Somewhat Bow/Arrow Related

Interesting……….maybe!


On August 30, 1146, European leaders outlawed the crossbow, with the stated intent of ending war for all time. (Pictured is a 16th-Century German Crossbow.) Here is a quote from an article titled: The Crossbow – A Medieval Doomsday Device:

"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." In the 12th Century, the crossbow was considered by many to be a weapon of mass destruction. Not only was it was remarkably accurate and deadly at vast distances, but shockingly, the bolts it fired could penetrate a knight's armour. Crossbows meant that no breast-plated nobleman, prince or king was safe on the battlefield. Any low-born peasant with just a bit of training could kill a lord or sovereign with [the] simple squeeze of a trigger — a platoon of crossbowmen could wipe out a kingdom's aristocracy with just a few volleys."

The ruling class doesn't sleep well when they don't have the upper hand. Hopefully the recent Bruen decision leads to abolishing the NFA.

Simple squeeze of a trigger

Back then, the trigger wasn't what we picture today.
The trigger was a length of metal that ran lengthwise along the bottom of the stock.
To shoot, you literally had to squeeze it to the stock, using your whole hand.

Hence the term "squeeze the trigger" was born.

@memtb,

Your picture didn't make it.

std7mag said:

@memtb,

Your picture didn't make it.

Click to expand...

I didn't try to apply the photo……but here ya go! memtb

Ugly and brutal,but effective. But English longbowmen far out ranged them and fired a shaft that weights about a quarter pound called a yard cloth. Fired in volley by fifty archers who can fire ten shafts in fifteen seconds. 500 shafts in the air! Awesome display of fire power in 1300 AD.

The advent of the Bodkin point changed everything

Yes, it would penetrate chain maile. But excellent knights armour would still stop it at distance. Hit like a hammer blow though. Kill the knights horse, capture him for ransom. some mostly peasant archers became landed lords from a random taken in battles in france and Italy.

History buff, I like to read.

Rosebud said:

History buff, I like to read.

Click to expand...

It shows! memtb

In my fiefdom, my fief took away our crossbows cause we kept killing his shooter bucks off his target list.

Some of the English kings,and princes, may have had a thousand archers. Once they had fired their volly of shafts they would sheve there bows and draw swords. That's when it was possible to claim a ransom from some poor lords son who thought being a knight was a great thing. They would sell their ransom to their lords or the kight they were serving for half what the value was. Money in hand was better than holding a trained warrior until there prince, family or father paid. May take months or years. If ever! A thousand Italian gold ducats would buy a manor and farms. Basically a small village. You could have been "Lord Todd", visited your peasants on your fine Arabia horse. If it wasn't for the plague, it wouldn't.sound to bad. It was nothing to loose 80% of a village to the plague in a week. The people left alive were considered to be " Salted" they were immune to it from that point. Why many people with Eastern European bloodline is immune to lots of viruses.

Sounds more like our gov't today.