took many men to move them, but their effectiveness was well worth the extra manpower that was used for the transportation.The missile type of weapons was commonly used and was very effective because they could be fired from afar. The bow and arrow was effective but slow in firing at opponents. The arrows were fired high into the air and would then come down with greater force then if they were fired straight at the enemy. The arrows were placed in the bow and pulled back against the tension and then release, thus propelling the arrow with great momentum in the direction they were aimed (Revell, "Missile"). The crossbows on the other hand were horizontal and would be drawn back and latched. The arrow was then released by pulling a trigger (Brigatta). The next weapon used the relatively new, at least to England, gunpowder. The discovery of gun powder by the Chinese lead to the development of the matchlock musket. The musket was small enough to fit under the arm of the soldier. The gun consisted of a wood base and a barrel made of lead strips held close by spirals and welded together (Brigatta). The arquebus was a matchlock weapon that used a trigger for the first and was found to be effective. This replaced the lever action and now made the matchlock easier to hold steady while aiming and firing (Revell, "Missile"). The use of gunpowder made the armies of the 16th century more dependent on supply trains and more powerful while attack strongholds (Grolier). The cannons then became the primary use of gunpowder, because of their effective use and rather simple mechanics. In 1543 England made the first single-cast iron cannon and ensured England as a dominant producer of military supplies (Iannuzzo).The 16th century was a time when the weapons of warfare took on a rebirth and the force of the armies greatly increased. The handheld weapon alone became quicker and easier to manage and thus deadlier then ever. This was through t...
