Medieval Armour

Current use of medival armour.
Today, ballistic vests, euphemistically known as a flak jacket, made of ballistic cloth (e.g. Kevlar, dyneema, twaron, spectra etc.) and ceramic or metal plates are common among police forces, security staff, corrections officers and some branches of the military.

Tank armour has progressed from the Second World War armour forms, now incorporating not only harder composites, but also reactive medieval armour designed to defeat shaped charges. As a result of this, the main battle tanks (MBT) designed since the late Cold War era can survive multiple RPG strikes with minimal effect on the crew or the operation of the vehicle. The light tanks that were the last descendants of the light cavalry during the Second World War have almost completely disappeared from the World's armed forces due to increased lethality of the weapons available to the vehicle-mounted infantry.

Weapons of medieval destruction
A medieval kingdom was limited in its ability to counter the effects of siege weapons. This is in part why these weapons evoked such a sense of fear and even desperation from its target. With such weapons, castles could be devastated and castle breach was almost assured. We will take a look at the kinds of siege weapons that were used and how these weapons upheld such a imminent threat.

When we think of these weapons, several vivid images come to mine. For example, we think of the trebuchet, launching a missile of such destruction force that it would shake the very foundation of a castle.

We think of the ballista, sending forth a spear that could scatter ranks of the enemy and pierce their protective shields.

The thought of these weapons conjure up images of these fierce catapults, and would not be complete without the vision of mangonels, a relatively easy to build catapult. With the use of siege weapons, an attacking force would begin an assault on a castle. Trebuchets would be put to use to penetrate castle walls.

The strategic placement of siege weapons would cause a scattering of forces within the castle and could split the concentration of castle forces enough to launch additional assaults, preparing the way for a breach of the castle.

Through time, the effectiveness of these siege weapons began to reshape power and authority, control over kingdoms, and the strategies of war. The result of this change gave rise to the need for defense against medieval siege weapons.

As this need grew, innovations of war were spurred on and new ways were developed to answer the threat of medieval siege weapons. Although methods were invented and useful strategies employed, little could be done to quell the fear of medieval siege weapons.

Medieval Weapons used by the Knights

The Medieval Knights attended the equivalent of a 'Knight School' serving seven years as a Page and a further seven years as a Squire in which he acquired the necessary strength and skills in the weapons of a Medieval Knight. These weapons were difficult to master and required continuous practice and training.

The medieval armour of the Middle Ages listed above were usually provided by a lord or noble. However many peasants were also called to the battlefield who were just armed with tools that were used when working on the land