Warcraft

Danny Nelson War Craft and Weaponry in the Elizabethan Era The period of time in England between 1558 and 1603 is known as the Elizabethan Era. This is also known as England’s “golden age” because of their very successful army. In 1588, Phillip II of Spain attempted to invade England but failed. This time period in England featured wars against Spain, the French Catholic League, and numerous rebellions in Ireland. Many of these wars were of course won by England. This was mostly due to their weapons. Elizabethan weapons were among the best. These new and advanced weapons were a big contributor to the Elizabethan power house army.

The weapon of choice was obviously the sword. There were broadswords, cutting swords, and the rapier. The rapier had the best qualities. It was lighter, more slender, and more sharply pointed than most making it easier to cut through objects. Nobles were required to learn fencing and the sword became part of the everyday apparel for Nobles.

Other weapons included the battle axe, dagger, long bow, mace, spear, crossbow, billhook, and the bow and arrow. The creation of the musket was in 1520 as well. It was not used by Elizabethan soldiers until the 1590s. The musket was the newest and the best weapon. It was slow to reload and was not accurate in long distance but was still the new best weapon. The cannon was also created shortly after. The battle axe could be single or double headed and could cut through armor. The dagger was basically a short sword used for protection in close combat. The long bow could pierce armor from 250+ yards away and allowed 10-12 arrows a minute to be fired. A mace was at first a metal ball connected to a wooden stick but later added on spikes to the ball to help damage armor. The spear was used for thrusting and stabbing. The crossbow (correct term: arbalest) could pierce armor from 350-400 yards away. The billhook originated from the axe but is more like a spear. The billhook was capable of killing a knight and his horse. The bow and arrow was accurate and shot about 9-10 arrows per minute.

All of these weapons were used in the Elizabethan Era and were a big part of the success of the Elizabethan army. The Elizabethan weapons helped England go into their “golden age” in which they had military excellence and became a very powerful country.   **Elizabethan Dagger** **
 * Elizabethan Crossbow
 * Elizabethan Musket

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http://www.seatofmars.com/medievalswords.htm http://www.elizabethanenglandlife.com/different-kinds-of-elizabethan-era-weapons.html http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-weapons.htm