Medieval Weapons and Men At Arms.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Leaving the art of Jousting to one flank I wondered about Medieval Sword and Armour Makers thus I now turn to that wide subject and taking an essay at the MET Museum as the start point I Quote'' Dirk H. Breiding
Department of Arms and Armor, The Metropolitan Museum of Art on the website http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/make/hd_make.htm

Despite the fame of their legendary predecessors, as well as many Far Eastern counterparts, comparatively little is known about European makers of arms and armor. The names of a few fourteenth-century armorers have come down to us, but substantial documentation begins only in the fifteenth century. The same holds true for the manufacture of sword blades, staff weapons, bows and crossbows, firearms, and ordinance (cannon founding), where famous names rarely appear before the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The modern concept of the individual artist begins to emerge only from the late fourteenth century onward, which may explain why, in the manufacture of arms and armor, cities and regions of origin often take precedence over the craftsman/artist.

Italy
By far the most important regions of armor production in Renaissance Europe were northern Italy and southern Germany, with workshops from both regions exporting their products throughout Europe. Probably the most dynamic center of armor manufacture during the fifteenth century was the Italian city of Milan, home to the earliest comparatively well-documented family of armorers, the Missaglias. This prominent family produced at least four known armorers—Tomaso (recorded 1430, died 1452), Antonio (recorded 1441, died 1496), Giovanni Angelo (recorded 1496–1529), and Damiano (recorded 1514)—and their workshop appears to have exported armor all over Europe. During the sixteenth century, Milan housed the workshop of the Missaglia descendant Filippo Negroli (ca. 1510–1579), who may be regarded as the most skilled, esteemed, and famous armorer of his age, perhaps of all time. Together with his relatives Francesco (ca. 1522–1600), Giovan Battista (ca. 1511–1591), Alessandro (ca. 1528–1573) and Giovan Paolo (ca. 1513–1569), the Negrolis produced sumptuously decorated parade armor for the Holy Roman Emperor, the dukes of Urbino, as well as the French and Spanish royal courts. At the same time, however, the urban and courtly workshops of Brescia and a number of southern German cities had successfully challenged Milan’s dominance".Unquote


It occurred to me that artwork showing some of the ancient armour and sword smiths would enhance the thread thus~

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Reference;
A. http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=5453


Continued from #18 above with another Quote from http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/make/hd_make.htm


Quote"German-speaking Countries
Armor production in the German-speaking countries centered on several hubs: the imperial cities of Augsburg, Basel (Swiss after 1501), Landshut, and Nuremberg, as well as the court workshop of the Holy Roman Emperors in Innsbruck. All were famous for their plate armor, produced by renowned armorers or armorer families. In Augsburg, the Helmschmied family, with its most prominent members Lorenz (active 1467, died 1515), Kolman (1471–1532), and Desiderius (1513–1579) worked for the archdukes of Austria and Tyrol, the Holy Roman Emperor, and other wealthy clients. Equally prominent was the Seusenhofer family, particularly the brothers Konrad (active 1500, died 1517) and Hans (active 1514, died 1555), who in turn controlled the newly established imperial workshop at Innsbruck, producing armor for the emperor and his court. Wolf(gang) Großschedel (1517–1562) of Landshut received the patronage of King Philip II of Spain and his court. And in Nuremberg, Kunz Lochner (ca. 1510–1567) acquired an international reputation and included among his clients Emperor Charles V, the dukes of Saxony, and the kings of Poland.

In addition to the workshops of famous makers of plate armor, various cities specialized in certain types of production. Nuremberg had long earned a reputation for its mail armor and, moreover, in the later sixteenth century became a center for the production of wheel-lock firearms. Cologne was known for the manufacture of fine swords and mail armor from at least the twelfth century. The names of Passau and Solingen were synonymous with sword blades: the famous Passau “trademark”—a running wolf incised on the blade—signified such exceptional quality, that during the fifteenth century, Solingen blade smiths began to copy the mark and apply it to their own blades."Unquote.

See this famous armour below at https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2015/10/08/late-armor/ where it states Quote"In Germany in the early 16th century the armorers’ craft received strong encouragement from the informed patronage of Emperor MAXIMILIAN I. Among the famous makers who worked for Maximilian and his successors were the SEUSENHOFER FAMILY of Innsbruck and the HELMSCHMIED FAMILY of Augsburg".Unquote

On mention of fire arms here are some wheel locks which can be closer viewed at http://metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/22378 and whereas these may be slightly late we shall be covering Medieval fire arms in some detail soon...

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

The following is a web page worth reading . It balances the Medieval period with the the follow on Renaissance very expertly. Please see;

http://web.ceu.hu/medstud/manual/SRM/arms1.htm

and from which I Quote" Given this, one can no more understand the medieval world without having an understanding of weapons and armor than one can understand European intellectual development without ever having been exposed to Aristotle." Unquote.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

I was intending to hold fire on Medieval Cannons and other gunpowder weapons but now is as good a time as any with my first detail being to point members to the brilliant work done by Michael (RIP) (Matchlock) whose attention to detail was unveiled in some magnificent treatise and excellent discussions on a subject he seemed to know as if they only appeared yesterday; such was his enthusiasm.

Reference. Just type into search or press on http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/search...earchid=860408

~ and simply chose from a myriad of different topics on the subject.

See also the two cannon below from http://www.medievalists.net/2009/08/...owder-recipes/

See The seige of Orleans (pink fort)below from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpow...ge_orleans.jpg

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

In support of this thread please have a quick look at http://deremilitari.org/2013/11/the-...l-perspective/

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

One Medieval weapon I know little about is The Bow and Arrow. I found an interesting read here at ~

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_longbow

The report opens with Quote" The English longbow was a powerful medieval type of longbow (a tall bow for archery) about 6 ft (1.8 m) long used by the English and Welsh for hunting and as a weapon in medieval warfare. English use of longbows was effective against the French during the Hundred Years' War, particularly at the start of the war in the battles of Sluys (1340), Crécy (1346), and Poitiers (1356), and perhaps most famously at the Battle of Agincourt (1415).

They were less successful after this, with longbowmen having their lines broken at the Battle of Verneuil (1424), and being completely routed at the Battle of Patay (1429) when they were charged before they had set up their defensive position." Unquote.


It is an excellent report on The English Longbow...which to some is a bit of a misnomer since it tends to be associated with Welsh Bowmen... but interestingly if the Bow was Yew it presumeably came from France in ships carrying another fine French product...Port ! but I would not suppose it could be called a French Bow

The above reference on Range says Quote"
The range of the medieval weapon is not accurately known, with much depending on both the power of the bow and the type of arrow. It has been suggested that a flight arrow of a professional archer of Edward III's time would reach 400 yd (370 m) but the longest mark shot at on the London practice ground of Finsbury Fields in the 16th century was 345 yd (315 m).

In 1542, Henry VIII set a minimum practice range for adults using flight arrows of 220 yd (200 m); ranges below this had to be shot with heavy arrows. Modern experiments broadly concur with these historical ranges. A 667 N (150 lbf) Mary Rose replica longbow was able to shoot a 53.6 g (1.89 oz) arrow 328 m (359 yd) and a 95.9 g (3.38 oz) a distance of 249.9 m (273.3 yd). In 2012, Joe Gibbs shot a 2.25 oz (64 g) livery arrow 292 yd (267 m) with a 170 lbf yew bow. The effective combat range of longbowmen was generally lower than what could be achieved on the practice range as sustained shooting was tiring and the rigors of campaigning would sap soldiers' strength.

Writing 30 years after the Mary Rose sank, Barnabe Rich estimated that if 1000 English archers were mustered then after one week only 100 of them would be able to shoot farther than 200 paces, while 200 would not be able to shoot farther than 180 paces".Unquote

In a contemporary account it goes on to describe viz

by Gerald of Wales commenting on the power of the Welsh longbow in the 12th century: One of the men of arms was struck by an arrow shot at him by a Welshman. It went right through his thigh, high up, where it was protected inside and outside the leg by his iron chausses, and then through the skirt of his leather tunic; next it penetrated that part of the saddle which is called the alva or seat; and finally it lodged in his horse, driving so deep that it killed the animal.

Below The Battle of Crecy. and a Longbow illustrated at reference.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Bow Ranges~

I was looking at a comparison in Bow ranges and comparing the English Longbow to others...including the Turkish Foot Bow...which I assume is called that because of the need to use your foot to press on the bow in order to apply sufficient force to bend it so as top apply the bowstring...The amazing range of the latter weapon was never tested against the English Bow but achieved far longer range distances and easily plus of 400 yards and refined with modern methods to nearly double that today...

See http://www.turkishculture.org/lifest...554.htm?type=1

The detail whilst placed here for the Boffins out there is interesting not least in the peculiar shape of the Bows but also the aerodynamic type of Arrows used in the Turkish example...