Weapons In The Crusades

Next, weapons evolved throughout the process of the crusades. Just as the people developed armor throughout the medieval time period surrounding the crusades, knights began to use more effective and dangerous weapons in combat with their enemy. Two different types of weapons were used during the Crusades: close combat weapons such as swords, maces, spears, and poleaxes, but also long distance weapons such as long bows and crossbows. Blacksmiths softened iron and then shaped the metal into customized weights, lengths, widths, and also shape for both swords and spears. Bows would be used for long distance attack and could be used on foot or on horseback. During the Crusades, the archers with long bows would line up and fire over city walls
in hopes to injure enemies, and the crossbow men would act more as snipers than in large groups of attack.

Swords, sharpened iron shaped into long and narrow weapons, were a very common weapon through all of the Crusades.
Often the type of sword or emblem on the handle represented a knight and publicized his importance to European people. Each handle would be customized by the knight so that the grip would feel safe and secure. Also, hand guards extending perpendicular to the actual blade protected knights in combat as they prevented other weapons from sliding down the sword in attempt to cut the hand. Often the metal handle of the sword would also be covered in either leather or cloth to soften the grip of a knight. A supplement to the sword would be a dagger, which was a miniature sword or large double edged knife. This weapon would be used in the loss of a sword or if combat was so close and crowded that swords were to hard to swing and maneuver. Finally, a sheath or scabbard was a casing for a large sword or knife that protected the weapon from injuring anyone while not in use. A belt would be worn by knights and the sheath would be attached in a downward position from the hip. It often consisted of a leather interior and decorative metal outside that was to dull to injure
anyone.

Next, maces became popular as armor evolved into stronger and more protective accessories of a knight.
Once chain mail and other materials began to protect warriors, maces were used to deliver strong blows that would damage the metal armor. Since it was nearly impossible for a knight to cut through the metal armor of enemies, maces were built as heavy weapons to dent and permanently damage armor. Used as a close combat weapon from land or horseback, the dangerous weapon consisted of a shaft, chain, and head. Often made of wood or metal, the shaft provided knights with a firm grip to hold onto the heavy weapon. A chain would attach the head to the shaft helping the knight gain momentum and impact on a swing. Made of many different materials, the heads of maces could deliver blows easily capable to kill on impact if directed towards the correct target. The weapons using either stone or metal heads supplied knights with dangerous weapons that became popular during the time of advancements to strong armor. To become skilled with the mace, which ranged from one foot to five feet, many would practice on a target and swing the mace at high speeds as close to the target as they could. Once the maces were ready for battle, knights would aim at chest and head armor in hopes to allow swords to kill the enemy if the mace did not already supply enough damage to the
enemy.

One other important weapon developed during the Crusades was the spear and the poleax variation. Spears and poleaxes are very similar to each other, a spear is just a long shaft with a pointed metal end, while a poleax also has an axehead just below the metal end. Both of the weapons are thrust forward at an enemy in attempt to stab the to death. Also, the spear is sometimes used as a javelin and thrown towards enemies. Popularized by knights on horses, both spears and poleaxes would sometimes carry the banner or flag of the knights allegiance. Multiple shafts would be used as some knights preferred longer shafts to reach further while some knights preferred shorter shafts so that they could control the spear or poleax with higher precision. Both weapons were made of steel or iron and the pointed end could reach up to fifteen feet. A benefit to the poleax was that knights could use it to chop enemies down with the axe head instead of just using a spear to stab them. In battle, the two weapons would be used by charging horsemen and soldiers charging and defending against large numbers of enemies. To train with the heavy weapon, knights would charge a target holding it up and then lower the weapon and strike the target with pinpoint precision. By lowering the spear at the last minute, it let the soldier use gravity as momentum but also control the heavy object as they could weigh up to ten pounds. Two weapons used in charging and defense, the spear and poleax both provided knights with stellar weapons used to hack down opponents.