13th Century Archer's Secondary Weapon?

RenJunkie · Post by **RenJunkie** » Thu Oct 14, 2010 1:22 pm

What would he have carried? A dagger, no doubt, but, a short sword? Small axe or hammer? How about a falchion?

Thanks!
Christopher

Cliff Rogers · Post by **Cliff Rogers** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 2:31 pm

Thirteenth century Catalan crossbowmen usually had a big knife called a "mountain knife" or a short, thin sword (blade length about hip to knee). (Mott, _Sea Power_, 156-7) That was probably typical of others.

RenJunkie · Post by **RenJunkie** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 9:52 pm

Are there any extant examples of these, or good reconstructed drawings? Or even good period visual sources?

Thanks!
Christopher

edricus · Post by **edricus** » Sat Oct 16, 2010 1:53 am

I am rather sure that the billhook would have been a possibility as a utility tool in camp, not sure if it was used as a side arm. The larger cousin was used as a pole weapon and I do belive that one could do some serious harm with the small one as well.

http://www.toolnut.co.uk/products/billhooks

EnglishSteel · Post by **EnglishSteel** » Sat Oct 16, 2010 4:21 pm

Would depend entirely on the social status of the individual archer. Eatting knives were apparently the most widely used murder weapon in Medieval England according to By Sword and Fire so it makes sense that they would have been carried to battle too. Tools would have been grabbed and tucked into belts or carried along with them. Wood chopping axes, hammers, mauls, bills, anything they could get their hands on really. The more well to do may have had specific weapons as their sidearms, a falchion or a cheap sword probably.

Cliff Rogers · Post by **Cliff Rogers** » Sat Oct 16, 2010 4:43 pm

RenJunkie wrote:Are there any extant examples of these, or good reconstructed drawings? Or even good period visual sources?

Thanks!
Christopher

I don't know if there are, but there's a famous fresco showing the crossbowmen. One reproduction is here (misidentified as "knights"): http://www.fanaticus.org/DBA/armies/IV68a/index.html

Cliff

RenJunkie · Post by **RenJunkie** » Sun Oct 17, 2010 9:05 pm

That's a cool link, Cliff. I poked around a bit under the armies link too...lol. Thanks!

OK, so basically, any hacky, whacky, or stabby item an archer could have afforded. That sounds pretty reasonable.

Thanks!
Christopher

miscreant · Post by **miscreant** » Mon Oct 18, 2010 12:59 pm

Some reports from Agincourt tell of Henry V's archers wading into the melee against the French men at arms and knights using the heavy wooden mallets they had used to pound the wooden stakes into the ground for protection with.