[Osprey] Medieval Arms Armor and Tactics.pdf

(680 KB) Pobierz
Medieval Arms Armor and Tactics.doc
MEDIEVAL ARMS, ARMOR, AND TACTICS
And Interactive Qualifying Project
Submitted to the faculty
Of the
WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
In partial fulfillment of the requirements of the
Degree of Bachelor or Science
By
Jack Waddell
And
Brent Palermo
Date: December 10 th , 2002
Approved:
---------------------------------------------
Jeffrey L. Forgeng
3266046.001.png
Abstract
This project examined and photographed nearly 300 examples of medieval arms
and armor in the Higgins Armory collection, and documented the
characteristics of armor, weapons, and their associated tactics during the
middle ages (approximately 500CE to 1500CE) as well as the historical and
technological background against which they were employed.
2
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the Higgins Armory Museum for providing us with access to
authentic medieval artifacts and essential research tools.
3
Table of Contents
1. Abstract.................................................................................................................pg 2
2. Acknowledgements.................................................................................................3
3. Table of Contents ...................................................................................................4
4. Introduction (By Brent Palermo) ..............................................................................5
5. Historical background of the Middle Ages (By Jack Waddell) ....................................6
a. History.............................................................................................................6
b. Feudalism.........................................................................................................35
c. War in the Middle Ages ....................................................................................40
d. Medieval Technology ........................................................................................47
6. Armor of the Middle Ages (By Jack Waddell) ..........................................................55
a. Introduction ......................................................................................................55
b. Armor for the Body ..........................................................................................57
c. Armor for the Head..........................................................................................69
d. Armor for the Legs ...........................................................................................78
e. Armor for the Arms ..........................................................................................81
f. Shields ............................................................................................................87
g. Snapshots of Armor Ensembles over Time .........................................................90
7. Weapons of the Middle Ages (By Brent Palermo) ....................................................100
a. Daggers ...........................................................................................................100
b. Swords.............................................................................................................105
c. Axes................................................................................................................112
d. Halberds ..........................................................................................................115
e. Glaives.............................................................................................................116
f. Bills .................................................................................................................117
g. Maces..............................................................................................................117
h. Morning Stars...................................................................................................118
i. Flails ................................................................................................................119
j. War Hammers..................................................................................................120
k. Spears .............................................................................................................121
l. Lances.............................................................................................................122
m. Pikes................................................................................................................125
n. Bows ...............................................................................................................126
o. Crossbows .......................................................................................................128
p. Slings ..............................................................................................................132
q. Firearms .........................................................................................................133
8. Tactics of the Middle Ages (By Justin Therrien) .......................................................136
a. Early Middle Ages: The Dominance of Heavy Cavalry........................................136
b. The Role of Archers .........................................................................................141
c. Late Middle Ages: The Resurgence of Infantry ..................................................145
d. Siege Tactics....................................................................................................148
9. Conclusion (By Jack Waddell) .................................................................................154
10. Works Cited...........................................................................................................160
11. Appendix................................................................................................................162
a. Appendix A: Battle Synopses (By Jack Waddell) ................................................162
b. Appendix B: Armor Timetable Spreadsheet (By Jack Waddell)............................176
12. Artifact Pages ........................................................................................................I
4
Introduction
The middle ages were a time of relative chaos for Europe. With the collapse of
the Holy Roman Empire at the end of the 5 th century, the countries of Europe were
thrown into disarray. After a great deal of border-shifting and consolidating, Europe was
stable enough to work together and begin the first crusade in the late 11 th century. 500
years and three crusades later began the Renaissance, which is considered by most as the
end of this chaotic era.
The weapons, armor and tactics of medieval combat evolved simultaneously.
Arms and armor evolved constantly to negate each other; for instance, the use of plate
mail in the 12 th century caused the addition of spikes to most pole-arms that could
penetrate it. Tactics were also changed with the invention of a new weapon or a better
piece of armor. The infantry that could formerly be dispersed easily by cavalry became a
formidable foe when wielding pikes.
Overall, the middle ages were a hard time for Europe. “Dark Ages” may be a bit
too strong to describe this era, but times were far from easy. Wars and border disputes
between countries were far more common than they are today. The weapons, armor and
tactics used during this time were both brutal and effective, which is a fair statement
about the times themselves.
5

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika:

Zgłoś jeśli naruszono regulamin