Medieval Weapons

by Brian

Ballista

The Ballista was considered to be one of the most popular and most accurate siege weapons. The Ballista usally shot an oversized arrow about three feet long. The ballista was used to shoot off of castle tops. It was also nicknamed "the gyn". The ballista was really like a larger crossbow, but it took a bit longer to load. The ballista used a simple trigger called a sliphook to fire.

 

Holy Water Sprinkle

The Holy Water Sprinkle was created because most guns in the Medieval Times misfired. The purpose of the Holy Water Sprinkle was to give attackers a second weapon because it was both a gun and a mace. It was made of two rows of spikes, usually four to five holes in the front, and a separate compartment for loading gunpowder. The way to fire it was to pull back a pole and let go to fire needles made of melted sand.

 

Trebuchet

The Trebuchet, also known as "the tripgate", was a heavy Medieval siege weapon which was used during the sixteenth century. It was so large that it had to be built at the moment that it was needed. The Trebuchet was similar to a see-saw with one short end and one very long end. Historically, it was used by the Norman aristocracy. The Trebuchet was usually used to topple fortress walls and for knocking out heavy artillery.

 

Return to The World of The Middle Ages

Hayfield Elementary School