| Technological conditions and nature of availability | | | | Ages, it is a category of its own and hence will be |
| of raw materials form the basis of any culture's | | | | kept out the following discussion on medieval |
| arsenal at any point of time in the history of | | | | weaponry. |
| mankind. Prehistoric human race, often better | | | | The Middle Ages witnessed the dominance of |
| known as the Stone Age civilization were known | | | | double edged swords, metal-headed spears and |
| for their intelligent usage of grinding tools, stone | | | | axes among weapons while arrows and short |
| and shaping axes, and creating arrows and spears | | | | bows were also in vogue. A very interesting fact |
| as weapons for survival strategies. But these | | | | that is pretty well known in this regard is that the |
| implements improved over the years as the | | | | Saxons valued swords very highly to the extent |
| technological skills of these cultures improved. | | | | of considering the value of a sword to be |
| The development of the metallic tools, | | | | equivalent to the value of 120 oxen or 15 male |
| implements and weapons that persisted through | | | | slaves and thus according great importance and |
| the Middle Ages were actually originated during | | | | status to a man possessing a sword. Because of |
| the Bronze and Iron Ages and following that, | | | | these weapons being simple to construct and |
| these implements have dramatically altered over | | | | easy to wield, throughout the Middle Ages these |
| time. Eventually, with the appearance of | | | | weapons remained popular. |
| gunpowder in Europe in the early 14th century | | | | In spite of the three weapons of the sword, the |
| most of these weapon were rendered useless | | | | spear (or lance) and the battle-axe being very |
| and the castle too took a backseat to the extent | | | | prevalent during the 12th century, yet the |
| of becoming redundant. | | | | crossbow quickly gained popularity. Compounded |
| The castle was considered to be one of the most | | | | with the rapidly rising popularity of the horse |
| formidable weapons of medieval warfare while if | | | | warfare that supposedly made movement easy |
| we consider the smaller weapons, there were also | | | | and allowed a benefit to its martial riders who held |
| a lot of lethal ones, the ones that were movable | | | | spears and the beginning of massive siege |
| and capable of wreaking havoc and death of an | | | | engines, eventually these hand-held weapons |
| opponent. Thus despite having played a key role | | | | helped invaders like the Normans to overpower |
| in the deaths of many people during the Middle | | | | these less technologically advanced people. |