Medieval automatic crossbow7/31/2023 Yet back in Europe, they were controversial. As such, the weapons featured prominently in Crusader armies. Accordingly, Pope Urban II banned the use of crossbows in 1096 a prohibition that was upheld by Pope Innocent II in 1139.īut while the church frowned on Christian-on-Christian use of the crossbow, religious authorities of the day had no problem when the weapons were being pointed at non-believers, heretics and heathens. Crossbows weren’t just weapons that could quickly win battles, to the ruling class they were a great equalizer in an era in which equality was a dirty word. In a highly stratified society like medieval Europe, any technology that could put the power to instantly kill a chivalric knight, a nobleman, or even a king into the hands of a rank amateur was seen as an abomination. More significantly, bolts could penetrate chain and plate armour at distances of up to 300 yards bows were far less powerful. Conversely, the strength and skill required to effectively operate a bow could take a lifetime to develop. They were particularly effective against knights in armour.Īlthough slower to reload than a typical longbow (a crossbow could manage only two volleys in a minute while a bow could send as many as 10), an army of ordinary infantrymen could be made proficient with crossbow in weeks, or even days. By the Middle Ages, many armies across Europe trained ordinary commoners to operate crossbows, or as they were known then: arbalests. Classical Greek historians referred to arrow-firing catapults in the 399 BCE and Ancient Roman legions had a series of large crew-operated crossbows known as ballistas. Evidence suggests that the weapons were used by armies in Ancient China as far back as the 5th Century BCE. Of course, crossbows were by no means cutting edge technology in the Medieval period. In fact, for much of the Middle Ages, the crossbow was considered to be one of the most destabilizing weapons in existence, not unlike today’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. And the Vatican wasn’t messing around - violating its decree could lead to excommunication, or worse: damnation of the soul. Not surprisingly, the highest European authority of the day, the Roman Catholic Church, called for an outright ban on the weapon. Any low-born peasant with just a bit of training could kill a lord or sovereign with simple squeeze of a trigger - a platoon of crossbowmen could wipe out a kingdom’s aristocracy with just a few volleys.Īnd that was something Medieval elites feared might shatter the natural order of society. Crossbows meant that no breast-plated nobleman, prince or king was safe on the battlefield. ![]() Not only was it was remarkably accurate and deadly at vast distances, but shockingly, the bolts it fired could penetrate a knight’s armour. IN THE 12th CENTURY, the crossbow was considered by many to be a weapon of mass destruction. “For much of the Middle Ages, the crossbow was considered to be one of the most destabilizing weapons in existence, not unlike today’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.” ![]() "The Crossbow - A Medieval Doomsday Device? ![]() On AugEuropean leaders outlawed the crossbow, intending to end war for all time.
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