From the 13th to the 16th centuries, the long bow, a bow longer than the four-foot regular bow, was the official weapon of the British army.
It could fire off 10 to 12 arrows a minute and was almost as powerful as the crossbow. Be assured, it won many a war during those days and was viewed in much the same way we view machine guns for military battle.
Of course, if you were an average foot soldier or a knight, you relied on the weapons that produced the hardest and most damaging blow but weren’t too heavy or difficult to wield.
This meant a sword was usually your best bet, and a two-handed sword was your weapon of choice. They could not only cut through chain mail but could also serrate the ends off pikes and axes.
Other hand-held weapons included regular bows, spears, axes, daggers, flails, and maces, not to mention poles and pikes.
For demolishing structures, catapults, battering rams, trebuchets (those slinging machines), and ballistas (giant crossbows) were the ticket.
