swords were the primary weapon (Iannuzzo). Maces were heavy lead balls attached to a chain, which was attached to the metal handle that the warrior would hold. They were small and quick enough to crush a mans skull (Revell, "Armour"). Early maces that were smooth were found to slide off the armor and not cause much damage. This lead to the elaboration of putting metal spikes on the ball that would be able to puncture the armor and cause injury to the opponent. The mace was also used by medieval knights, who would hang them by their side and use them when they were too close to use their swords or they had lost it. It was also a weapon used heavily by churchmen while defending their church (Rowse). The last type of handheld weapon were the pole arms that were primarily used to guard other weapons while they were loading (Revell, "Armour").Siege weapons were the vital weapons when an army needed to attack their opponents stronghold. The two types of siege weapons were catapults and ballistae, with catapults being the predecessor (Iannuzzo). The catapults would heave large objects over the enemies walls and varied in size, from small for one or two soldiers to operate and to large, which required up to ten people to operate. The catapults would use large objects such as boulders, firepots, and dead animals as ammunition. The boulders would cause damages from impact, the firepots would start fires, and the dead animals would spread diseases inside the town or castle into which it was thrown (Revell, "Missile"). Ballistaes were gigantic cross bows that were capable of firing multiple arrows at a single time, as well as firing arrows with multiple heads. These arrows were much greater in size than those of the common bow and arrows, which were carried by a single soldier. The ballistae weapons were more complex than the catapults, and were required to be built prior to battle, due to their complex configuration. In addition it ...
