The Late Middle Ages
Because of the restrictions of technological advancements throughout Europe by the iron grip of the Papal States in Italy, Mediterranean focus turned to military advancements. Europeans had already enhanced the use of their iron weapons and were looking for new, more efficient ways to take out their enemies.
New Kinds of Bows
With the Middle Ages came new types of bows, most importantly the longbow, re-curve bow and crossbow.
The LongbowThe Longbow was used primarily by the English people. It was generally between 4-5 feet tall. It was considered the strongest bow of the Medieval Age. It is the biggest bow, and was the most powerful until the Mongols introduced the re-curve bow. The pull back for the longbow was different than that of the re-curve bow because it was easier to pull back on the initial pull, but as the string got further away from the body of the bow, the force needed to pull the bow back increased. Was less accurate than the other two.
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The Re-curve BowPrimarily used by the Mongols to fire from horseback. It was stronger than that of the longbow, and is the strongest manual bow of the Middle Ages. Was much smaller than that of its European counterparts. The re-curve bow was stronger because rather than have the strength required to pull the string away from the body of of the bow, it was harder to start and easier to pull afterwards. Once a soldier let go of the string, the curved sides of the bow would snap forward for a stronger and more accurate fire.
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The CrossbowThe most accurate and powerful bow at the time, however it took much longer to reload than that of the other bows. It was originally invented in China far before Europe developed it. Crossbows were the first type of mechanical weapon used on the battlefield. It was commonly used by everyone in Medieval society, and was the first step toward the creation of the guns man now knows today.
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Cannons
Towards the end of the Middle Ages, Europe discovered the technology of gunpowder. The first weapons to use this new technology were cannons, called bombards, that were fairly primitive. As soon as it was discovered, every nation on the Mediterranean scrambled to harness it in new, more devastating ways. Where as before war was determined by who had the best walls and best infantry, the invention of cannons changed warfare and caused everyone to fight on different terms. It changed war so much, that the notorious Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte would say years later, "God fights on the side with the best artillery."