeological discoveries have raised the possibility that women also took part in warfare. ” (Saxon weapons).
One of the reasons the Anglo Saxons were so successful is due to the weapons the Saxons used, the spear was one of the main weapons the Saxons used. “The spear was without doubt, the commonest weapon of this period and its almost universal use within all ranks and cultures testifies to its effectiveness. It is a weapon that can make an untrained man fairly dangerous very quickly. The main weapon of this period was the spear, not only for the peasant but also for the professional soldier and even the nobility.” (Saxon Weapons). The spear could penetrate almost anything it would be thrown at which made it a very versatile weapon. The lengths of the spear made it easy to wound the opponent from a safe distance and then other weapons were used to finish the job like the sword.
The sword was the next best weapon used because the warrior was able to kill the opponent after wounding it with the spear. Some of the swords were a very valuable and had a lot of meaning to them. The swords were usually double sided blade and were extremely sharp, almost slicing through anything it wanted to. “That is why so many of the victims that have been discovered were probably stabbed with spears, making them vulnerable to being dispatched with a sword afterwards as a crude and bloody coup de gras: the most common prized and lauded weapon, but not the most common one, was the sword. These were very valuable and were often handed down from generation to generation, or were received or given as gifts by great warriors and kings. Swords were considered to have a greater value if they had a history or had belonged to a famous warrior; perhaps because they were seen to have been imbued with the previous owners’ bravery.” (Arms and Armor Pt.5). Having ownership of the sword separated men from being slaves and made them higher ranked than others. They were also buried with the weapons they used in the wars against other tribes, the buries that the warriors was buried with was thought of as the number one choice of weapons and very trustworthy. ”Ownership of both sword and spear defined the Anglo Saxon warrior as a free man, compared with slaves who were forbidden from carrying and arms.” (Saxon weapons).
Also in this time period, the Anglo Saxons used a Battle Axe.
This was a tool used as a “last resort” to have scared the opponents because just showing the Battle Axe was enough to scare the opponents. Even just having a decent sized army and having them walking towards them carrying the axe and swinging them was bad enough and cause some tribes to surrender. The battle axe was so large that when swung right it would cause some powerful blows into the opponent. Anglo Saxons were usually the only ones that had such a variety of the weapons and sometimes that’s what helped them when their battles. ” The axe as a weapon is good in attack, but fairly poor as a tool to defend yourself with. It is a weapon that quickly introduces fear, as it takes little imagination to guess what it could do.”(Arms and armor part
3).
One of the other weapons used during the Anglo Saxon period was the shield. The shield was one of the main weapons because that’s the only protection they would have had when they battled other tribes. It could have also have been used to help them at their camps to serve as a place to sit sometimes if the ground was unbearable, maybe even a place to keep their food on so it wouldn’t be on the ground, and sometimes used to keep rain off them. The shields varied in size but were all used for the same general purpose, to keep the warrior safe and keep things from killing him.”Incidentally, the round shield makes a good umbrella, a fair mess table, and a dry place to sit.”(Arms and Armor [8]).
In conclusion, Historians call this period the Anglo-Saxon period of England. During the Anglo-Saxon period the society revolved around warfare and various types of weapons that supported the warring nature of the people of that era. Some of the weapons that were the most important in this time period were the spear, sword, battle axe, and shield.
Works Cited
Delhoyde, Micheal. ”Anglo-Saxon Culture.”. Washington State University. Web. 29 Dec 2013. Levick, Ben. “Arms and Armor: Part 1 - The Spear.”Regia anglorum” . Unknown, 10 Dec 2002. Web. 29 dec 2013.
Unknown. “Saxon Weapons.” Weapons universe. Weapons Universe Corporation, n.d. Web. 29 Dec 2013.
Shore, Thomas, Thomas Shore, and L.E. Shore. Orgin of the Anglo-Saxon Race. Cambridge: Unknown, 1996.2-3. eBook.
The Anglo-Saxons are an ancient people that had and still have an impact on the world. The Anglo-Saxons came over from Europe and raided England from approximately 500 A.D. to 1000 A.D. bringing with them their culture and their brutal style of warfare. Historians call this period the Anglo-Saxon period of England. During the Anglo-Saxon period the society revolved around warfare and various types of weapons that supported the warring nature of the people of that era. Some of the weapons that were the most important in this time period were the spear, sword, battle axe, and shield.
The Anglos, Saxons and Jutes had a warring nature that helped shaped England from 500 A.D.- 1000 A.D. The Anglo Saxons lived during a time when they were led by kings and lords. They increased their wealth and land by warring and conquering other nations in this way they increased their kingdoms and gained respect:”The Anglo Saxon social structure consisted of tribal units led by chieftains (“kings” or “lords”) who, theoretically at least, earned their respect from their warriors.” (Anglo Saxon Culture). In this time period, …show more content…
fighting was a usual occurrence. “Fighting was a way of life, and not to avenge the death of a family member was a social disgrace, so endlessly intricate blood-feuds generated perpetual excuses for going to war.”(Anglo Saxon Culture). Fighting was such a way of living back then that everyone got involved in the fight; During the fights it was not only men fighting but also women. ”It was not only men who fought and became respected heroes during the Anglo-Saxon period. Recent archaeological discoveries have raised the possibility that women also took part in warfare. ” (Saxon weapons).
One of the reasons the Anglo Saxons were so successful is due to the weapons the Saxons used, the spear was one of the main weapons the Saxons used. “The spear was without doubt, the commonest weapon of this period and its almost universal use within all ranks and cultures testifies to its effectiveness. It is a weapon that can make an untrained man fairly dangerous very quickly. The main weapon of this period was the spear, not only for the peasant but also for the professional soldier and even the nobility.” (Saxon Weapons). The spear could penetrate almost anything it would be thrown at which made it a very versatile weapon. The lengths of the spear made it easy to wound the opponent from a safe distance and then other weapons were used to finish the job like the sword.
The sword was the next best weapon used because the warrior was able to kill the opponent after wounding it with the spear. Some of the swords were a very valuable and had a lot of meaning to them. The swords were usually double sided blade and were extremely sharp, almost slicing through anything it wanted to. “That is why so many of the victims that have been discovered were probably stabbed with spears, making them vulnerable to being dispatched with a sword afterwards as a crude and bloody coup de gras: the most common prized and lauded weapon, but not the most common one, was the sword. These were very valuable and were often handed down from generation to generation, or were received or given as gifts by great warriors and kings. Swords were considered to have a greater value if they had a history or had belonged to a famous warrior; perhaps because they were seen to have been imbued with the previous owners’ bravery.” (Arms and Armor Pt.5). Having ownership of the sword separated men from being slaves and made them higher ranked than others. They were also buried with the weapons they used in the wars against other tribes, the buries that the warriors was buried with was thought of as the number one choice of weapons and very trustworthy. ”Ownership of both sword and spear defined the Anglo Saxon warrior as a free man, compared with slaves who were forbidden from carrying and arms.” (Saxon weapons).
Also in this time period, the Anglo Saxons used a Battle Axe.
This was a tool used as a “last resort” to have scared the opponents because just showing the Battle Axe was enough to scare the opponents. Even just having a decent sized army and having them walking towards them carrying the axe and swinging them was bad enough and cause some tribes to surrender. The battle axe was so large that when swung right it would cause some powerful blows into the opponent. Anglo Saxons were usually the only ones that had such a variety of the weapons and sometimes that’s what helped them when their battles. ” The axe as a weapon is good in attack, but fairly poor as a tool to defend yourself with. It is a weapon that quickly introduces fear, as it takes little imagination to guess what it could do.”(Arms and armor part
3).
One of the other weapons used during the Anglo Saxon period was the shield. The shield was one of the main weapons because that’s the only protection they would have had when they battled other tribes. It could have also have been used to help them at their camps to serve as a place to sit sometimes if the ground was unbearable, maybe even a place to keep their food on so it wouldn’t be on the ground, and sometimes used to keep rain off them. The shields varied in size but were all used for the same general purpose, to keep the warrior safe and keep things from killing him.”Incidentally, the round shield makes a good umbrella, a fair mess table, and a dry place to sit.”(Arms and Armor [8]).
In conclusion, Historians call this period the Anglo-Saxon period of England. During the Anglo-Saxon period the society revolved around warfare and various types of weapons that supported the warring nature of the people of that era. Some of the weapons that were the most important in this time period were the spear, sword, battle axe, and shield.
Works Cited
Delhoyde, Micheal. ”Anglo-Saxon Culture.”. Washington State University. Web. 29 Dec 2013. Levick, Ben. “Arms and Armor: Part 1 - The Spear.”Regia anglorum” . Unknown, 10 Dec 2002. Web. 29 dec 2013.
Unknown. “Saxon Weapons.” Weapons universe. Weapons Universe Corporation, n.d. Web. 29 Dec 2013.
Shore, Thomas, Thomas Shore, and L.E. Shore. Orgin of the Anglo-Saxon Race. Cambridge: Unknown, 1996.2-3. eBook.