The following is a list of Wikipedia articles of the types of weapons that were in use during the post-classical historical period (roughly between the mid 1st to mid 2nd millennia AD).

Offensive weapons

Melee weapons A melee weapon, hand weapon or close combat weapon is any handheld weapon used in hand-to-hand combat, i.e. for use within the direct physical reach of the weapon itself, essentially functioning as an additional (and more impactful) extension of th ...

Trauma and cleaving weapons

* Battle axe *

Bec de corbin Bec de corbin (Modern French: Bec de corbeau ) is a type of polearm and war hammer that was popular in medieval Europe. The name is Old French for "raven's beak". Similar to the Lucerne hammer, it consists of a modified hammer's head and spike mo ...

Bludgeon Bludgeon may refer to: * Club (weapon) * Bludgeon, a ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' character * Bludgeon, a ''Transformers'' character * WP:BLUDGEON, an English Wikipedia term for a type of disruptive editing See also * Bludgeoning Blu ...

* Club * Flail * Flanged mace * Horseman's pick *

Mace Mace may refer to: Spices * Mace (spice), a spice derived from the aril of nutmeg * '' Achillea ageratum'', known as English mace, a flowering plant once used as a herb Weapons * Mace (bludgeon), a weapon with a heavy head on a solid shaft used ...

Morning star Morning Star, morning star, or Morningstar may refer to: Astronomy * Morning star, most commonly used as a name for the planet Venus when it appears in the east before sunrise ** See also Venus in culture * Morning star, a name for the star Siri ...

* Quarterstaff *

Shestopyor A pernach (russian: перна́ч, uk, перна́ч or , pl, piernacz) is a type of flanged mace originating in the 12th century in the region of Kievan Rus' and later widely used throughout Europe. The name comes from the Slavic word ''п� ...

Pernach A pernach (russian: перна́ч, uk, перна́ч or , pl, piernacz) is a type of mace (bludgeon), flanged mace originating in the 12th century in the region of Kievan Rus' and later widely used throughout Europe. The name comes from the S ...

* War hammer

Swords and hilt weapons

Sword A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...

s can have single or double bladed edges or even edgeless. The blade can be curved or straight. * Arming sword * Dagger *

Estoc The French estoc is a type of sword, also called a tuck in English, in use from the 14th to the 17th century. It is characterized by a cruciform hilt with a grip for two-handed use and a straight, edgeless, but sharply pointed blade of around to ...

* Falchion * Katana * Knife * Longsword * Rapier * Sabre or Saber (Most sabers belong to the renaissance period, but some sabers can be found in the late medieval period) * Shortsword * Ulfberht (Frankish)

Spears and polearms

Ahlspiess The ahlspiess (or awl pike) was a thrusting spear developed and used primarily in Germany and Austria from the 15th to 16th centuries. The ahlspiess consisted of a long thin spike of square cross section measuring up to about a metre (39 inches) ...

* Bardiche *

Bec de Corbin Bec de corbin (Modern French: Bec de corbeau ) is a type of polearm and war hammer that was popular in medieval Europe. The name is Old French for "raven's beak". Similar to the Lucerne hammer, it consists of a modified hammer's head and spike mo ...

Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

* Glaive *

Goedendag A goedendag (Dutch for "good day"; also rendered godendac, godendard, godendart, and sometimes conflated with the related plançon) was a weapon originally used by the militias of Medieval Flanders in the 14th century, notably during the Franc ...

* Guisarme * Halberd * Lance * Lochaber axe *

Lucerne hammer The Lucerne hammer ( ) is a type of polearm which was popular in Swiss armies during the 15th to 17th centuries. It was a combination of the bec de corbin and a pronged war hammer. Origins The weapon originates from Switzerland, and the name co ...

* Man catcher * Military fork *

Partisan Partisan may refer to: Military * Partisan (weapon), a pole weapon * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line Films * ''Partisan'' (film), a 2015 Australian film * ''Hell River'', a 1974 Yugoslavian film also know ...

Pike Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to: Fish * Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus'' * Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes * ''Esox'', genus of ...

* Plançon a picot * Ranseur * Sovnya * Spear * Spetum *

Swordstaff A swordstaff () is a Scandinavian polearm, used in the medieval ages. It is made by placing a blade at the end of a staff. Evidence of the weapon in use at the Battle of Elfsborg (Älvsborg fortress, Alvesborg) 1502 is provided by Paul Dolnst ...

Voulge A voulge (occasionally called a pole cleaver; also spelled vouge) is a type of polearm that existed alongside the similar glaive in medieval Europe. Superficially, a voulge might strongly resemble a glaive, but there are some notable differences i ...

War scythe A war scythe or military scythe is a form of pole weapon with a curving single-edged blade with the cutting edge on the concave side of the blade. Its blade bears a superficial resemblance to that of an agricultural scythe from which it is like ...

* War hammer

Ranged weapons A ranged weapon is any weapon that can engage targets beyond hand-to-hand distance, i.e. at distances greater than the physical reach of the user holding the weapon itself. The act of using such a weapon is also known as shooting. It is someti ...

* Bows ** Longbows *** Daikyu ***

English longbow The English longbow was a powerful medieval type of bow, about long. While it is debated whether it originated in England or in Wales from the Welsh bow, by the 14th century the longbow was being used by both the English and the Welsh as a ...

***

Welsh longbow The Welsh bow or Welsh longbow was a medieval weapon used by Welsh soldiers. They were first documented by Gerald of Wales about 1188, who writes of the bows used by the Welsh men of Gwent: "They are made neither of horn, ash nor yew, but of elm. ...

Recurved bow In archery, a recurve bow is one of the main shapes a bow can take, with limbs that curve away from the archer when unstrung. A recurve bow stores more energy and delivers energy more efficiently than the equivalent straight-limbed bow, giving ...

s *** Hungarian bow *** Perso-Parthian bow **

Short bow Archery, or the use of bow and arrows, was probably developed in Africa by the later Middle Stone Age (approx. 70,000 years ago). It is documented as part of warfare and hunting from the classical period (where it figures in the mythologies of m ...

s and

reflex bow In archery, the shape of the bow is usually taken to be the view from the side. It is the product of the complex relationship of material stresses, designed by a bowyer. This shape, viewing the limbs, is designed to take into account the cons ...

s *** Gungdo *** Hankyu *** Mongol bow *** Turkish bow ** Crossbows *** Arbalest *** Crossbow *** Repeating crossbow ***

Skane lockbow Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skåne ...

***

Stone bow A bullet-shooting crossbow, also known as prodd, pelletbow, ballester, stone bow, or rock-throwing crossbow, is a modified version of the classic crossbow. The bow was usually constructed with wood or steel, depending on the preference. It typical ...

* Flamethrowers ** Byzantine flamethrower ** Pen Huo Qi flamethrower * Gunpowder firearms ** Arquebuses *** Arquebus *** Istinggar arquebus *** Java arquebus ***

Jiaozhi arquebus Jiaozhi arquebus (''Giao Chỉ'' arquebus or Vietnamese arquebus) refer to several type of gunpowder firearms produced historically in Vietnam. This page also include Vietnamese muskets — since the early definition of musket is "heavy arquebus". ...

*** Tanegashima arquebus *** Torador arquebus **

Blunderbuss The blunderbuss is a firearm with a short, large caliber barrel which is flared at the muzzle and frequently throughout the entire bore, and used with shot and other projectiles of relevant quantity or caliber. The blunderbuss is commonly consid ...

Hand cannons The hand cannon (Chinese: 手銃 ''shŏuchòng'', or 火銃 ''huŏchòng''), also known as the gonne or handgonne, is the first true firearm and the successor of the fire lance. It is the oldest type of small arms as well as the most mech ...

***

Baton a feu Baton may refer to: Stick-like objects *Baton, a type of club *Baton (law enforcement) * Baston (weapon), a type of baton used in Arnis and Filipino Martial Arts * Baton charge, a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people * Baton (condu ...

*** Bedil tumbak *** Hand cannon *** Huo Qiang lance hand cannon *** Heilongjiang hand cannon ***

Huo Chong ''Huochong'' () was the Chinese name for hand cannons. The oldest confirmed metal ''huochong'', also the first cannon, is a bronze hand cannon bearing an inscription dating it to 1298 (see Xanadu Gun, Xanadu gun). By the time of the Ming Dynast ...

*** Meriam kecil *** Petronel *** San Yan Chong three barrel hand cannon *** Shou Chong ***

Tu Huo Qiang ''Tu Huo Qiang'' (Chinese: 突火枪; Pinyin: ''tūhuǒqiāng'') was one of the earliest true guns. It consisted of a moso bamboo tube which had been partially hollowed out and loaded with gunpowder and a single projectile, called the ''zi kē' ...

** Muskets ***

Che Dian Chong The ''che dian chong'' () is a breech-loading, cartridge-using musket invented by Zhao Shizhen (趙士禎) during the Ming dynasty for the dynasty's arsenals. Like all early breech loading fireams, gas leakage was a limitation and danger pres ...

***

Musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually d ...

***

Xun Lei Chong The ''xun lei chong'' () is a revolving-barrel, spear- combined musket invented by Zhao Shizhen (趙士禎) during the Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of ...

spear five barrel revolver musket ** Musketoon **

Pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, an ...

*** Bajozutsu **

Wall gun The wall gun or wall piece was a type of smoothbore firearm used in the 16th through 18th centuries by defending forces to break the advance of enemy troops. Essentially, it was a scaled-up version of the army's standard infantry musket, operating ...

***

Jingal The wall gun or wall piece was a type of smoothbore firearm used in the 16th through 18th centuries by defending forces to break the advance of enemy troops. Essentially, it was a scaled-up version of the army's standard infantry musket, operati ...

* Slings ** Kestros **

Sling sling may refer to: Places *Sling, Anglesey, Wales *Sling, Gloucestershire, England, a small village in the Forest of Dean People with the name * Otto Šling (1912–1952), repressed Czech communist functionary Arts, entertainment, and media * ...

** Stave sling * Throwing weapons ** Chakram **

Francisca The francisca (or francesca) is a throwing axe used as a weapon during the Early Middle Ages by the Franks, among whom it was a characteristic national weapon at the time of the Merovingians from about 500 to 750 and is known to have been used d ...

** Kunai **

Nzappa zap The Nzappa zap (also referred to as zappozap, nsapo, kilonda, kasuyu) is a traditional weapon from the Congo similar to an axe or hatchet. Uses It has an ornate wrought-iron blade connected to a club-like wooden handle, often clad in copper, b ...

** Shuriken ** Throwing knife **

Throwing spear A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon, but today predominantly for sport. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand, unlike the sling (weapon), sling, bow and arrow, bow, and crossbow, whi ...

** Wurfkreuz (German throwing cross)

Siege weapons

* Ballista * Battering ram * Bombards **

Bombard __NOTOC__ Bombard may refer to the act of carrying out a bombardment. It may also refer to: Individuals *Alain Bombard (1924–2005), French biologist, physician and politician; known for crossing the Atlantic on a small boat with no water or food ...

** Byzantine bombard (Greek) ** Dardanelles bombard (Turkish) ** Dulle Griet ** Faule Grete **

Faule Mette The Faule Mette (German for ''Lazy Mette'', alluding to the gun's rare deployment, difficult mobility, and limited loading and fire rate) or Faule Metze was a medieval large-calibre cannon of the city of Brunswick, Germany. Cast by the gunfound ...

** Grose Bochse ** Mons Meg ** Orban bombard ** Pumhart von Steyr * Cannons **

Abus ABUS August Bremicker Söhne KG, commonly known as ABUS, is a German manufacturer of preventative security technology based in Wetter, North Rhine-Westphalia. Its name is an acronym of its original name, August Bremicker und Söhne ("August Bre ...

Basilisk In European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk ( or ) is a legendary reptile reputed to be a serpent king, who causes death to those who look into its eyes. According to the ''Naturalis Historia'' of Pliny the Elder, the basilisk of Cyrene is ...

** Byzantine fire tubeΓεώργιος Ηλιόπουλος (Georgios Iliopoulos), "Η χαμένη πυραυλική τεχνολογία των αρχαίων Ελλήνων" (The lost missile technology of the ancient Greeks), Ιχώρ (Ihor), 27, page 12-13, Greece, 2002. ** Cannon ** Cetbang ** Chongtong ** Culverin **

Ekor lotong Ekor lotong, ekor lutong, or ekor lutung refers to a kind of traditional Malay blackpowder weapon. It is also known as monkey tail cannon. The ekor lotong is a kind of relatively small swivel cannon. Typically, ekor lotongs are made of iron. The ...

** Falconet ** Fauconneau ** Hu Dun Pao cannon ** Korean cannon **

Lantaka The ''Lantaka'' (Baybayin: pre virama: ''ᜎᜆᜃ'': post virama: ''ᜎᜈ᜔ᜆᜃ'') also known as ''rentaka'' (In Malay) was a type of bronze portable cannon or swivel gun, sometimes mounted on merchant vessels and warships in Maritime Sou ...

** Lela ** Pierrier a boite **

Pot de fer The ''pot-de-fer'' was a primitive cannon made of iron. It was used by France in the Middle Ages, the French in the Hundred Years' War. The name means "iron pot" in French language, French. In Italy, ''pots-de-fer'' were known as ''vasi'' or ''v ...

** Prangi ** Saker ** Tarasnice **

Veuglaire The Veuglaire (derived from the German ''Vogler'' and ''Vogelfänger'', and the Flemish ''Vogheler'', after a gun manufacturer named Vögler. English: Fowler) was a wrought iron cannon, and part of the artillery of France in the Middle Ages. There ...

** Wankou Chong ** Xanadu cannon ** Xi Xia * Mortar *

Organ gun A ribauldequin, also known as a rabauld, ribault, ribaudkin, infernal machine or organ gun, was a medieval artillery, late medieval volley gun with many small-caliber iron barrels set up parallel on a platform, in use from the 14th through 17th ...

* Petrary weapons **

Catapult A catapult is a ballistic device used to launch a projectile a great distance without the aid of gunpowder or other propellants – particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. A catapult uses the sudden release of stored p ...

** Hu Dun Pao trebuchet ** Mangonel ** Onager ** Trebuchet * Rocket powered weapons ** Byzantine rocket launcherΓεώργιος Ηλιόπουλος (Georgios Iliopoulos), "Η χαμένη πυραυλική τεχνολογία των αρχαίων Ελλήνων" (The lost missile technology of the ancient Greeks), Ιχώρ (Ihor), 27, page 13, Greece, 2002. ** Huo Che rocket arrow launcher ** Hwacha rocket arrow launcher * Siege tower

Warships

* Caravel *

Carrack A carrack (; ; ; ) is a three- or four- masted ocean-going sailing ship that was developed in the 14th to 15th centuries in Europe, most notably in Portugal. Evolved from the single-masted cog, the carrack was first used for European trade fr ...

* Cog * Fire ship * Galleon *

Galley A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be used ...

* Hellburners * Junk * Longship *

Lou chuan Louchuan (traditional Chinese: , simplified: , pinyin: ''lóuchuán'', lit. ''tower ships'') were a type of Chinese naval vessels, primarily a floating fortress, which have seen use since the Han dynasty. Meant to be a central vessel in the fleet ...

(Baby ship) *

Qiao chuan Qiao may refer to: * Qiao (surname), a common pronunciation for some Chinese surnames, such as 喬 and 橋. * Qiao (橋), Chinese character for "bridge". * Qiao (譙), a location in ancient China which corresponds to present-day Bozhou Bozhou ( ...

(Banana ship) * Turtle ship

Animals in war Military animals are trained animals that are used in warfare and other combat related activities. As working animals, different military animals serve different functions. Horses, elephants, camels, and other animals have been used for both tran ...

* Camels in warfare * Dogs in warfare * Elephants in warfare *

Horses in warfare The first evidence of horses in warfare dates from Eurasia between 4000 and 3000 BC. A Sumerian illustration of warfare from 2500 BC depicts some type of equine pulling wagons. By 1600 BC, improved harness and chariot designs ...

** Courser ** Destrier ** Rouncey

Defensive weapons

Shields and body armour

While armour is not technically a weapon, its use was driven by weapon technology and was a driving force in weapon development. * Gambeson *

Gauntlet Gauntlet or the gauntlet may refer to: Common uses *Gauntlet (glove), protective gloves used as a form of armor *Running the gauntlet, a form of physical punishment Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Gauntlet (comics), a Marvel ...

* Lamellar armour * Mail *

Shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of a ...

Fortifications

Medieval fortifications also developed in connection with the weapons that opposed them. * Bailey *

Barbican A barbican (from fro, barbacane) is a fortified outpost or fortified gateway, such as at an outer fortifications, defense perimeter of a city or castle, or any tower situated over a gate or bridge which was used for defensive purposes. Europe ...

* Battlement *

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

* Citadel * City wall * Curtain wall *

Drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable ...

Fortified tower A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with curtain walls. Castle towers can have a variety of different shapes and ful ...

Gate A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word derived from old Norse "gat" meaning road or path; But other terms include ''yett and port''. The concept originally referred to the gap or hole in the wall ...

Keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...

Moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

Motte-and-bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to ...

Murder-hole A murder hole or meurtrière is a hole in the ceiling of a gateway or passageway in a fortification through which the defenders could shoot, throw or pour harmful substances or objects such as rocks, arrows, scalding water, hot sand, quicklime ...

Palisade A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a fence or defensive wall made from iron or wooden stakes, or tree trunks, and used as a defensive structure or enclosure. Palisades can form a stockade. Etymology ''Palisade' ...

Portcullis A portcullis (from Old French ''porte coleice'', "sliding gate") is a heavy vertically-closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications, consisting of a latticed grille made of wood, metal, or a combination of the two, which slides down gr ...

References

{{Authority control Medieval Medieval weapons