Middle Ages Weapons
By Kyle Reid
Gunpowder Weapons
The gunpowder weapons were made for defense. The first Middle Age weapons were made of stone, like an axe, or wood, like a catapult, but as time went on the weapons became more powerful. The Chinese had created gunpowder weapons by mixing materials together to get the substance gunpowder. In China they had used gunpowder for fuel for their flamethrowers. After the Tang Dynasty their town was in fragmented pieces at war with each other. The Chinese soldiers used the gunpowder to make bombs and grenades. In china they made firecracker like objects out of bamboo and gunpowder. Gunpowder is made from sulfur, charcoal and saltpeter; the charcoal was usually from willow trees.
The English Longbow
The longbow was used for hunting and mostly defense. The English longbows are not actually English longbows they were called the Welsh longbow. The longbow was made out of ash, hazel, and elm. The longbow would usually decide who would win a war and the longbow was used in the Hundred Years Wars War.The English longbows were 6-7ft long. Longbows were used until the 16th century when gunpowder was made. What had made the English Longbows so powerful was that the string was made from hemp and it was the strongest and least elastic fiber available.the string would be then soaked in glue for protection against moisture.
The Weapons That Affected Castles
What weapons affected castles were Siege Engines. Siege Engines were very heavy weapons that would use easy physics of tension and torsion. These weapons were able to hurl large stones, massive arrows, fire as well as much more things. Battering rams were also a weapon that affected castles. Battering rams were a reinforced chopped down trees with iron hut-like coverings. For better stability the battering rams would be mounted on wheels for it to have more force to break down the doors of the castle. A ballista was a large crossbow. This weapon was made in the roman times. The ballista was able to shoot up to 12 spear sized arrows at one time. Catapults were used for tools of destruction to castles as well.
How these weapons changed our weapon making
How did these two Middle Ages weapons change or influence our world today. These two weapons from the Middle Ages influenced us by coming up with rockets in the Early Modern days in the far west. And firearms during the 16th century and the 19th century. The world has based all the weapons we have now on the weapons in the Middle Ages. We used firearms in World war 1 and the U.S. Civil War and we are still using them today.
Work Cited
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<http://quest.eb.com/Images/118/118_8408/118_840879-W jpg>.
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<http://quest.eb.com/Images/118/118 _8408/118_840879-W jpg>.
"Florentine Pistol."Encyclopeadia Britannica image Quest. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 May 2013.
<http://quest .eb.com/images /153/153_2385/153_2385527-W.jpg>.
Medieval-Castlse.Net. N.p., n.d. Web 25 Apr. 2013. <http ://www.medieval-spell.com/Medieval-Siege-Weapons.html>.
The Middle Ages Weapons. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2013.<htpp://www. middle-ages.org.uk/middle-ages -weapons.htm>.
"weapon." Britannica Elementary Encyclopeadia. N.p.: n.p., N. pag.Britannica student. Web . 22 Apr. 2013. <<htpp://school.eb.com/elementary/article?articled=390870>.