Weapons of the Golden AgeThe Elizabethan “golden age" saw England achieve success in all its endeavours, including its military expeditions and conquests. The superiority of English warfare and weaponry proved itself time and again, and added to England's supremacy as a nation.
During the early years of the era, swords were the choice in weaponry. For nobles it was a requirement to learn fencing as swords were the choice in weaponry. Favoured by men of nobility and the military for its versatility was the rapier. Lighter, slender and more sharply pointed, it could be used for both cutting and thrusting attacks. Weapons such as the battle axe, dagger, halberd, longbow, mace, pike, spear, and the crossbow (specifically the arbalest), had been in use since the medieval period. The crossbow or the arbalest, however, was ordered by Queen Elizabeth I to be replaced by the musket - the most advanced weapon that was ever used during her reign. Although the musket was created in 1520, the Queen only saw it fit for her men to use it in the 1590s, thus making firearms the new Elizabethan era weapon and changing the face of England's weaponry forever. The trebuchet, ballista, and the mangonel (type of catapult) were replaced by the canon, which was crafted with bronze or iron, with the round shots made of iron or stone balls. The canon proved a most helpful change in Elizabethan era weapons since it could be used both at land and on sea. |