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Were only nobles and knights allowed to have swords, maces, spears and other weapons of war, or could anyone , including peasants own these weapons in medieval times?
What about bows and arrows?
That's a good question but my guess is when you have edged weapons just about any farming implement can be considered a weapon.
My guess is that swords had to be forged at some cost and were out of the price range of most peasants, although they probably had grandpa's old rusty sword stashed away somewhere. For city dwellers, thin rapier swords during the rennasance were a fashion accessory however. Like a necktie.
Bows were probably more accessable in order to use for hunting.
Owning a good sword and suit of armor in the middle ages was like owning a Bentley and a mansion on the hill today. That alone kept the peasantry pretty much unarmed.
However, peasants would of had access to simple knives, axes, bows, staffs, spears and so forth; tools that could be handmade and used for work as well as war.
As other said, the simple cost of owning actual weaponry was a major obstacle that would have kept many peasants from having arms. Also, as was also said, it wasn't like they couldn't easily improvise weapons from their farming and hunting tools.
Most uprisings or random need for a weapon would have seen them using improvised weapons like axes, homemade spears, bows, etc. If they were actually called up for service, they were generally outfitted by their lord with better weaponry, like stronger spears, maces, etc. Armor was so prohibitively expensive that only the very wealthy could afford it and most fought without it or very simple leather padding.
Archery was encouraged and widely practiced in late middle ages England. The vaunted English longbowman was developed in countless village shooting matches. The English nobility was apparently on a good enough basis with the peasantry to trust them not to plant a grey goose shaft in their masters chest.
The rise of disciplined infantry militias in some areas during the late Middle Ages allowed commoners to be effective soldiers with simple weapons like pikes and flails.
A sword was so expensive during the high middle ages that people used them as collateral for loans. A sword was more valuable than a human.
Poor people had sticks reinforced with steel, forks.
A man dextereous enough with a stick can defeat a non-trained man using a sword.
Of course, nobility was trained since infancy.
A sword was so expensive during the high middle ages that people used them as collateral for loans. A sword was more valuable than a human.
Poor people had sticks reinforced with steel, forks.
A man dextereous enough with a stick can defeat a non-trained man using a sword.
Of course, nobility was trained since infancy.
Just adding that it was a wholly stratified society. The towns and craftsmen were an exceptiton but were a small layer. But the sword, use of mounted horses and armor were more then weponry but were social marks too. Only those with high position could afford them but having them declared to all that you were of that position.
I am pretty sure that some lords were smart enough to realize, if they used their serfs, they could bolster their numbers in battle, and gain a huge advantage against their rivals.
I dont think they were banned from having. These peasants probably had spears and axes, and hammers. Which can be more effective than a sword. The metal parts of the spear, ax, or hammer is not as much as a sword, and is cheaper.
This vid shows what some of the peasant foot soldiers would be had.
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