History of Weapons The History of weapons is a vast subject and involves a step by step account of the various weapons that were invented or conceived in the course of time . Weapons can be defined as a tool to hurt an individual or a group or threaten or defend . Weapons are also used for hunting and gathering purposes . Weapons have always played a crucial role in moulding and changing the course of History . They have destroyed civilizations and created new ones . In the ancient days , when Egypt was at its peak , the Hyksos invaded it only because they had superior weapons . They marched into Egypt using chariots which amazed the Egyptians themselves who are known to be the most ancient civilized people . The Macedonians surged ahead of all other tribes by innovating siege weapons like the Catapult . Romans subsequently improved the quality and technology of siege weapons . The Germans after their defeat in World War I , started devising new methods of creating superior weapons . The invention of weapons that began with clubs and sling later advanced to bow , arrow , swords and further later , to gunpowder weapons , rifles , machine guns and eventually to nuclear weapons . The evolution of these weapons helps us understand the technology used in different periods and the society that produced such weapons . Weapons of the Pre - historic age . When humans came into existence , it took time and knowledge for them to hunt animals . They made most of their weapons using stick and stones . With the growing threat from animals , humans started to use the uneven branches or logs in a more effective manner . They started sharpening them with sharp edged stones . They started using clubs and slings for hunting and defending themselves from carnivores animals and other enemies . Cave paintings in Africa , said to be as old as 6 , 000 BC , have revealed that people during those days were armed with clubs and other sharp weapons resembling maces . Clubs made of wood were used in Africa for a long period of time . Later , clubs were made of metal and they were called maces . Even the wooden axes that were basically used for cutting wood were now made of metal . Axes were mostly used in Europe and Asia . Down in places like Australia and New Zealand people used boomerangs . These boomerangs however were not designed to come back . In Asia people used slings initially , but with the discovery of copper and metal , they started using bows , arrows and spears . Meanwhile in China , staff was used effectively to fight the enemies . A stone was tied to the top of the staff and it was used as a weapon . The Indians used wooden axes which were comparatively smaller in size . They used weapons that were light and easy to use . Most of these weapons were used for hunting . The Club . A fairly primitive weapon , it was used by the nomads . Clubs were mostly used in Europe while other tribes used wooden axes . In popular culture most of the monsters , or giants are shown to use clubs . This weapon was the most easiest weapon to handle . A club is generally small enough to be wielded in one hand . Clubs vary in size , weight and come in many shapes . These clubs were later converted into maces after mining began . Maces were basically a sophisticated version of clubs . The mace came with a heavy head on the end . In Africa , people called clubs as Knobkierrie . The clubs that were made in Africa were much heavier . They came with a heavy rounded knob or head . The tribes in Africa started carving faces and other symbols on it . The club was the traditional weapon of the Ethnic African groups . Mace . Mace evolved from the traditional club . Maces had sharp edges at the end which helped the warriors in close combat . Maces of good quality could penetrate into armours and inflict grave injuries . They too came in varied shapes and sizes . Some maces came with unique shapes , haft and a metal ball with spikes . There are old texts that mention the existence of such maces in the ancient period . They were widely used by the Celts and other North African tribes . Initially , stones were used for the production of maces , but gradually , the blacksmiths started to use copper and bronze and improved its quality . The Greeks were one of the first people to have produced top quality maces . Dorians were said to be the first people who used maces in Europe . The Dorians had a proud military tradition and dominated Crete and southern Greece . The warriors hailing from Sardinia used similar maces when fighting for Rameses II against the Hittites . The mythological stories of India Ramayana and Mahabharta also has a mention of people using wooden stick with bronze heads known as Gada in battles . It is evident from these facts that maces were used in ancient Indian warfare . Ancient Spear . The spear is one of the oldest man made weapons . It started to be used in battles during the Old and Middle Kingdom of Egypt ' s Dynastic period . The spear had a typical pointed blade that was attached to a long wooden shaft by a tang . The pointed blade , in those days was made of copper or flint . Later , the new kingdom made these spear in bronze and improved its make . Many of these spears were used in the form of javelins . But bow and arrow were more popular than spears in Egypt . Spears , nevertheless were kept as a backup , as an auxiliary weapon of the charioteers , who would be out of arrows . Weapons of Ancient world . The earliest form of weapons were stone tipped spears . There are records that the Chinese used leather armour and cut weapons out of jade . Armours were mostly made out of buffalo hide . The common man in the ancient world used a plain straight stick as the basic weapon to protect himself from enemies . In the medieval east , the first person to construct a stone throwing mangonel was Nimrod , the king of Babylon . Copper Age . The humans discovered new natural resources beneath the Earth ' s surface , they , at once used their new found resources judiciously and effectively and replaced their traditional clubs with maces . Copper had significantly contributed to the ancient world and helped flourish the cultures of Mesopotamia , Egypt , Greece , Rome , Indus and China . Copper replaced stone . Copper then was the only metal known to man for a long period of time . During the copper age maces were much in demand . The Sumerians were the first people on record to have used copper weapons . The native Americans used copper for ceremonies and intricate decorations . The weapons they used were mostly flint spears and knives . The ancient artisans soon discovered the drawbacks of copper for producing armaments . Weapons made of copper could be sharpened easily , though they were not able to hold their edge for a longer time . The Sumerians . Known to be one of the earliest civilizations , the Sumerians lived in what is currently Iraq . The land was open to enemy attacks . These people were attacked by many barbarian tribes but they always drove them away from their land . The Sumerians warriors were equipped with maces , clubs and slings . They were losing many people and their civilization had begun to crumble . Then an emperor came to the rescue . Sargon of Akkad , ( 2333 - 2279 BC ) - who is believed to have saved the Sumerian civilization from total collapse . Around 2300 BC , Sargon assembled an army of 5 , 000 soldiers . Since they had domesticated animals , they thought of using them for battles . Thus donkeys were employed for pulling chariots . The Sumerians had devised a strategy to attack the enemies while riding chariots that would keep them away from enemy weapons and at the same time rout the hostile troops . They used bow and arrows which proved to be effective as they were the perfect guided missiles of the ancient period . Bows and arrows . Bows and arrows changed with changing times . Bows were made from wood . The bow brought about a revolution in ancient warfare just like gunpowder for medieval warfare . Since arrow heads were discovered in Africa , the historians have presumed that the bow and arrow were invented there at around 50000 BC . The bows were quite effective against the enemies that were far from the archer . Archers were recruited in armies . When people started horse riding at around 2500 BC , composite bows were created . In 1200 BC , the Hittites , originating from Anatolia , shot arrows using their bows , on light chariots . In 1000 BC , some of these horse riding archers from Central Asia invented the recurve bow , which were in the shape of W and had a more improvised elasticity . People from the Nile used relatively long bows for better accuracy . They also used composite bow s . Civilizations all over the world produced bows according to their respective vegetation . The Chinese made bows from bamboo sticks while others who did not have the right kind of wood needed for making bows produced composite bows . According to Chinese beliefs and mythology , a story is narrated and written in old Chinese texts which says how bow and arrow were invented . The Egyptians . The Egyptians for a long time enjoyed their strategic location which was free from enemy attacks . Egypt was considered to be peaceful in the ancient world . They never did consider training an army for the sake of invasion or defense of their own province . But to their dismay , a tribe known to be the Hyksos surprised the Egyptians . They marched into Egypt during the 15th Dynasty in the Second Intermediate Period with chariots and took the people of Egypt by surprise . The invaders used composite bows as well as improved recurve bows and arrowheads . According to Historians , they came from Mesopotamia , but the exact location from where the Hyksos came is still a mystery . Unlike the Sumerians , the Hyksos had horse - drawn chariots and not donkeys . They wore mailed shirts and metal helmets . They were also armed with superior daggers and swords . Chariotry was introduced to the Egyptians by the Hyksos . Tribes like that of the Hyksos had access to new and superior weapons which were most probably developed further away in Asia . These tribes using these new and sophisticated weapons started to conquer new lands and at the same time exchange their knowledge of weapons with other civilizations . The Egyptians , after a civil war with Hyksos came to power once again . The Egyptians started to use horse - drawn chariots . Even before the Hyksos invasion , the Egyptians did not have a cavalry as it is believed that the horses were smaller and not strong enough to support a rider . Ancient naval weapons . Fish was a major source of food and the Egyptians eked out a living in whatever river Nile had to offer to them . Papyrus boats are reported to have been first constructed in the pre - dynastic for fishing purpose . Most of the Egyptians used boats to transport warriors . In order to intercept a foreign boat , they used large stones . They would hurl big stones in the direction of enemy boats , physically or using a catapult . The Egyptians traded with the Phoenicians in around 2200 BC . For safety of their boats they would fix a bow . The New Egyptian kingdom re - organized the standing army and also focused on making new and improved boats . During this period , Egypt ' s navy was extensive . Bigger ships of seventy to eighty tons suited to long voyages became quite common . Many cargo ships were converted into battle ships . Seafaring wasn ' t safe and in order to have smooth trading relations , they built a large fleet and took control of the sea . The temple of Medinet has paintings depicting the fleet of Ramses II fighting in the sea . This was probably the first properly documented sea battle . The Phoenicians are said to have developed a first of its kind war galley in the ancient world with a battering ram in the front . War Chariots . Chariots — a mode of transportation , were converted into a weapon by the ancient people . The Hittitites used chariots to crash into enemies . The Egyptians used to stay away from enemies and attack them by arrows and spears . These primitive vehicles were first made in Mesopotamia by the Sumerians . This four wheeled wagon was pulled by four donkeys . The wagon had a driver and a warrior armed with spears or axes . Some historians believe that chariots were first developed in the Eurasian steppes , somewhere near Russia and Uzbekistan . After the introduction of horse , an animal that was found to be much faster than donkey , the chariot became a more fierce weapon with the combination of speed , strength and mobility . The Hyksos introduced chariots in Egypt . These chariots were later modified into the Egyptian style . The parts were changed and decorated with Egyptian symbols and paintings . However , by 15 century BC , Tutmoses III made 1000 chariots for military expedition . Each chariot carried two men , one to drive and one to shoot arrows . Much later , the Egyptians changed their strategy and divided the charioteers into five squadrons , with twenty - five chariots in each and two men in each chariot : a driver and a soldier armed with bows and arrows , a shield , a sword , and a javelin . If arrows were exhausted they would always keep swords as a backup for close combat . The Khopesh sword . Khopesh also called as the Canaan ite " " sickle - sword " " was used mostly by the Barbarian tribes who lived near Mesopotamia . These tribes used to attack the Egyptians occasionally . Khopesh was their main weapon . These tribes later started trading with Egyptians . The Egyptians were so impressed by the shape and make of the sword , they decided to adopt it . Ramses II was the first pharaoh to have used the khopesh in warfare . The army of Ramesses II used the Khopesh in the battle of Khandesh . The Khopesh was considered to be the best designed sword which could be used as an axe , a sword or a sickle . Khopesh eventually became the most popular sword in all of Egypt and a symbol of royal power and strength . The origin of Khopesh sword can be traced back to Mesopotamia . The Assyrian king Adad - nirari I ( r . 1307 – 1275 B . C . ) used to display this sword during ritual ceremonies . Such curved swords could be seen in Mesopotamian art and paintings . Some of these Khopesh swords were black in colour and came with a full tang . The average length of the Khopesh was around 40 to 60 cms . Trident . As the barbarian hordes from Germania were still using clubs and maces the classical Greek civilization had mastered the art of making spears . Trident or Gig was another form of spear popular with the Greeks . The trident is a three ponged spear that was formerly used as an agricultural tool . This weapon was used in the east by the Indians who called it " Trishul " ( three spears ) . Trident was used in Ancient Rome by the Gladiators known to be net fighters . These net fighters would cast the net onto their enemies and once their enemies were trapped and helpless in the net , they would then use the trident to kill him or inflict serious injuries . The trident is also associated with mythoglogical gods . Poseidon , the sea god in Greek mythology , holds the trident , as does the ancient Roman god Neptune and Shiva , a Hindu god . Bronze Age Weapons . Bronze , a fusion of copper and Tin . Copper and bronze were used extensively in Asia . The Indus Valley Civilization flourished as a result of improvised metallurgy . Neolithic communities who lived primarily in the upper Yellow River , in China also used bronze items extensively as a number of artifacts were recovered at the Majiayao site . Bronze was produced on a large scale in China for weapons . From the excavations at Zhengzhou , it is evident that the Chinese during the Shang dynasty had well built walls , large buildings , bronze foundries , and bone and pottery workshops . Assyrian Empire . The Assyrians originate from Ashur , Northern Mesopotamia . After total destruction of the Sumerian civilization , a new cities were built by the Assyrians . Assyrians were known for their war - like culture . It was King Shamshi - Adad I at the start of 18 century BC who conquered lands to the west , uptill the Mediterranean and established the first Assyrian empire . The Assyrian were first known to be barbaric , blood thirsty people . Some part of this was true according to historians . They had setup schools to teach military warfare involving demolition of walls and mining city walls . The Assyrians were surrounded by hostile , powerful and aggressive tribes . It was thus important for them to train their people . The Assyrian army was feared mostly for their iron weapons . They were the first people to use iron in their weapons . Unlike the rest of the civilizations , the Assyrian charioteers had a crew of three people . An extra crew member was added to protect the rear . They were the first to introduce cavalry and the first develop siege craft with siege towers and battering rams . The cavalry had completely replaced chariots in late 600 BC . The Assyrians had a very well organized army . The King stood in the middle on a chariot , flanked by bodyguards and the standing army . The archers stood in front of the king and were covered by powerful spearmen and shielded carriers who fought in close combat with the enemies . Then there were the heavy chariots and the horsemen who would charge into enemy lines with brutal force . The Persians . When Cyrus II , also known as Cyrus the Great succeeded his father Cambyses I to become the emperor of Ashnan , that was located in Southwest of modern day Iran , he declared war on King Astyages ( r 584 - c550 BC ) , the ruler of Medes . After defeating him , he formed an empire of his own that was known to be the Achaemenid Empire . Cyrus took all steps to form a standing army in order to stretch his empire further . Cyrus with a well trained army conquered vast territories including the whole of Mesopotamia and Asia Minor . His son , Cambyses II continued his conquests by conquering Egypt . Darius the Great — the third Achaemenid king pushed the boundaries of the empire further afield . The inhabitants living under Darius were happy , but were expected to be available for military campaigns whenever needed . Most of Darius ' s army consisted of merceneries and soldiers supplied by various satraps , which included the well trained , personal bodyguards to Darius himself - - The Immortals . According to Herodotus , they were elite warriors who wore soft felt cap , embroidered tunic with sleeves , a rich coat of mail with silver linings . They carried light wicker shields and short spears for close combat , bows with cane arrows and swords . There are very few texts or sources that describe these warriors . Ancient Greek weapons . Ancient Greece was surrounded by hostile neighbours such as Persia , Macedonia , and later Rome . The Greeks had adopted a totally different pattern of warfare and even fashioned their weapons differently . They had adopted a very strategic style of fighting . They researched the strengths and weaknesses of their enemies and accordingly developed their weapons . After incessant threats of a Persian invasion , the Greeks came together and formed the Delian league . The Spartans were ready for a ground assault while the Athenians relied on their navy that was strong . Sensing the military might of the Athenians , the city states and settlers of Asia Minor requested them to lead the league . The Athenians had a formidable navy . They produced an overwhelming number of battleships and soldiers and in return demanded tribute from the league members . The Athenians had made dozens of warships known as Trireme to defend Greece . Trireme was a warship , that was also many times used as a cargo ship as well . The crew consisted of 200 men which included the Captain , ten dignitaries who may have been commanders , several archers , a few soldiers , and 170 oarsmen . When the Persians met the Greek army they outnumbered it three to one . The Persian army consisted of infantry and an excellent cavalry . Their tactics were of a defensive nature since their main weapon was the bow . The Greeks used long spears , shield s , helmets and breastplates . The Greeks had no cavalry at this point in time . As soon as the Persian army came to the battle ground , the Greeks already started to charge into the enemy lines to avoid the showering of arrows . The Shield of the Greeks were so strong that it broke the spears of the Persians , much to their surprise . Their long spears , with sharp iron spearhead on a wooden shaft and a bronze butt helped them break enemy ranks and routed the Persian army . If their sprear was broken they used their swords for close combat . Ancient Greeks brought many changes in the technology of warfare . The Macedonians . After evading danger and defeating the Persians at the battle of Marathon and the Battle of Thermopylae and Artemisium , the Greeks became more cautious . But soon a battle between Athens and Sparta broke out , the classical Athenian culture was destroyed after its defeat . Then emerged a new power – The Macedonians . Father of Alexander the Great , King Philip II had unified the Greek City states and formed the Corinthian League to fight the Persians . King Philip had gained a reputation of a great military leader equipped with superior weapons . The Macedonians had followed the traditional military strategy adopted by the Greek city - states , the phalanx of the army in a rectangular formation which guarded against loss from the enemy . The Macedonian infantry were equipped with " sarissa " , a spear as long as 15 feet with an iron leaf shaped spear heads . They also possessed a good cavalry . The Macedonians engineers had developed heavy weapons , artillery pieces , with enough power to breach the gates and walls of a fortification . Torsion catapult were also developed a little later . Heavy weapons such as the ballistae , and the smaller , and more portable weapons , " cheiroballistra " were improved by King Philip II and Alexander the Great . The Romans . After Rome was sacked by the Gauls in 390 BC , they regrouped and formed an alliance of the city states . They deployed thoroughly trained soldiers in the north western frontiers to protect Rome from further attacks . They eventually defeated the Gauls and gained total control of the Italian peninsula as well as North Western Europe . The Romans never used complex weapons , instead they chose to use the more simple and unusual weapons of warfare . The armor and weapons were used under excellent supervision , great leadership and discipline that enabled the Romans to create superior military forces , both regular and irregular armies including mercenaries and allies , that were able to conquer their opponents . The Roman soldiers were divided into two groups , " Legionaries " and " Auxiliaries " . Legionaries were Roman citizens whereas Auxiliaries were recruited from tribes and allies of Rome . The Roman army efficiently used their weapons during the invasion of Britain . They put forward a battle that the ancient world had never seen . They efficiently used their weapons and defeated the Britons . It was quite evident that the barbarians were influenced by the Roman army . The Gladius . Gladius was a light and short traditional Roman sword used for a quick kill . A legionare would cover himself with the shield and would draw his light sword and quickly stab the enemy on any given opportunity . This was a short sword , not more than 60 cms , made with an iron blade to which a bronze - covered wood , or ivory cross guard , pommel , and grip would be attached . Gladius often varied in length and size as Roman legionaries of different ranks used Gladius measuring around 34 . 5 and 64 centimeters . The " gladius " was widely used for thrusting and so had limited effect when wielded from horseback . The Pilum . Roman soldiers were equipped with the " gladius " and " pilum " , a javelin with a long iron head . They carried two " pila " to throw at the enemy . The " pila " were designed in such a way that they could easily stick into the enemy ' s shield and would bend instantly due to the impact . This way the enemy , if unharmed , could not throw back the " pilum " . Weapons in the Early Medieval Ages . The Barbarian tribes from " Germania " kept penetrating deeper into the Roman territory . Some of these tribes were the Osthrogoths , Visigoths , Vandals and Franks . After the death of Marcus Aurelius , Rome became vulnerable to attacks from all directions . The Huns , a tribe said to be from steppe regions of Central Asia started to push other barbarian tribes into Roman territories . The Huns not only attacked other barbarian tribes but eventually attacked Rome . By this time the Roman Empire was divided into East and West . The Huns always fought a battle on horseback as they were not used to infantry lines . Their favourite weapon was the composite bow . Flavius Aetius forged an alliance with the Visigoths , Alans and the Vandals and provided them with Roman arms and armours to fight against their common enemy , the Huns . His barbarian filled forces defeated the Huns . Later , the very barbarian tribes under the leadership of Alaric I burnt Rome to the ground and marked the end of the glorious ancient civilization . Military Organization . After the defeat of Western Roman Empire , the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium empire held on . The barbarian kingdoms had already set up their kingdoms in place . They started the process of recruiting and advancement of soldiers . A warrior was highly respected according to the barbarian tradition . A brave warrior was often rewarded by alotting land , titles and other benefits . These land owners later became medieval nobles . Weapons of the Barbarians . Many barbarians had served the Roman army so it is clear that they used similar weapons when fighting against the Roman troops . However , after a brief period , the barbarian tribes including the Vandals , the Ostrogoths , Visigoths , Franks started to develop and make their own weapons . According to Historians and Archaeologists , the weapons of the barbarians were far superior to Roman weapons of the fifth century . Archers began to fire iron - tipped arrows . The cavalry and infantry both initiated the use of longer two - edged swords . The Franks meanwhile used a variety of weapons . They chose not to wear their armour and instead carried more weapons . In 470 Sidonius Apollinaris recalls his first meeting with Frankish soldiers and according to him , the Franks hung their swords onto their shoulders , they also carried with them barbed lances and throwing axes . Many Frankish warriors also did not wear helmets . They carried their traditional double edged axe and never carried any missile weapons . Amongst all the barbarian tribes , Merovingian kingdom of the Franks became the most powerful realm in Western Europe . Most of the power was exercised by the military lords who eventually gained total control of the Merovingian kingdom in late 600 AD . Pippin II , who had gained total control of the Merovingian kingdom passed mayorships to his illegitimate son , Charles Martel , in 714 . Charles Martel was responsible for modernization of the Frankish army and the defeat of Muslims at the Battle of Tours . During the battle , the Franks had carried with them swords and axes . The iron head of their weapons were exceedingly sharp . Their axes were forged from a single piece of iron . However by the end of the seventh century production of axes ceased as the number of skilled axe throwers started dwindling . The Byzantium Armoury . During the reign of Justinian , the emperor of Constantinople , the Byzantium empire became military active . He sent a huge army to re - capture the North African provinces from the Vandals . By 534 AD , the Byzantium general Belisarius had destroyed the Vandal power and then marched to Italy to conquer Rome from the Ostrogoths . By 565 , the Byzantines wiped the Ostrogoths from Italy . The Byzantines were witnessing great advances in military engineering . They possessed a highly disciplined military force and military technicians who contributed to the development of siege weapons that the civilized world had never seen . In around 672 , an incendiary substance known as Greek Fire was invented . Greek fire was sprayed from early flamethrowers on ships known as dromons . Researchers have been unable to duplicate this substance today . Some of the early devices used by the Byzantines were torsion powered engines used to shoot arrows with greater intensity . The Byzantine military engineers were learning and developing more sophisticated siege weapons . By the tenth century they had adopted engineering techniques used by the Muslims . Weapons of the Mediterranean . The Islamic world had already advanced way ahead of others in military engineering . The main reasons according to historians was the trade relations with China . The Islamic world had learnt the Chinese technology which was known to be more superior to the Greeks or the Romans . Arab army generals were encouraging the use of new technology and inherited a highly sophisticated tradition of siege warfare . The Trebuchet , capable of throwing huge stones and piles of rocks was said to have been invented in the Middle East by the Muslim engineers . The trebuchet was probably copied from the Chinese huo - pa ’ o , which had been adopted by the Mongols and carried west by them . Some trebuchets were used to throw dead horses into a besieged city to spread disease . The Muslims had adopted the technology and traditions of those whom they conquered . Like the Syrians , the Iranians and later the Byzantines . The Muslims had also attacked Byzantine using the most advanced siege weapons . In the mid 8th century , Caliph Marwan II of Syria had had more than 80 stone throwing machines stored with him . The Abbasid Caliphate who had set their capital in Baghdad rather that Syria had specialized in mangonel operations and stationed these devastation military geniuses in all their fortresses . The Chinese . Chinese people had witnessed conflicts and constant warfare much across China . Fifty years after the fall of the Tang Dynasty , China witnessed five successive dynasties in the north along with a dozen small nations in the south in such a short timespan . The quick rise and fall of these countries and the fragmented nature is a result of the rise of warlordism towards the later half of the Tang dynasty . In 960 , Zhao Kuangyin staged a coup of his own to take over the dominant northern dynasty of the later Zhou and founded the Song dynasty , he was able to finally reunite all the fragmented states of the south and put an end to the problem of military coups that had plagued China for the last century . The Song established it ' s capital at Kaifeng on the Yellow river . Some Historians believe that Chinese did not consider gunpowder a particularly important weapon , Though in fact they were the first people to systematically use gunpowders as weapons on a wide scale . Even the Arabs , who had probably been using gunpowder much earlier than the Europeans referred potassium nitrate as ' Snow from China ' . . From about 1000 A . D . it had been mostly used in the form of firecrackers , and was used to improve existing weapons ( for example . attached on spears for a shock burst upon engagement , or on arrows so they can fly faster mid air or be shot off in large salvos without the need of bows . In the 12th Century , the Chinese were using crude and hand grenades and were starting to use the earliest forms of rockets and cannons in addition to the aforementioned fire cracker weapons . Later Middle Ages . The Normans . The Norman knights invaded England , dressed in chainmail and swinging swords from horseback . The Norman knights that finally overcame the English at Hastings in 1066 made history . This is said to be one of the turning points in history . William the Conqueror had successfully landed with his army of Normans consisting of an infantry comprising of spearmen , swordsmen , and archers in Britain to claim his authority over the throne of England . The Norman cavalry was well equipped with maces , swords and leather and boiled armours . Siege Warfare . Western Europe by this time had already reached a level of military sophistication . The Arabs had even started to adopt " Ifranji " also known as " Frankish " , a stone throwing engine . The Europeans were by all means trying to outclass the Byzantines , the Indians and the Arabs in siege technology . The Mongols on the other hand had brought about a revolution in siege warfare . They had learnt the art of making siege weapons while conquering northern China . They had recovered some mangonels , trebuchets and rams from Chinese engineers . Meanwhile India remained naive about siege technology and modern weapons . It was an invader from Farghana , named Babur , descendant of Genghis Khan and of the nomadic leader Tamerlane , who laid the foundation for the Mughal empire in India . He introduced sophisitcated weapons that the Indians had never witnessed . The Crusades . The Normans and the Byzantines were successful in driving out the Muslim invaders from the Greek Islands , Southern Italy and Sicily . Though these were little military operations the Europeans , assuming that the Muslims were vulnerable , embarked on a mission to recapture the holy land lost by them centuries before . However , a powerful tribe from the mid - Asian steppes , the Seljuk Turks emerged and started to massacre the Christian pilgrims in Syria . Responding to these attacks , the Byzantines fought a battle against the Seljuk Turks , the battle of Manzikert , where they were defeated . The Byzantines had to pull back all their armies from Asia Minor . Byzantine emperor Alexius I Comnenus , requested for aid from Christians . He petitioned Pope Urban II to aid the Byzantines in regaining their lost territories . Pope Urban II summoned the Christian armies and sent them to recapture the holy Land from the hands of the Muslims . Not much is known about the weapons that were being produced in Western Europe at the time of Crusades . But it is evident that their cavalry used lances . The Europeans armies also used crossbows excessively . It was said to be the best known infantry weapon used by the Europeans . By the late 13th century , the power of crossbows increased . Infantry weapons of the Crusaders varied in shape , sizes and quality . Apart from spears , swords and daggers , foot soldiers were equipped with an extraordinary array of pole - arms , often reflecting their place of origin . The two edged sword was extensively used by both foot knights and mounted knights . The Islamic armies too had a sophisticated military organization . Their armies consisted of the Central Asian Turkish Mamluk or the Ghulam infantry . Further , local Turks , Kurds , Arabs , Armenians , Persians , were also recruited from all over the Mediterranean . Their weapons were no different from the crusaders . They used daggers , spears , bows and arrows . Their swords had a different design . Most of them were curved and resembled to that of Khopesh . They were known as Cutlass . Muslim Cavalry used daggers , known as Khanjar for close combat . These khanjars were more like short swords . Ironically , their armours were of poor quality since they lacked iron . Muslim troops also carried with them round and kite shaped shields . Hundred Years War . The Hundred Years ' War was a series of small and big wars fought between France and England from 1337 to 1453 . In the year 1337 , the French King Philip VI demanded that the provinces under the English rule , Gascony and Guyenne be given back to the French . However , English king , Edward III denied this demand which led to a war between the two . The English had their eyes on the wool industry in Flanders . Moreover they had a stable government and efficient soldiers ready to fight the French . During this period , most of the Europeans armies relied mainly on infantry . The infantry dominated armies were taking a toll on cavalry dominated armies . Digging ditches , constructing wagon fortresses , or flooding already marshy ground , so that the enemy could attack from only one direction , were some of the methods employed by both the armies during the Hundred Years ' War . In the final phase of the war , gunpowder was also used for the first time in Western Europe . Jean and Gaspard Bureau ' s effective organization of artillery weapons enabled the French army in open battlefields as well as siege warfare . At Castillion the French army annihilated the English effectively using cannons , handguns and heavy cavalry . Longbow . The English longbow was greatly responsible for making England a major military power in the late medieval period . The English had introduced this deadly longbow during the Battle of Crecy . King Edward III was ravaging the countryside during the invasion of France . King Philip VI of France intercepted the English near the town of Crecy . The French had easily outnumbered the English . Apart from armoured knights the French army also had nearly 4 , 000 Genoese crossbowmen . But the English archers outnumbered the Genoese and rained arrows . The English could shoot five times faster than the Genoese crossbowmen . When the French mounted knights tried to infiltrate into the English lines , the longbowmen turned their attention to them and started to shoot , resulting into chaos . The horses started to crash into each other . The cavalry was destroyed and the French army annihilated . The longbow was made of a simple piece of wood , but its design was fairly sophisticated . The bow ' s back , the part facing away from the archer , was the more flexible sapwood , that allowed the bow to be bent more sharply without breaking or causing any further damage . Cavalry weapons . The basic objective of a cavalry knight was to charge into enemy lines and create chaos . At this time , the old shields and armours were replaced by newer and more sophisticated and advanced shields and armours . Lances were used by the mounted knights for initial charge . After the initial charge and annihilation of the enemy front lines , the lances were discarded and swords , axes or war hammer were used for close combat . Gunpowder weapons . The invention of gunpowder weapons revolutionized siege warfare . Gunpowder is said to have been conceived in China . It was when the Mongols , after invading China , went on to subdue Japan , their ships sunk by a typhoon . Half of their army drowned in the sea . Marine archaeology has revealed that the Mongols were carrying gunpowder in ceramic pots . Similar , pots with ignited fuses had been shot from mechanical artillery against the Japanese defenders . Even the old Japanese paintings show the Japanese samurai defending themselves against bombs and rockets hurled by the invaders . Some Historians have observed that only 14 percent men in Europe owned guns . Over half of those guns were unusable during the later Middle Ages . So , people in those days still used swords . As far as invention of gunpowder was concerned , it replaced only catapults and onagers . The change was slow . Buying guns , in those days was a costly affair . the cost of one gun was equivalent of two months pay for a skilled artisan . Renaissance Weapons . Medieval weapons were still in service during the Renaissance . Some of the medieval weapons that were still in use included Guisarme , the Halberd , the Mace and the partisan . The Halberd was a traditional weapon used by the Swiss . The Halberd was designed intricately . This weapons was traditional and consisted of an axe - blade balanced by a pick , the head of the shaft would usually seem more like a spike . This weapon was mostly used by the foot soldiers against cavalry . Halberds became obsolete when improvised pikes started to be produced in huge numbers . Meanwhile the Partisan was introduced in England in the 14th century and was used excessively and extensively in Europe and especially in France . Originally the Partisan used to be a spear with small wings added below it . Partisan is also referred to as ' Vulgur Polearm ' . The sword still remained the most popular weapon during Renaissance . The sword however underwent many changes during this time . Many new pieces were added and the sword was designed in such a way that it could protect the hands of its owner . The two - handed sword was widely used in Western Europe . This sword was employed both by the rich and the poor . The armies during this period were usually equipped with two edged swords , halberd , arquebus , crossbows and improvised axes . Leonardo Da Vinci journeyed to Mantua , resided there for a while and then went from there to Venice . The danger from Turkish fleet was looming on the city . This inspired him to come up with another invention , something like a submarine and a snorkel and diving suit for underwater saboteurs . But the Valentines thought it was not required . So he went back to Florence . In the year 1502 , Valentino chose Leonardo Da Vicni as his engineer general . Leonardo sketched new devices for war , something like pointed artillery projectile , bearing very close resemblance to an aerial bomb . Siege Guns . During the siege of Constantinople , Mohammed the Conqueror , sultan of Turkey , ordered his Hungarian engineer , Urban to develop the biggest guns ever seen . Once these huge guns - cannons or bombards - were in position , the walls of Constantinople came down tumbling . The introduction of such bombards had a profound effect on the European society . Engineers started to design their walls keeping in mind the danger the walls could have when facing the newly introduced bombards .