The Book of the Crossbow

With an Additional Section on Catapults and Other Siege Engines

Ralph Payne-Gallwey

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9780486287201
• eBook ISBN: 9780486139265
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Military & Maritime History
• Index: History

One of the most devastating weapons of the Middle Ages, the crossbow fired a 12-inch bolt capable of piercing all but the strongest armor. This fascinating illustrated study traces its use in both medieval and modern times as a military and sporting weapon. It also covers related weapons, including balistas, catapults, and the Turkish bow. Over 240 illustrations.

PART I

THE HISTORY OF THE CROSSBOW WITH NOTES COMPARATIVE ON THE LONGBOW, SHORTBOW, AND HANDGUN

CHAPTER

I. THE MILITARY CROSSBOW

II. THE SPORTING CROSSBOW .

III. THE GENERAL DIMENSIONS OF CROSSBOWS

IV. THE BOLTS USED WITH CROSSBOWS

V. THE RANGE OF THE MEDIÆVAL CROSSBOW AND HOW IT COMPARED IN THIS RESPECT WITH THE LONGBOW

VI. THE SHORTBOW AND LONGBOW IN RELATION TO THE CROSSBOW

VII. THE HAND-GUN IN RELATION TO THE CROSSBOW

VIII. SUMMARY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MEDIÆVAL HAND-GUN

IX. A SUMMARY OF THE HISTORY OF THE CROSSBOW

The MEDIÆVAL CROSSBOW was called by many names, most of which were derived from the word Balista. The Balista was a great siege engine on wheels that was used by the ancients, and which in appearance and mechanism resembled a crossbow, though so much larger in size, Chapter LVII.

THE CROSSBOWMAN WAS KNOWN AS ¹—

Arbalista

Arbalistarius

Arbalistator

Arbalistanus

Arbalistrius

Arcubalistarius

Arcubalistus

Balistarius

Balistrarius

Balistrator

THE CROSSBOW—

Arbalet

Arbalist

Arbalista

Arbaliste

Arcubalist

Arcubalista

Arcubalistus

Arblast

Alablaste

Alblast

Arbelaste

Arowblaste

Arblat

Arbalestel ²

Manu-balista

CROSSBOW SHOOTING—

Arbalestry

Alblastrye

THE NAME OF THE CROSSBOW IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AT THE PRESENT DAY:

Belgium

Italy—Baléstra

Spain—Ballésta

Portugal—Bésta

Denmark—Flitsbue

Sweden—Armbost

Norway—Krydsbue

Russia—Samostrel

CHAPTER I

THE MILITARY CROSSBOW

FIG. 1.—NORMAN CROSSBOWMEN.

From Manuscript of Matthew Paris.²

THE CROSSBOW was, probably, introduced into England as a military and sporting arm by the Norman invaders in 1066.

Early in the twelfth century, the construction of this weapon, the bow of which was not yet formed of steel, was so much improved that it became very popular in both English and Continental armies.

The wounds caused by the crossbow in warfare were, however, considered so barbarous, that its use, except against infidels, was interdicted by the second Lateran Council, in 1139, under penalty of an anathema, as a weapon hateful to God and unfit for Christians. This prohibition was confirmed, at the close of the same century,. by Pope Innocent III. Conrad III.. of Germany, 1138—1152, also forbad the crossbow in his army and kingdom.

The employment of crossbowmen, nevertheless, again became common in English and Continental armies in the reign of Richard I., 1189—1199, and the death of this king, which was caused by a bolt from a crossbow, (at the siege of the Castle of Chaluz, near Limoges, in France, in 1199,) was thought to be a judgment from Heaven inflicted upon him for his disobedience and impiety in permitting crossbowmen to enter his service.

Richard was an expert with the weapon. At the siege of Ascalon—though prostrated with fever—he is said to have been carried from his tent on a mattress, so that he might enjoy the pleasure of shooting bolts at the defenders of the town. In this case, however, as the enemy consisted of Turks and infidels, his act would have been sanctioned by the Church of Rome. Though among English soldiers, the longbow began to supersede the crossbow and the shortbow, during the reign of Edward I. in the last few years of the thirteenth century, crossbows continued to be held in some favour in our armies. In the list of troops mustered by Edward II., in 1319, for the siege of Berwick, crossbowmen are enumerated as part of the forces. In Scotland and Ireland, the crossbow was almost unknown, and even the bow was sparingly used, though in Wales, as in England, the latter was the common arm of the people in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.

For about two centuries and a half (1200—1460) the crossbow was the favourite weapon on the Continent. It was almost equally popular with English commanders and soldiers till about 1290, and several estates in this country were held by the service of delivering a crossbow when the king passed through them.

FIG. 2.—CROSSBOWMEN.

The soldiers carry windlass crossbows. One man is winding up his weapon; the other is shooting, with his windlass laid on the ground at his feet.

From Manuscript, Froissart‘s Chronicles.’

The Genoese were always famed for their skill in the construction and management of crossbows, and were hired for service by sea and land by all nations on the Continent. They are said to have used these weapons with success, even as early as 1099 at the siege of Jerusalem. In the naval engagement near Sluys, in Holland, where Edward III. defeated the French in 1340, the latter had as many as 20,000 Genoese crossbowmen on their ships, and the largest numbers of crossbowmen ever seen in order of battle on land, were probably the 15,000 Genoese who, according to Froissart,³ formed the front rank of the French army at Crécy in 1346. It is asserted by numerous historians, all of whom derive their information on the subject from a cursory statement by the second continuator of William of Nangis,⁴ that the crossbowmen at Crécy were unable to shoot with effect, because the strings of their weapons were slack owing to the great storm of rain that set in just before the battle. Muratori,⁵ the Italian antiquary, declares that the ground at Crécy was so boggy that the crossbowmen could not stand firm when they endeavoured to stretch the strings of their weapons; but as the field of Crécy consists of rather steep downs, and not of lowland, it is not probable that the state of the ground impeded the crossbowmen.

Although much doubt has been thrown on the statement that the crossbows of the Genoese failed to act on this occasion, owing to their strings being slackened by wet weather, it is possible that the incident occurred, without, however, in any measure influencing the result of the battle.

The strings might easily have been rendered less effective than usual by the heavy rain that fell just before the battle, and by the bright sun which is known to have succeeded the rain.

This combination of water and heat would certainly relax in some degree the strings of the crossbows used at the time of Crécy, if they were uncovered, and would make the strings too loose to be of good service, till they could be removed from the bows in order to be shortened by twisting, and then replaced; all of which would entail, of course, time and care.

It should be remembered that the bows of the Genoese crossbowmen at Crécy were doubtless composite ones, made of wood, horn, sinew, and glue, bows of steel being of later introduction.

The composite bow was straight, hence its bow-string was fixed to it in a necessarily rather slack condition; for this reason the threads composing its string, being more or less detached, were liable to absorb moisture.

On the other hand, the threads that composed the tightly strained string of a steel crossbow, lay closely packed together, and as in this case the string was always thickly smeared, both inside and outside, with beeswax to preserve it, it was impervious to water.

To test the matter, I have sunk a steel crossbow in a tank of water for a day and a night and have found no appreciable alteration in the tightness of its string. I have also placed in water a crossbow with a comparatively loose string—such as those which I believe were used by the Genoese at Crécy—and found that after half an hour’s submersion, the application of a lever to bend the bow caused the string subsequently to stretch down the stock an inch further than its proper position, its tautness, and consequent effectiveness, thus being lost.

The supposition that the crossbows of the Genoese at Crécy had bows of wood, or of wood and horn, is confirmed in a curious way by David-ap-Gwilym, a famous Welsh bard and archer of the fourteenth century. In one of his poems, the bard refers to a soldier who had sailed with Edward III. to fight at Crécy, and whom he had cause to hate, as he had supplanted the poet in the affections of his mistress. The poet calls upon the enemy to shoot his more fortunate rival, with the ‘arbalest’ or short stirrup stick. The translation of this passage, as rendered by A. J. Johns (the italics are mine), runs:

And thou crossbowman true and good,
Thou shooter with the faultless wood,
Haste with thy stirrup-fashioned bow
To lay the hideous varlet low.

As further proof that at Crécy the Genoese did not use the powerful steel crossbow which was bent by a windlass, I quote the following extract from Viollet-le-Duc (Dictionnaire raisonné du Mobilier français. Paris 1868—75). ‘John ...

Table of contents

• DOVER BOOKS ON HISTORY, POLITICAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCE
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• PREFACE
• Table of Contents
• Table of Figures
• PART I - THE HISTORY OF THE CROSSBOW WITH NOTES COMPARATIVE ON THE LONGBOW, SHORTBOW, AND HANDGUN
• PART II - THE CONSTRUCTION AND MANAGEMENT OF CROSSBOWS
• PART III. - THE CONSTRUCTION AND MANAGEMENT OF CROSSBOWS (Continued)
• PART IV. - A TREATISE ON THE SIEGE ENGINES USED IN ANCIENT AND MEDIÆVAL TIMES FOR DISCHARGING GREAT STONES AND ARROWS
• INDEX - The numerals in parentheses refer to periods and dates
• APPENDIX - CONTENTS OF THE APPENDIX
• A TREATISE ON TURKISH AND OTHER ORIENTAL BOWS OF MEDIÆVAL AND LATER TIMES