Arbalest

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A crossbowman loading his arbalest

The Arbalest (also called Arbalst ) was a model of the crossbow used in the late Middle Ages .

Description and use

This crossbow was a slightly larger variant of the wooden crossbow used in the early Middle Ages , with the difference that the actual bow of the Arbalest was made of steel. This enabled her to accelerate the crossbow bolt with a force of up to 5000  N when it fired . Due to a newly developed loading mechanism, it could also be loaded faster than other crossbow models, an experienced crossbowman could shoot 2 bolts per minute with the Arbalest. Often this weapon was loaded in the safe behind a pave sign .

history

The Arbalest was developed in Central Europe in the 12th century. She proved very efficient in defending the city of Constantinople . The Arbalest was mainly used by the Italian troops. In the 15th and 16th centuries it suffered the same fate as many other crossbows, it was superseded by the emerging handguns ( hand tube , arquebus , musket ).

literature