Medieval Times, Weapons and Warfare

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Medieval Times, Weapons and Warfare
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Feudalism

• Feudalism was the system of government during the
  Medieval Ages.
• Feudalism was used because warfare was happening
  everywhere.
• Feudalism revolved around the basis of loyalty.

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Feudalism
Feudalism became more complex as time went by.
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Feudalism

• King must give the vassals protection.
• If vassals land was attacked, king must send in
  troops from other fiefs to protect the fief being
  attacked.
• King can not ever harm vassal or any of his
  family members.

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Feudalism

• A manor is a large estate.
• Lord of the Manor Vassal
• Lord of the Manor is head of the military.
• Serfs were workers that were not free, they
  gathered and farmed for the Lord. Some people
  just worked for protection.
• A manor is self-sufficient.

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Castle

• Materials used for construction of castle
• Wood
• Plaster
• Glass
• Lead
• STONE
• The serfs/peasants built castle.
• Castle showed how much power a lord held.
• The lord lived within the castle.

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Castle

• Advanced architecture of a castle
• Keep- a tall building designed to be fireproof.
• Curtain Wall- wall that encloses all buildings in
  bailey.
• Bailey- Ground area within the curtain wall.
• Merlons and Embrasures- alternating high and low
  segments that aid in the protection of people on
  curtain wall.
• Towers- defensive structures that give protection
  to the person inside. Also add the attribute of
  being high in air.
• Gatehouse- a room that contained many doors
  that were hard for the enemy to get through.
• Drawbridge- a bridge above the moat that could be
  raised and lowered.
• Moat- a trench dug around the curtain wall.
  Often filled with water.

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Castle
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Medieval Weapons

• Types of Medieval Weapons
• One-Handed Edged Weapons
• Two-Handed Weapons
• Blunt Weapons
• Polearm Weapons
• Ranged Weapons
• Siege Weapons

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One-Handed Edged Weapons
One-handed edged weapons were used for close
combat. These weapons had sharp edges to cut
through an enemies armor and into their flesh.
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One-Handed Edged Weapons

• An example of a one-handed edged weapon is the
  Axe.
• The advantage of using an axe is that axes can
  slash and chop far better than a club type weapon
  or a swords thrust, and are also far more
  effective at crushing armor than swords.
• Another example is the Longsword.
• It was designed to be wielded by those with
  strength and could be thrust, used to slash, and
  even crush armor.

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Two-Handed Weapons
Two-handed weapons were used for close combat
situations. These weapons were swung with both
hands to give more powerful blows to the enemy.
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Two-Handed Weapons
An example of a two-handed weapon was the Bastard
Sword. The blade could be used for thrusting,
but most often the wielder would swing it like a
baseball bat. The thing that sets the bastard
sword aside from the longsword, is that it can be
either swung with one or two hands. Another
example is the Battle Axe. The increased weight
and blade size of the battle axe made it even
more effective for slashing, chopping, and
crushing armor than the simple axe however,
greater skill and strength were required to use a
battle axe effectively, so it was not a common
weapon.
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Blunt Weapons
Blunt weapons were used for close combat. These
weapons were used to crush the body parts of the
enemy, knock them on the ground, and/or pummel
them.
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Blunt Weapons
An example of a blunt weapon is the Mace. The
mace was a simple club with the addition of
flanges, spikes, and similar pointed protrusions
to dent and pierce armor. Another example
was the Morningstar. The morningstar consisted
of a spiked metal ball attached by a chain to a
wood or metal handle. The wielder created a great
deal of momentum in a swing and was devastatingly
effective against armored and unarmored opponents
alike.
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Polearm Weapons
They were designed for attacking the enemy from a
distance without getting too close to them.
Polearm weapons were effective for foot soldiers
to take out on coming cavalry units. Polearm
weapons could also be thrown at the enemy to act
as a missile weapon.
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Polearm Weapons
An example of a Polearm weapon was the
Halberd. It incorporated an axe blade, a spear
point, and a pick/hammer beak. Which allowed it
to be swung like an axe, thrust like a spear, or
could crush like a hammer. Another example is
the Hammer of Kai. This weapon proved to be
extremely effective at dismounting riders and
smashing through armor.
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Ranged Weapons
Ranged weapons were used to kill the enemy from a
distance. They used the idea of building tension
among the bow and the string by pulling it back
and shooting a projectile out by the release of
the tension. Ranged weapons changed feudal
warfare all together because, up until then,
warfare was always done in close quarter combat.
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Ranged Weapons
An example of a ranged weapon is the
Bow. Releasing an arrow from a bow, released the
tension energy built up and propelled an arrow
farther and with greater force than it could be
thrown. Another example is the
Crossbow. Crossbows could be loaded ahead of
time and held effortlessly loaded while being
aimed. But they were very hard and time
consuming to load again.
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Siege Weapons
Siege weapons were used to knock down enemy
fortifications and overtake their castle. They
proved to be a very destructive type of weapon
used during the Medieval Times.
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Siege Weapons
An example of a siege weapon is the Trebuchet. A
heavy projectile was thrown with the use of a
falling counter-weight. It was often used to
take out masses of troops, or destroy building
structures. Another example is the
Ram. This weapons was usually used to take out
castle doors. It was a log, often tipped with
metal, that was swung and then crashed into a
door to destroy it.
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Types of Military Units

• Light Infantry
• Marched into battle, light armor, used ranged
  weapons.
• Heavy Infantry
• Marched into battle, heavy armor, used
  close-combat weapons.
• Light Cavalry
• Rode horses into battle, light armor, used ranged
  weapons.
• Heavy Cavalry
• Rode horses into battle, heavy armor, used close
  combat weapons.

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Light Infantry

• Advantages
• Wore light armor, could move very quickly.
• Used ranged weapons that killed from a distance,
  so the enemy often was never near.
• Disadvantages
• Because of light armor and inaccuracy of close
  targets, they were easily defeated when they were
  faced with the enemy up close.

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Heavy Infantry

• Advantages
• Wore heavy armor, which gave a huge amount of
  protection.
• Used close-combat weapons that were devastating
  to the enemy.
• Disadvantages
• Because of the heavy armor, they were very slow.
  It was also very hard to maneuver on the
  battlefield.
• Were often on the frontlines.

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Light Cavalry

• Advantages
• Wore light armor, could move very quickly.
• Was a very fast unit because they rode horses
  into battle.
• Used ranged weapons that killed from a distance,
  so the enemy often was never near.
• Disadvantages
• Because of light armor and inaccuracy of close
  targets, they were easily defeated when they were
  faced with the enemy up close.

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Heavy Cavalry

• Advantages
• Wore heavy armor, which gave them a huge amount
  of protection.
• Was a fast unit because they rode horses into
  battle.
• Used close-combat weapons that were devastating
  to the enemy.
• Disadvantages
• Because of the heavy armor, they were very slow.
  It was also very hard to maneuver on the
  battlefield.

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Strategies of War

• This diagram shows which units over powered which
  other units. Also which units were best for
  defending certain other units.

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The End