There were different rankings of soldiers. There were archers, foot soldiers, cavalry, and more. Each class fought with a different weapon. Medieval battles could also last a very long time.

Medieval people used medieval arms and armor. The medieval period was between 500 and 1500 CE. In this period, people fought wars with weapons such as swords and protected themselves with shields. The method of medieval warfare and classes of the army were complicated yet very simple.

The medieval army used the medieval weapons. They used these weapons for battle in wars against other nations. This was during the medieval ages, which started around 500 CE and ended 1500 CE.

The army was made up of many different classes: the foot soldiers, the archers, and the most famous: the knights. The foot soldiers were the main part of the largest part of the army. The archers were important but fewer than foot soldiers. The knights were fewest in number. They were powerful warriors in a powerful position. The knights were the most important in battle.

The foot soldiers took up the largest part of the army. They were always in the front lines. They used a variety of weapons. The preferred weapons of the foot soldiers were pikes and spears. Sometimes they carried swords. They were the ones who protected the archers.

Archers were very important because they fired first in battle eliminating most of the opposing army. An archer’s main weapon was his bow. This bow could usually fire between twelve and fifteen arrows a minute. The archers were great in numbe,r meaning there were hundreds of them in each battalion. When all the archers fired simultaneously, it would seem as though the arrows were a dark cloud descending from the sky. They used little to no armor. This means that they used chain mail, leather, or no armor at all. From nearby, archers could pierce armor.

The knights were the ones who commanded the army in medieval times. They rode horses. They made up the cavalry and were heavily armored. Sometimes they dismounted. They used all types of weapons. They went into battle wearing plate or scale armors. Each one commanded one hundred other soldiers.

There were many types of weapons. There were weapons with blades. There were weapons without blades that had spikes instead. There were projectile weapons. Many types of weapons were used. The most destructive of them all were the catapults and siege weapons.

The bladed weapons were used in close range combat. This combat was also known as melee. They were sharp and deadly. Most could slice straight through bone. There were axes and daggers. However, the most famous of all were the swords. Spears and pikes were also used.

There were many types of axes. There were battle-axes, Danish axes, and Doloires. They were all sharp. The battle-axe was short and had two edges. The Danish ax and Doloire were similar. They both had long handles. The difference was that the Doloire had a teardrop shaped blade.

All people in the army carried daggers in medieval Times. The basic shape of a dagger was a hilt then a short blade attached to it. Many daggers were used. The baselard, dirk, ear dagger, grossmesser, machete, mercygiver, poniard, rondel, scramasax, stiletto, and sword breaker are a few. They were even used by the townspeople for self-defense.

The baselard was a long dagger used commonly by pikes men. After time it evolved into the cinquedea. The cinquedea was used to thrust. The dirk was the Scottish straight dagger. The ear dagger originated in Spain. It was single edged and curved. The grossmesser was a smaller and cheaper ear dagger. The machete was just a large knife. It was known as the poor man’s sword. The mercygiver was extremely sharp and it was used to kill wounded people. The poniard was a thin square dagger. The Rondel was a mini lance. The Scramasax was a curvy hilt-less blade. The Stiletto was an extremely sharp skinny dagger. The sword breaker was a dagger with teeth used to grab the sword of the foe.

Spears were used in the Medieval Times. There were many different types of spears. They were all very similar. It was basically a pole with a sharp blade at the end. Clubs were usually made of wood. They were used as large bats. A Flail had one or more spiked weights attached to a handle by a chain. Maces were metal bats with a spiked head. The Morning Star was an advancement of the mace. It had one long spike protruding from the top and multiple small spikes on the sides. War hammers were hammers with large heads used in battle. The Maul was a large war hammer also used in battle.

Swords were the main weapons of the knights. They were easy to use and fairly light. There was the Broadsword, the Claymore, the Falchion, the Foil, the Longsword, the Rapier, the Sabre, the Spatha, the Shortsword, and the Two-handed sword.

The Broadsword was a broad double-edged sword used for slashing. The Claymore was a giant broadsword. The Falchion was a short sword with a single curved edge. The Foil was a thin sword like rod used for fencing. The Longsword was used between 1250 and 1550. It was cross-shaped and double-edged. The Longsword was used for striking and thrusting. The Rapier was a long sword with a cup-shaped hilt.

Ranged weapons were extremely useful. Most were dangerous and used by archers. The Bombard was a medieval cannon. The Bow was a longbow. It was usually the size of the person using it. The Shortbow was a small versatile projectile launcher. The Crossbow was a bow with a trigger. It launches bolts or arrows.

Heavy weapons were heavy weapons. The Battering Ram was used to break down doors and gates. The catapult was used to hurdle rocks long distances. The petard was a small medieval bomb. These were used during siege.

The knights in medieval times used armor. The most common armor for knights was the plate-mail armor. This was most protective in battle and could withstand many blades. The armor that some footsoldiers used was called chainmail. This armor was made up of a mesh of metal rings. It was light but it protected against broad swords and club-like weapons. Leather armor was the favorite of archers. It offered very little protection.

The battle method for a medieval battle was very much like the game chess. The two commanders rode up on horseback and discussed who would attack first and how many people were in each army. They then went back to the armies and talked to them and planned strategies. Finally, the battle would start when the archers started firing. The next thing would usually be the lancers riding up on horses and attacking the other army. The pikesmen would run up next and attack. The full army was never sent at the same time. Instead, waves were used. A wave was a group of soldiers.

The weapons used by the earliest civilizations were clubs and sticks. These were what they knew of. As time passed and the medieval age began the weapons were swords and catapults. The clubs were still used but they were in a more advanced form. Then the Chinese invention of gunpowder became known to other nations and the gun was invented. The gun changed warfare completely. Now the nuclear bomb is used and it is devastating. It is extremely powerful. In the future even more deadly weapons will be created and the nuke of today will become the same as an old club. Weapons have evolved dramatically.