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Kingfisher's Encyclopedia of Historical Weapons

Started by Kingfisher, December 29, 2017, 08:17:54 PM

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Kingfisher

Welcome, friends, to my ever-expanding encyclopedia of weapons, where I hope to compile information useful to making sense of equipment and tools that one might find in the SotE universe.  If while skimming through the lists you cannot find a certain weapon OR you find something you do not agree with, leave a comment and spark a discussion.

Though these weapons are explicitly "historical," the design and use context goes beyond just the legacy of their past.  Even in a fantasy world, weapons designed to emulate their historical counterparts are likely to develop from similar demands and reflect similar needs within the greater universe and knowing what those weapons were for to begin with can be useful when trying to spin a particular narrative.

Knives & Swords

Weapons mostly optimized for use as sidearms; easy to wear and draw from the hip in an emergency due to their small size.
Dagger
Depending on how much one stretches their definition, daggers or dagger-like weapons go as far back as ancient pre-history.  Taking the form of simple shivs made from wood, bone or stone, such devices could be made as small as one desired.  Compared to contemporary spear, such weapons were easier to wear when not in use, ideal for a backup weapon during battle.

However, moving into the bronze and iron ages, it become possible to make similarly wearable weapons significantly larger and more versatile, yet daggers remain a recuring piece in many arsenals.  There compact size made daggers and similar fighting knives well suited to being used in very close quarters, especially while grappling.
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Cross-hilt Dagger
With the fall of the western portion of the Roman Empire, the use of daggers seemed to have fallen out of widespread usage in western Europe, effectively replaced by multi-purpose knives often known as the "seax."  Around the 12th century, perhaps as a response to the increasing prevalence of mail armor on the battlefield, compact thrusting blades came back into widespread vogue.

Such blades were often designed to emulate the forms of contemporary swords, with long quillons and round pommels and could even be made in a matched set with a knight's sword.  Even when they weren't, their small size and low cost made them a popular alternative for commoners and civilians.
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Baselard
Prominent in German-speaking Europe and named for the city of Basel in Switzerland, the baselard was identifiable by its more or less I-shaped hilt that contoured the user's hand, whether it was held point up or point down.  The upper and lower guard could be made almost entirely of wood or include crescent-shaped caps at each end to help protect the wood in combat.

Baselards were most popular in Switzerland, where large versions were often carried as swords by Swiss mercenaries.  Notoriously, daggers of this form were later also popularized in Germany during the mid-20th century by the Schutzstaffel, the Nazi's chief paramilitary organization...
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Rondel Dagger
A dagger popular during the latter half of the 14th century and used on the European battlefield well into the Renaissance.  Such daggers usually bore especially long blades as well as handles bracketed by metal or metal-reinforced disks from which it gets its name.  It was thought their guards could fill the voids left at the opening of a gauntlet, protecting the user's hand during armored combat.

They were often worn on the right hip and could be easily drawn with the right hand into a point-down "icepick grip."  This helped to improve the blades penetration when driving into the gaps of a plate harness.  As armor declined, so too did demand for the military rondel; shorter blades and smaller (or even absent) guards made them more convenient to wear in a civilian context.
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Bollock Dagger
A form of dagger contemporary to the Baselard and Rondel especially popular on the British Isles, they were so named for the round nodes at the dagger's guard.  Many featured a handle that flared into a metallic endcap, though individual variety was prevalent.  Not ones to shy away from crude humor, Medieval and Renaissance men would sometimes where them suspended from the center of their belt for...obvious imagery.

Bollock daggers seem to have originated as common utility knife; over time, the form came to see widespread on late medieval battlefields, especially in Britain and France.  The design of Medieval bollock daggers would later influence the form of Scottish and naval dirk.
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Parrying Daggers
Developing from quillon daggers alongside the so-called sidesword and rapier, parrying daggers were a popular off-hand weapon for the renaissance fencer.  Like contemporary swords, they began to develop more complex guards, featuring upturned quillons for catching and side guards to shield the back of the hand.  17th century examples could even feature a full basket or shell guard to cover the entire hand.

Special examples, known as sword-breakers, feature a series of notches in the leading edge.  This trades offensive utility for a greater chance to ensnare the enemy's weapon during a fight.
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Bayonet
Though no clear date of origin is available to modern scholars, the bayonet is thought to have developed from mostly conventional knives and daggers.  The earliest examples of true bayonets had tapered handles that could be inserted down muzzle of early firearms, allowing a soldier to exploit their spear-like nature.

It would not be until the development and widespread adoption of flintlock muskets that bayonets would become commonplace, effectively replacing cutlasses and broadswords as the preferred sidearms of modern line infantry.  Further, the development of the socket bayonet allowed musketeers to fire their weapon through the bayonet, ultimately allowing the bayonet to fully replace the pike on European Battlefields.
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Short Sword
Strictly speaking, "Swords" are any blade considered too long to be called a knife or dagger.  During the bronze and early iron ages, such weapons were constrained by the material science of the day, with copper alloys being particularly prone to bending under stress when made too large.  As a result, "Short sword" is a modern term used to refer primarily to bronze age swords; such a weapon would be considered long obsolete by the standards of a Medieval/Renaissance setting.

However, in a more abstract sense, the term can be applied to more conventionally-sized Renaissance swords as a distinction from two-handed swords and rapiers.  This less extreme blade length made "short swords" or "long daggers" easier to draw in the close-packed formation of a pike square.
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Gladius
The now iconic blades of the Roman Legionaries, these swords of Celtic origin occupy a peculiar place in history as one of the few times where swords occupied a position of dominance on the battlefield.  This is in no small way due to the discipline and additional equipment of these Classical warriors, which afforded the Legionaries the protection necessary close with their enemies to a range that allowed them to strike with their gladii.

However, this also serves to illustrate the issues that swords often had on the battlefield: without their armor, shields and Centuria, such a swordsman would have been left exceedingly vulnerable to spears and arrows.
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Spatha
By the end of the Roman period and the dawn of the Middle Ages, the gladius fell out of use by the bulk of the Roman military.  Its replacement had been in use for some time among auxiliary cavaliers, before their superior reach made them an asset for heavy infantry as well.  This paralleled the decline of the large rectangular scutum carried by early imperial forces and the adoption of smaller (but still large) round shields.

Such weapons were very similar to the Germanic swords of the Migration Period and Viking Age, even down to the companion round shields used throughout Northern and Western Europe.
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Arming Sword/Cruciform Sword
By the Middle Ages, European swords were noted for their long cross guards and small pommels.  The exact reasoning for this is somewhat disputed, with some arguing the design was driven by the rise and proliferation of Christianity.  Others, however, suggest the shift had more to do with the knights' style of combat, with the extended guard helping to catch enemy blades while blocking or parrying and smaller pommels allowed for better extension of the arm.

This accompanied a shift away from large center-grip shields by many pre-Medieval warriors.  Instead, so-called "Kite" and "Heater" shields offered limited reach as a weapon.  By the 15th century, small Bucklers were also popular as they could be worn in tandem with the sword as a sidearm.
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Sidesword
For nearly 500 years, swords in Europe saw little substantial change, owing mainly to their persistent use on the battlefield.  By the 16th century, however, swords had developed a reputation as a status symbol, and it became fashionable to wear them openly in public.  Perhaps driven by the absence of shields and armor, many such swords developed complex hilts: notably, finger ring that accommodated an index finger over the quillons, as well as protection for the back of the hand and knuckles.

Since such weapons were just as common off the battlefield as on it, it was not uncommon for fencers to use a buckler, dagger or even cape in the off-hand to help protect themselves, practices that carried over to the similar rapier.  However, their cut-and-thrust blades were still well suited to the 16th century battlefield, especially among the Spanish Tercio.

The traditionally accepted term originates from the Italian spada da lato; the contemporary Spanish term for such swords was espada ropero, believed to be the origin of the "Rappier" in some German manuals.
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Broadsword
Despite the importance and prevalence of thrusting swords throughout much of Europe, straight, double-edged cutting swords continued to see use in early modern warfare.  Practically speaking, broadswords were indistinguishable from the earlier arming swords and side swords, only distinguished by the development of fully enclosed basket hilts. 

One example, known as the "claymore" was favored by Scottish forces during the mid-18th century.  Highlanders often carried them in conjunction with lead-lined targes and dirks.
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Rapier
Effectively a variation of the Side Sword, Rapiers prioritized the weapon's reach over all else.  Using roughly the same amount of steel, Rapiers often had long, double-edged blades optimize for thrusting though the thick fabric of an adversary.  This tended to limit how much mass could be put behind a cut against foes who slipped past the point, though they could still deal a brutal slice.  However, some heavy rapiers (often called "Longswords" in English sources) made for exceptional cutting weapons as well.

Note that while it is often suggested that their complex hilts made them aristocratic weapons, the amount of complexity on late-16th century swords varied wildly, depending on taste and necessity.  In reality, such swords were the weapons of street fights of all classes and favored more for their superior reach to most other swords.
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Smallsword
A further evolution of the rapier came about in the middle of the 17th century with the development of the small sword, so named for its especially short, narrow thrusting blade.  Hilts varied by taste but were mostly simple with a knuckle bow and shell in addition to quillons.

The smallsword represents the declining importance of swords among the common people, favored more by self-styled gentlemen as symbols of status and for dueling.  As a result, such weapons were rarely used with a device in the off-hand.
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Longsword/Bastard Sword
As mentioned above, the development of swords throughout history was often intrinsically tied to the shields carried alongside them.  Inevitably, as armor improved, shields became less essential on the battlefield, leading many European warriors to abandon the practice.  This, in turn, led to the sporadic adoption of two-handed blades, which tended to offer better reach and power than their one-handed counterparts, without sacrificing agility.

European longswords remained in use for more than two centuries with designs that mirrored other contemporary sword forms, including complex guards.  Additionally, because they were usually associated with wealthy knights that could afford sturdy armor, longswords tended to be the weapon of the social elite, especially in the Holy Roman Empire, where two-handed swords remained a central element of the German fencing tradition until the 17th century, when broadswords and rapiers began to supersede it.
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Estoc
Alongside the development both of two-handed swords and plate armor came the desire for a longsword optimized to counter armor.  The estoc or tuck was a reasonably large two-handed sword defined by its long, narrow, often edgeless blade.  Such swords were ideal for thrusting into the gaps in armor, whether they were being used with both hands on the hilt or when gripping the blade for more close-in fighting.

Much like other two-handed swords, it was more associated with the knightly classes, despite its superficial resemblance to the later/contemporary rapier.  The estoc tended to bear a much sturdier blade which could be couched like a makeshift lance or even be used in lieu of a hunting spear.  Some even featured additional guards on the blade, though such examples could no longer be sheathed reliably.
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Greatsword/Battlesword
Also developing from the European longsword, the greatsword was a weapon that exceeded the scale allowable for a contemporary sidearm, making them unsuitable for daily carry.  Instead, such swords were the weapons of mercenaries and bodyguards.  In the hands of a skilled swordsman, they could wheel rapidly around the user, warding off would-be attackers with their reach and momentum.

As was the case with most swords, their design varied with time and geography.
By the mid-16th, such weapons were often marked by their complex hilt constructions, with long quillons and side-rings as well as a pair of thorns or parrying hooks forged into the blade above the ricasso.

Perhaps the most famous examples of such a weapon are the Battle-swords of the German Landsknecht: by the 17th century, they had grown especially large in both their blade and hilt.  They often bore a flamboyant wavy blade and leather-wrapped ricasso as an additional handle.
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Rhomphaia/Falx
A particularly unusual iron age blade form associated with the Thracian and Dacian cultures of the first century.  It was unlike most other curved swords in that it featured a concave edge that turned forward.  Most were two-handed in design, which when combined with their blade shape, could hack deeply into Roman shields.  Further, when used in this manner, the curvature of the blade allowed it to injure the legionnaire behind the shield, either by gouging through the enemy's helm or slashing their extremities.

However, these strengths were of somewhat limited utility and were fairly easy to counter.  Its curvature made it a poor thrusting weapon and the ability to strike around cover was hampered by Roman adoption of reinforced Gallic helms and manicas or armored sleeves.  Beyond that, while the edges of a shield could be reinforced with metal, burying one's weapon in a shield often made it difficult to extract for further use, and without a shield, wielders were often left easily dispatched after an attack.
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Faussart/Warbrand
Either contemporary to or preceding the European falchion, the faussart is a heavy bladed sword-like weapon with a simple, riveted handle apparently originating in France.  Several examples are depicted in the Morgan Bible, usually wielded by heavily armored knights, suggesting they were weapons of high status and well suited to cavalry use despite often bearing a long, two-handed handle.

As of yet, there are no physical examples of this weapon.  However, if they existed, such weapons likely developed from large fighting knives of the so-called Dark Ages and may have inspired the later development of Longswords and Glaives.
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Falchion
Referring to any number of single-edged swords throughout the Middle Ages, the prototypical form of the weapon features a broad, scalpel thin blade, likely ideal for slicing through the thickly quilted attire of most common foot soldiers.  Over time, the proliferation of metallic armor like mail drove the development of more versatile blades, particularly those with narrow points suited to thrusting.

Falchions were almost completely contemporary to the medieval Arming Sword and usually featured a similar cruciform hilt.  However, it was not uncommon for designers to curve the lead quillon down over the wielder's knuckles.  Such features world spread to other early modern swords.
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Messer
Unique to the Holy Roman Empire, a family of "long knives" drew heavy inspiration from contemporary falchions.  Featuring broad, single-edged blades, it is believed they were considered legally distinct from "true swords" due to their knife-like riveted hilt.  The exact reason for this is unknown but it is possible this shift in design allowed knife makers a legal avenue to exploit Germany's lucrative sword market.

Much like the falchion, messers featured long cross guards, with some also developing knuckle bows.  However, given the weapon's popularity among street fighters and duelists, many featured a riveted nagel or "nail" that shielded the back of the wielder's hand against cuts.
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Hangar/Cutlass/Hunting Sword
Much as the falchion was contemporary to simple-hilted arming swords, single-edged swords would begin to develop more complex hilts to mirror their double-edged counterparts.  Also akin to the medieval falchion and messer, they also frequently bore short, broad blades, making them a favorite weapon for commoners and foot soldiers.

Today, they are often identified as a type of saber, though they are technically distinct, often being better suited to chopping through lightly armored opponents rather than slicing.
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Saber
Likely originating on the Eurasian Steppe and widely used by nomadic horse warriors, Sabers are a modern iteration of long, curved, one-handed swords.  Their design is thought to make them better suited to delivering devastating slicing cuts, especially at speed and from horseback.  This made them an obvious choice among the modern light cavalry such as the Hungarian and German hussars.

Throughout the modern period, the saber grew into an essential weapon for both cavalry and officers, remaining a vital part of most national arsenals until WWII, when its role was superseded by Tanks and Submachineguns, respectively.
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Backsword/Pallasch
Somewhat related to earlier sabers, cutlasses and broadswords, the Backsword is a single edged sword with a straight blade, offering superior thrusting potential without a tremendous loss to cutting power, at least in theory.

Such blades were traditionally associated with modern heavy cavalry, first pioneered by the heavily armored Winged Hussars of Poland-Lithuania.  Such swords would gradually replace lances among the Cuirassiers of western armies, alongside the adoption of bayonets as a replacement for pikes.
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Koncerz
Another weapon particular to the Winged Hussars, the Koncerz was more akin to the western Estoc: It had a long, narrow blade suited to piercing mail.  While it was far shorter than the Hussar's lance, it was much sturdier, with the latter being somewhat notoriously prone to shattering after the first charge.  Unlike the estoc, it was generally designed to accommodate one hand on the hilt.

The Koncerz proved to be a bit of a technical dead end as mail and armor in general fell out of fashion alongside the rise of large national armies that favored little to no armor.  Their decline accompanied the decline of the Polish-Lithuan Hussars as an elite warrior class.
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Polearms

Weapons mounted on hafts, usually of wood to conserve cost and weight.  Harder to carry as ancillary weapons and better suited to primary roles.
Staff
Sometimes known as a quarterstaff in English, staves were a popular and cost-effective weapon throughout the world in one form or another.  Their long reach gave them greater standoff and power compared to swords and other short weapons.  They could vary in length depending on what other polearm they were meant to emulate.

It could often be used as a walking stick by travelers.  Since staves lacked blades, they often made for poor battlefield weapons and were especially unsuited to combatting armor, giving staves a peculiar niche historically.
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Spear
A simple weapon well suited to use on the battlefield, they could be made entirely of wood with a sharpened and hardened point though after the stone age, it became customary to mount blades of stone or metal to one or both ends for better durability.  Despite their simplicity, they remained an essential weapon on most battlefields until the widespread adoption of the firearms relegated them to an NCO's weapon during the age of gunpowder.  Even still, elements of its legacy continue to live on in the form of the bayonet.

The chief advantage of all polearms, including the most basic spears, were their reach.  Even when wielded in one hand, a 8- or 12-foot spear could outreach most other one-handed weapons.  They did not come without drawbacks, however, as the longer the weapon was, and the fewer hands a fighter could make use of, the clumsier and unwieldy the weapon became.
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Lance
For most of their history, "lances" were simply spears used by cavalry.  They were physically indistinct from their infantry counterpart and their name was derived from the French word for spear, likely imported into England by Norman mercenaries during the 11th century.  For most of the Middle Ages, the distinction is unique to England and its class-based linguistic history.

With the development of advanced plate armors in the 14th century, knightly lances began to develop more robust designs to better survive the rigors of combat.  The use of lance rests built into a rider's breastplate or brigandine meant that the weapon could be couched and braced during a charge, amplifying the pressure generated when the weapon struck a target.  However, by the Renaissance, the rise of Pike and Shot warfare limited the viability of shorter lances when compared to the much larger spears/pikes of the average infantryman.

In Poland-Lithuania, especially long lances would remain a vital weapon for the elite "Winged Hussars" until the late 17th century, while more conventional spears would see use by light uhlans until the early 20th century.
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Pike
Especially long spears (~13-25 feet) have a long and peculiar history, with examples like the Macedonian sarissa dating as far back as the bronze age.  However, their great size made them especially unwieldy, requiring both hands free to use it effectively.

However, during the Middle Ages, pikes proved especially valuable as a counter against charging cavalry.  En mass, a line of pikes would cause horses to turn away during a charge and the weapon's reach kept its wielder safe from a knight's lance.  By the Renaissance, mercenary groups like Spanish Tercios and German Landsknechts had made the pike into a dominant heavy infantry weapon, often supplemented sparingly by more nimble swords and "short" polearms.

The slow rate of fire for muzzle loading firearms made pikes an essential weapon until the bayonet allowed musketeers to replicate some of the roles of the pikeman, and pikes saw declining use in the late 17th century.  However, terms like "Half-pike" would continue to refer to more conventional spears, often carried by officers or sailors.
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Winged Spear
So-called "winged spears" were initially developed from Migration Era hunting weapons, particularly to so-called "Boar spear" which featured a pair of lugs or "wings" at the base of the head, thought to help pin animals before the kill.  In combat, these lugs could be used by a skilled fencer to parry and hook aside an enemy's shield or weapon.

As the weapon remained popular until the 18th century, winged spears saw significant variation based on the needs of the era.  Notable variations include the Ronseur, which featured long spikes that made the spear resemble a trident, and the Partisan, which featured a broad blade that merged almost completely with the wings.
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Glaive/Fouchard/Voulge
A notable development of polearms, possibly related to the Faussart, glaives, as they are usually called, are normally single-edged cutting blades affixed to the end of a long staff.  They could offer similar usefulness to spears but were intentionally designed to be better suited to chopping and slashing.  Many examples feature pronounced barbs, hooks or thorns on the reverse side; modern scholarship often calls such weapons glaives-guisarme  "breach knives."

In the 15th century, "Voulges" were particularly associated with French infantry, especially during the Hundred Years War.  They were often carried by the bodyguards of nobility and kings and "voulgiers" are thought to have made up about half of the fighting men in a French compagnie d'ordonnance.  Though also used elsewhere, they remained an important symbol of French royal authority until the 17th century.
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Guisarme/War Scythe/Bill
Often named in reference to agricultural tools, Guisarmes are cut-and-thrust polearms similar to glaives.  Unlike glaives, however, these weapons feature a blade with a concave edge, similar to the falx.  While this made for an effective chopping weapon, they made for poor thrusting weapons without additional spikes in line with the haft.

A particular form known as the Bill or Billhook was especially popular in England.  Most examples feature an unusually aggressive curvature well suited to tripping and throwing in an era of heavy armor.  This made them an exceptional weapon at battles like Agincourt, where they were a viable counter to elite French knights and men-at-arms.
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Javelin
An unusual subtype of spear optimized for throwing, there is some indication that javelins might have been among the first weapons of human warfare.  Examples of javelins go as far back as the ancient stone age, brought by ancient Africans into southern Europe and southwest Asia, spreading throughout the world and remaining a stapple of most arsenals until the widespread adoption of firearms in the 16th century.

The chief advantage of the javelin over most other missile weapons is that they could be easily used and thrown one handed, making them popular among shield bearing troops such as ancient Greek Peltasts and Roman Legionaries and Velites.  They also tended to deliver more stopping power than arrows, their size allowing them to compromise shields and limit a victim's mobility.  However, they were still light overall and unsuited for use in Hand-to-hand combat.  By the Middle Ages, such weapons were often fletched, causing them to resemble oversized arrows.
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Club/Mace
There is little that can be said about clubs as weapons that isn't obvious at a glance.  Varying in form and complexity, they could be made entirely of wood or all of metal.  They were especially popular weapons before the iron age, when material science made blades more difficult to maintain.  However, lacking the ability to cut tends to make them less lethal than blades during combat.

With the rise of plate armor during Europe's Middle Ages, Steel and Bronze headed maces grew in importance as the mass and momentum of the blunt weapon could be used to disorient and injure a target through harness.  For this reason, they were frequently carried as ancillary weapons by knights and remain in use as ceremonial devices within some modern royal traditions.
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Morning Star
In Europe, the morning star was a family of spiked warclubs used alongside many other blunt force weapons.  They were somewhat distinct from other maces as they tended to feature spikes mounted to bulbous heads.  These spikes served both to concentrate force against enemy armor, as well as provide better traction against rounded plates.  They were often simply designed, making them somewhat cheaper than other similar weapons.

In practice, morning stars came in one- and two-handed variants, though the term is somewhat inconsistently applied.  In the case of the latter, it was not uncommon for them to feature a pronounced top-spike in the manner of a spear, making them useful as part of a formation, and interchangeable with other polearms.
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Threshal
Potentially called a "thresher," the threshal is the name associated with an agricultural tool used to thresh wheat and other grains.  During the Bohemian Wars of the early 15th century, such tools could be modified with metal spikes, studs, bands and weights and were a popular choice among Hussite rebels.

The were usually fashioned from two pieces of wood - a long staff and shorter club - connected by a short length of rope or chain.  This made them very cheap and easy to manufacture, making them popular during peasant uprisings and their mass made them a reasonable counter to heavily armored knights.
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War Hammer
Like the mace, war hammers saw significant use as early as the bronze age, where soft, blunt-force weapons were well suited to the rigors of combat or warfare.  In many cases, however, it was gradually replaced by the sword as the ideal sidearm of most armies, seeing little use in ancient Greece.
With the popularity of plate armor in Medieval Europe, blunt-force weapons like the war hammer were well suited to striking at heavy armor to daze the warrior inside.  Many examples feature faceted or multi-pronged faces for better pressure during a strike.

Unlike maces, though, war hammers were dependent on head alignment, making them more difficult to use effectively.  However, war hammers often bore the benefit of a second weapon, occasionally an axe blade, but more iconically, a tapering spike that could be used to puncture thin plates of armor or to help hook and trip an opponent in combat.  Due to this, they are sometimes erroneously called "War picks."
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Battle Axe
A wildly popular weapon throughout history, battle axes could vary wildly in shape and size.  By the so-called "Dark Ages," they were among the most iconic weapons of the Franks and the Vikings, often carried and used interchangeably with swords as popular sidearms, close-in weapons and even as throwing weapons.

Prior to the Middle Ages, most battle axes were one-handed, lacking the reach and reliability of a sword, but cheaper and faster to produce.  Additionally, while they usually lacked a guard like a sword, their beard could be used to catch and pull an enemy shield aside to create an opening.
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Dane Axe/Great Axe
In Europe, with the rapid approach of the High Middle Ages, elite warriors who could afford mail armor began to adopt large two-handed axes.  Such weapons closely imitated the roles of Greatswords of centuries later, often used by bodyguards like the English huscarl.

Such weapons bore broad, lightweight blades, expressing a high degree of skill on the part of the craftsman and suggesting they were a particularly high-status weapon.  However, as armor became more sophisticated and commonplace, their owners grew interested in more optimized anti-armor weapons.
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Bardiche
A weapon developing from other large, two-handed battle axes with an especially long, curved blade.  This gave such weapons a greater chance of connecting with the limbs of a victim, though sacrificed the use of the beard to hook a target.  Another unusual feature was its long horn, making such axes better suited to thrusting in tight formation than more conventional designs.

Such forms of axe remained in use well into the modern era.  In fact, its modern name is likely derived from its use by Russian musketeers, who favored the weapon in lieu of the shooting forks favored by other western armies.
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Halberd
Originating in Switzerland, the halberd was a development of the two-handed battle axe during the late 14th century.  It tended to feature a spear-like socketed head with a long spike, well suited to projecting threat.  Early halberds were favored for their versatility on late medieval battlefields and were often used in tandem with pikes as a supplemental close-quarters weapon, especially in the German-speaking world.

Throughout the 16th century, halberds declined as weapons of war alongside the development of Pike and Shot tactics.  Instead, they became the weapons of bodyguards and sentries, and later, NCOs during the 18th century where the long staff helped them direct troops.  Halberds remain an important ceremonial weapon among the Swiss Guard, who trace their legacy to 14th and 15th century mercenaries.
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Pollaxe
The modern name of overlapping lineages of two-handed battleaxes and war hammers developing alongside plate armor toward the end of the Middle Ages.  They were most associated with heavily armored dismounted knights.  This nature as a high-status weapon meant that they often featured more complex head designs compared to similar contemporary weapons such as the halberd.

Most featured a hammer face (or poll), allowing the weapon to help counter armor worn by other knights.  The reverse side would then feature a spike (called a falcon or crow's beak) or an axe blade, with the latter being especially popular in England to help cut at a foe's unarmored groin.  Some examples could feature an axe and spike combination, though this was rarer and less practical.

In addition to the striking heads, pollaxes featured spikes at either end.  The top spike, or dague was long and dagger-like, making the head well suited to driving into the gaps in armor, especially the visor, armpit or other joints.  The butt-spike or cue was usually shorter and better suited to probing jabs to the face.  The haft was often further reinforced with riveted languets and a guard to help protect the wielder.
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Shields

Dedicated offhand weapons used for defense; used in various ways depending on the situation and design of individual examples.

Missile Weapons

A compilation of pre-gunpowder ranged weapons such as sling, bows and catapults.
Bow and Arrow
An ancient, stone age weapon system that saw ongoing use well into early modern warfare.  Fashioned from a wooden spring and a thin cord, bows rely on the strength of the user to power them.  Arrows featured a sharp head to help them cut through the flesh of a target and fletching to help stabilize the projectile in flight by helping the shaft to spin.  The simplicity of their design made bows easy and fast to handle by skilled warriors.

Mechanically, bows achieved power through a combination of resistance and draw span.  Arrows had to be specially crafted to match the corresponding bow.  Beyond needing to be the correct length to fit the draw distance, arrows needed to be strong enough to survive the force of the bowstring being pulled tight but couldn't be so thick that they wasted energy propelling extra mass.

"War bows" are a modern distinction of especially powerful bow, usually featuring a draw weight of greater than 100 lbs, though some went as high as 180-200 lbs.
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Self-Bow/Longbow
The oldest and simplest form of bow, self-bows are fashioned from a single piece of wood.  This simplicity offered a number of benefits, such as production time, as the weapons could be rapidly produced by a skilled bower, especially in large numbers.  Additionally, their lack of joints or seams made self-bows potentially more durable than more complex designs, improving their lifespan on the battlefield.

A famous example of this type of weapon is the English longbow.  Usually fashioned from thick yew staves, English war bows are thought to have had an average draw weight of about 160 lbs.  Like most self-bows, they were long as a means of storing more energy when they were drawn.
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Composite Bow/Short Bow
A more complex from of bow can also be fashioned from various materials, usually animal horn and sinew in addition to wood.  Horn is usually far more flexible than wood, allowing such bows to match the power and draw span of much large self-bows.  However, they are also far more complex than self-bows, with the laminating and gluing process often taking weeks for a single bow.  Additionally, the glue is often susceptible to moisture, making them prone failing when they delaminate.

Today, Composite bows are most associated with horse archers of the Eurasian Steppe.  In such cultures, they tended to be used by the social and military elite.  Due to their compact size, these short, recurve bows were often carried in scabbards similar to a sword.
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Crossbow/Arbalest
Thought to originate in China between the 7th and 5th centuries BCE, the first crossbows are likely derived from bows mounted on tillers, with early examples featuring bronze mechanisms to catch the bow-string.  Since the users did not have to draw and aim as a single action, many crossbowmen developed novel ways to span their weapon, without needing to be as physically strong as a contemporary archer.  Of course, this made crossbows much slower to operate than bows.

Medieval crossbows often featured especially short steel prods.  This gave them a very short power stroke when compared to war bows.  To compensate, crossbows often had exceptionally high draw weights, ranging as high as 1200-1300 pounds or more and demanding the use of complex spanning systems for mechanical advantage.  Despite this, crossbows were rarely capable of penetrating plate armor.
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Repeating Crossbow/Zhūgě nǔ
Exclusive to China and developing around the 4th century BCE, the Lián Nǔ was a modified form of crossbow, featuring a vertical magazine for carrying multiple quarrels stacked on top of each other, and a simple leaver to span the crossbow.  This offered the crossbow a relatively high shot rate relative to more conventional designs.

Despite these advantages, repeating crossbows were rarely used on the battlefield.  Most historical examples achieved their high shot rate though a low draw weight and power stroke.  In order to stack bolts in the magazine, they were also fashioned without fletching.  This made repeating crossbows a poor answer to the superior range, accuracy and stopping power of conventional crossbows.  Instead, they were mostly favored in urban combat often to counter poorly armored bandits at close range.
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Gastraphetes
The gastraphetes, sometimes known as the "Belly Bow," is a form of crossbow used sporadically in ancient Greece.  Like earlier versions of the crossbow, if featured a composite bow fastened to a tiller.  However, it was distinct in the way it could be spanned; a plunger at the front of the weapon could be placed on the ground as the user leans into the tiller.  In this way, users were able to generate greater force than a 1-handed draw while still able to remain standing, unlike a full-body draw wherein the operator would lie down and use their whole body to span the weapon.

Archeological examples are nonexistent, but it is believed to predate the development of the catapult around the 5th century BCE.  However, many modern replicas interpret the weapon as having a horizontally aligned concave stock.  This made the weapon difficult to shoot from the shoulder and tended to limit accuracy.  Instead, it allowed unskilled archers greater access to powerful bows in an emergency.
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Firearms

Explosive weapons developing out of the discovery of gunpowder; however, other weapons with incendiary properties might be worth delving into...
Gunpowder
Also called "Black Powder" in a more general sense, gunpowder is a low explosive and was the most widely used form of ballistic propellant before the development of more modern forms of smokeless powder.  It was usually composed of a mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulfur, though early recipes often included superfluous ingredients like honey, often to inconsistent effect.

While the exact origin of gunpowder is uncertain, its first known predecessor is mentioned in 9th century China.  However, early "Fire medicine" was used for its caustic and incendiary properties during sieges rather than in explosives.

Dry mixed, the ingredients would often separate during transport, so early gunners were often highly skilled tradesmen assisted by apprentices often called "Sons of Guns."  With the development of corning processes as early as the 14th century, wet mixed powder could be bonded into a more stable form for use by traveling armies.
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Grenade
The explosive properties of gunpowder were not an immediately known quantity as the required rather specific circumstances to produce the needed effect.  Chief among these was containment in a confined space to build up the much-needed pressure.  As early as the 10th or 11th century, Chinese examples could be made of ceramic, with an opening for a fuse to be inserted.  By the end of the 15th century, Europeans began making them out of wrought iron.

Early grenades were chiefly used by special "Grenadier" infantry during sieges.  However, technical issues such as inconsistent fuses and limited effective range made them unreliable until the 20th century.
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Fire Lance
Precursor to more modern forms of the ballistic firearms, the fire lance or "huǒ qiāng" was a fairly simple weapon developed as late as the 12th century in China.  Such weapons derived much of their inspiration from grenades and landmines of the Song Dynasty, using a paper or bamboo shell to contain a single shot, which could be mounted to the half of a spear.  In combat, such devices had a limited range and were mainly used as a shock weapon to disturb an enemy before entering hand-to-hand combat.

The later adoption of cast iron barrels made these weapons more powerful, improving their range and stopping power and made it possible for soldier to reload the weapon during combat.  This improvement in capability allowed for the development of the Hand Cannon as a stand-alone weapon.
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Hand Cannon/Handgonne
In China, the use of "Eruptors" became an essential part of war during the 13th century.  Developing from the fire lance, the huochong replaced the spearhead entirely with a cast bronze tube at the end of a long staff.  This improved the range and penetration of the weapon in combat and allowed it to be used in a manner akin to crossbows within the Yuan army.  Instead of a fuse, a gunner used a match, a burning cord to touch off the powder and literally fire the weapon.

Handgonnes would eventually spread to throughout Eurasia by the end of the 14th century, alongside larger artillery pieces.  In Europe, version featuring a protruding lug, known as a "Harkenbusche" or "Hook gun," could be mounted to the battlements of a castle or on wooden tripods for more stabilized shots.
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Arquebus/Caliver
The first of what historians call modern firearms, the Arquebus was a gradual development of the Medieval Handgonne.  Mounting the barrel parallel to the staff allowed the tube to be forged longer without drastically increasing the weapon's length, while flaring the butt-end allowed the weapon to be braced against the shoulder.  By far the most important development of such weapons was the addition of a serpentine, initially developed as a simple lever to hold the match as the weapon was aimed.  By the 16th century, the serpentine was spring powered, allowing the trigger to act as a release for the mechanism.  This likely helped to prevent negligent discharges.

As the arquebus came to dominate battlefields of early modern Europe and Asia, several notable shortcomings came to light regarding the matchlock design.  Namely, handling a lit match in proximity to a powder flask was dangerous, and shooters were often instructed to remain 6 feet apart to avoid igniting each other's powder.  Further, in the absence of lighters and strike matches, soldiers were dependent on prepared flames before deploying.  Lastly, the discharge of the weapon had a tendency to extinguish the match, forcing most users to keep both ends of their cord lit.  In spite of these drawbacks, matchlock firearms would fall out of use until the 18th century, thanks to its low cost and reliability.
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Musket
Originating from the "Double Arquebus," the first muskets were a form of heavy matchlock firearm of the 16th century.  Larger bore diameters and thicker barrels allowed them to achieve greater penetration against the robust armor of contemporary men-at-arms.  The increased scale of the weapon made them far more cumbersome than contemporary arquebuses; most musketeers would carry shooting forks to support their musket.

The so-called Infantry Revolution saw armor falling out of widespread favor, and "Heavy" weapons fell out of extensive use.  However, English speakers continued to use "musket" interchangeably for other muzzle-loaders, especially the flintlock fucil of the 18th century and in many cases, continue to use the term in reference to all muzzleloaders, regardless design or time period.
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Flintlock/Fucil
Despite the persistence of the reliable matchlock, interest in fire mechanisms that abandoned the need for a burning slow match was almost immediate, with the first flintlocks developing in the early 1500s.  Early examples, known as the snaphance, were a straightforward conversion of the snapping matchlock, replacing the serpentine with a cock, a spring-powered vice for holding the flint, and adding a rotating steel over the priming pan.  Later "true flintlocks" simplified the system by combining the steel and pan-cover into a frizzen.

Limiting their popularity somewhat, flintlocks suffered reliability issues for much of their history.  Unlike the matchlock, which only needed a fire to ignite its powder, flintlocks depended on the ability for the system to produce a spark and issues ranging from poor maintenance or humidity could lead to frequent misfires.  As a result, early flintlocks were preferred as secondary weapons for artillery crewmen and some cavalry.
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Wheellock/Harquebus
Almost wholly contemporary to the Flintlock, Wheellocks were a far more complex firing mechanism design to achieve similar ends.  Unlike the flintlock, wheellocks are sometimes thought to have been developed by Bavarian clockmakers, who were familiar with fashioning the springs that powered the system.  They worked like a modern cigarette lighter, featuring a serrated steel wheel and spring-loaded dog to carry a piece of iron-pyrite.

Compared to the flintlock, wheellock firearms were costly to produce and maintain.  Their complex mechanism could be damaged by regular use and keeping the weapon loaded for extended periods cause the spring to set.  This meant that wheellocks, which were already expensive to begin with, often required expert maintenance by master craftsmen.  For this reason, wheellock firearms tended to be associated with upper classes and the nobility, and a status symbol for the social elite.  Additionally, wheellocks tended to make use of a detached spanner to turn the wheel, unlike the flintlock which could be cocked by hand.
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Pistol
The growing importance of firearms during the late 15th and early 16th centuries rapidly caught the attention mounted nobility and men-at-arms, who grew interested in weapons that could be loaded and operating from horseback.  Facilitated by the development of wheellock and snaphance mechanisms, pistols were compact enough to be carried in holsters and drawn with one hand.  Pistoleers would often carry between 2 and 6 so they had more shots available at a time.

However, their shorter barrel offered shots little opportunity to accelerate.  As a result, pistols offer poor range and penetration relative to contemporary long guns like the arquebus or musket.  Even as other firearms grew more powerful, pistols persistently struggled to stay relevant, with most cavalry favoring swords until the 20th century.
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Rifle
The principal of spin stabilization was a reasonably well understood mechanism since ancient times, where fletching on arrows produced gyroscopic forces necessary to counteract the archer's paradox.  In firearms, a similar effect was achieved by carving spiral grooves down the barrel of long firearms.  This helped to achieve superior range and accuracy compared to early smooth bore firearms like arquebuses and muskets.

However, in the era of muzzleloaders, rifles had a number of major shortcomings.  Chief among these were its effect on rate of fire; in rifles, shot had to be tightly fitted to the diameter of the barrel, drastically slowing the reloading process at a time when volume of fire was more important than accuracy.  Further, the grooves had a tendency to catch unburned powder, leading to barrel fouling, potentially shortening the weapon's lifespan.

It would not be until the mid-1800s and the invention of the conical Minié ball, which could expand to the diameter of the rifle as it was fired, that rifling became a viable technology on the battlefield.  However, the later development of breach-loading rifles proved far more influential in future warfare...
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Aeytrious

This is a nice resource for people to have. A sort of one stop shop for many of the weapons available in the Dark Ages. Of course, we're ahead of that in some areas of technology, having things that might be found in the Age of Discovery. For instance Serendipity and Connlaoth both have guns. Though they are not widely available to the public, and Connlaoth has more advanced guns than Serendipity. I like this though. I have a very extensive knowledge of weaponry ranging from Classical Antiquity to the Age of Enlightenment. I especially enjoy siege weapons. I read a treatise on the trebuchets dismissal from use and then comeback. It's all quite fascinating. Players should keep in mind though, that while maintaining realism to a degree doesn't negate the ability to use the rule of cool, and that magic can do things technology hasn't reached yet.
Guild
The Soot Wolves

Characters
Ryk/Theodore/Rufus
ArjanDirkElijahGeldGulliusHiram
HerewardKheelanKurohanaLex
MalilaMelyndariaMowellesaQuinnlyn
SehrayanahTiberiusValencia
Ritousaey


Kingfisher

I appreciate the love.  While I've always had an interest in weapons, I only really started studying the weapons ovr the past few years.  My big focus is actually on what they are and why; especially why.  That's partly why I am sometimes exasperated by fantasy tropes, especially when magic isn't at play (Basically, if plate armor hampers movement and does not make you effectively invulnerable, you're doing it wrong).

I also added a section for Artillery and I'll be getting to trebuchets, cannons and personal firearms eventually.

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