Medieval Historian Ranks Weapons From The Middle Ages | History Ranked
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- Опубліковано 10 тра 2024
- Historian and host of the Gone Medieval podcast Matt Lewis ranks the most famous weapons from the medieval period. From the humble dagger to a samurai sword, Matt scores each weapon on usability, damage, and versatility. Think you know better? Let us know in the comment section below.
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:03 Dagger
00:03:35 Axe
00:06:02 Arming Sword
00:09:10 Two Handed Sword
00:11:58 Messer
00:14:28 Flail
00:17:19 Poleaxe
00:20:40 War Hammer
00:23:08 Mace
00:26:10 Morning Star
00:28:14 Falchion
00:30:20 Samurai Sword
00:32:54 Final Ranking
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I think a very important weapon that is missing is a spear
Indeed, a spear might actually be THE weapon, rivalled only by a bow.
@@jamesaaron7211
In terms of longevity & spread of use, it really is *the* weapon; it was used from the Ancient world, all the way up into the Early Modern Era, & you could debate that the bayonet on the end of a musket/ gun (especially the earlier Plug Bayonet) was just an extension of the spear into a mechanised era- which means it made it into the 18th, 19th, & 20th centuries. Every culture had some form of spear; from short spears, often thrown or used a bit like long daggers/ knives - to standard length spears that were almost always thrown, or thrust (the Greeks' _doru_ & Roman _hasta_ & _pilum_ ) - to massive _sarissa_ in Macedonia - to pikes, arrayed in the schiltron formation- that proved so deadly in the Wars of Scottish Independance.
The bow required long years of regular training, as well as the development of strength- depending on the kind of bow (the crossbow took far less time, apparently) - but the spear; it was as simple as a fire-hardened sharpened stick, to elaborate heads, & sometimes even the base had a sharp end - a person had to risk trying to get in close, to do you any damage; it worked well as a personal weapon, could be used as a ranged weapon (depending on the type), & it was devastating in a formation.
Absolute S-tier weapon; I'd put the bow in A-tier; it was quite versatile in the sense that- like a lot of the other weapons, it was potentially something that a wide range of people could use (including women- as noble women in the medieval era took part in hunting - but probably not peasants, unless conscripted - commoners were not permitted to hunt, without their lord's authority) - it was a naturally ranged weapon so you just had to keep knights & men-at-arms at a distance, to stay safe- & there were different types (simple/ standard, long, recurve [that could have *massive* range, without the unwieldiness of a longbow, but the draw-strength needed...]) -- bowmen/ archers were a considerable part of armies in the past- however, the bow has traditionally had a poor reputation, specifically because it was a ranged weapon (it was known as 'the coward's weapon'- Paris, in the Trojan War, was a skilled archer- but was despised for not fighting in the field, the one time he did- he lost & had a lucky save - just like poison was considered a cowardly means to kill) *_additionally_* : if your quiver ran out of arrows, you could hit someone with the bow (treating it like a 4x2, more or less), as a last resort- & vice versa, if you lost your bow- you could effectively stab someone with an arrow in a vulnerable gap, again- as a last resort.
Its u fair cause a spear is SS tier
Arguably the poleaxe incorporates the spear and the halberd.
@@MultiCappie but the spear is a lot longer
I'm disappointed we missed one of the greatest weapons of history, the spear, which should be in the S tier.
I'm glad you explained your bias on the samurai sword, as European swords were just as effective.
The falchion could have rated higher, as it wields more like a machete, and can be used as one in thick bush, so a jungle fighter doesn't need to swap weapons if surprised.
Arguably the poleaxe incorporates the spear and the halberd.
The spear (king of the battlefield) should be here. Good someone mentioned it.
Maybe you could post your own video and rank weapons (including the spear), then?
What would it cost you? Practically nothing.
This is fun. There's also lots here to unpack. So much context required. Maybe I'll do that 😄
Matt, it is REQUESTED and REQUIRED by this honorable assembly of nerds that you make a reaction video to this. The world needs justice.
Yes! Context please!!! In the right context the Rondel quickly becomes the only S teir weapon. :)
yes please!
Matt..please tell these people how important a rondel is lol.
Please do. Just remember its the PRIMARY weapon of choise, NOT secondary (ie. daggers)
IMHO he vastly underestimated the effectiveness, versatility and damage of the war hammer, between the crushing blow of the hammer and the deadly effect of the back spike, combined with its ease of use, it’s probably the weapon that I would choose to take into combat against most armor types.
Henry V was using it in Agincourt. (Bad) Source: The King, Netflix.
Warhammers were specifically a horsemans weapons as a counter to armoured foes. It belongs in its lower tier. On foot you would use a poleaxe (remember warhammers were a late medieval weapon for a reason)
Robert Baratheon approves
It’s the AT weapon of the Middle Ages!
@@fotograf736 It's not a source. It's a movie.
After all that, he puts a Katana top of the list, not because of it being superior
in every way, it's because it's ''Cool.'' Which renders the whole exercise the subjective
selections of an individual, basically.
Even the samurai didn't put the katana at the top.
Also telling how much he underrates dagger or doesnt include the S weapon in spear.
@@barnettmcgowan8978 Some maybe did, but they didn't live to brag about it.
So where is the spear? The most used weapon in pre-history and history, including in the Dark Ages.
Shield & Spear was king of the battlefield for centuries, probably millennia.
@@elricthebald870 Indeed and also the only "main" melee weapon that was still in use by infantry once firearms came along. Spears or pikes were used to protect soldiers with rifles and such.
@@joh80yes tho a pike isnt a spear, it has a different role
@@giftzwerg7345 It is a spear. The length is the only difference.
@@giftzwerg7345 I can understand the argument of "it isn't a spear because it doesn't meet certain characteristics about weight and length" but they perform the same role on the battlefield. Given that the Sarissa was considered a spear and it was larger than many late Medieval and Reneissance pikes, I'd count pikes as a type of spear.
The Dagger 🗡 Should Be At A category at LEAST. Every Man going into Battle Would WANT and NEED a Dagger in close quarters...
My thoughts exactly
Part of the consideration is: would you want to go into battle ONLY with a dagger.
Yip in close quarters it IS the most efficient weapon
Definitely want your dagger to help with digging rocks, wood and pieces of arrow heads out of your flesh.
The dagger is a great 'A' pick for SECONDARY weapon, but going into battle with a dagger as a primary weapon. Come on, have a little common sense
flail in A tier and the 2hander and messar in B is just criminal.
Depending on how hard you're marking certain things I can potentially understand the 2-hander and messer, but not the flail. He mentions himself he'd be scared of hitting the person behind him which should tell you how functional these actually were in battle.
I also think messAr is criminal.
I think the rating is based on historic significance. There were far more people using a flail than a Zweihänder or a Messer. With a Messer, the Problem is short distance, which for an untrained person might be more dangerous. With a flail, it's easier to keep everyone around at a distance.
In German language, beating someone up is sometimes still called "verdreschen", which goes back to the Dreschflegel (flail).
I kind of checked out at the flail.
@@hyperturbotechnomike
There were a LOT more people using Messer than flails. Flails were almost unheard of on battlefields, only seen routinely in a few regional armies like the Hussites. Few medieval soldiers would ever see a flail in battle.
Nah, fam -- three-sided dagger is definitely S-tier at least.
Coming from a grappling background -- in armored combat, very few weapons are likely to kill you. Knock you down, stun you, incapacitate and unhorse you -- sure.
But in armored grappling -- NOTHING compares to the three-sided "b*llocks* dagger for efficiency and effectiveness, except, perhaps, a war-hammer. Most "knightly" deaths were caused by an unceremonious dagger during groundfighting.
As a grappler -- dagger is your friend when nothing else works.
S-tier for sure. Nastiest little piece of steel ever invented.
(And no --I'm NOT French, and had no relatives at Agincourt.)
Not to knock the video -- I love vids like this. Keep 'em coming.
But I have to disagree from the sheer numbers of recorded casualties, and from the effectiveness in actual armored grappling, of the very dedicated and horrifically effective design of the rondel dagger.
We have to understand that the pictures are not always a representation of the actual item. The "dagger" depicted in the picture here is very cool, but the expert considered it more like a "belt knife".
@@Kriegerdammerung the dagger in the picture is a Rondel Dagger, designed to pierce mail and even low quality/thin plate.
So maybe he decided to generalize to "daggers in general", which is kinda unfair. Still, this video is for fun, not very accurate.
It's a rondel dagger
Bullocks daggers are thought to be what inspired the dirk
My man did daggers dirty
I will watch this with the highest level of scrutiny 😶🌫️
He put the “Samurai sword” (Katana) into S! If he wrote a book I’m not reading it!
You put the flail in the A category? The flail has limited defensive capability. I think it would take some skill besides. If used wrong you could very easily hurt yourself.
Personal preference would be to have war hammer in the A slot. Having multiple certifications with the SAFD and possessing a martial arts background the war hammer has the ability to wrench joints because that's part of it's design function. Also as a impact weapon much like short sword technique, if you bash someone in the head with a helmet on those repeated blows will cause disorientation and nausea. All that said a war hammer isn't really meant to be used on it's own. It's meant to be used with a buckler, shield, short sword or dagger. It can be used single handed.
It probably depends on situation, period etc. In 1x1 definitelly usefull, if you go against spear/pike formation with 3-4 meters long spears, shorter swinging weapons kinda sucks as you just get impaled before using it. Similarly if cavalry plays role, not sure how much it will help against 50 horsemen running at you and your buddies.
Love the video! Any chance to get a playlist of the background music?
I strongly recommend Schwerpunkt on the Medieval weapons series. PhD specialized in Medieval warfare, quite good both in essence and in detail
Or Matt Easton, or Metatron, or Skallagrim... Any would be light years ahead of this drivel.
Schwerpunkt is really good, bc he also applies some basic reasoning and questions Standard naratives
Great video, I do miss the humble but very effective spear tho, It might be outside the time period here
The polehammer and the Bec de Corbin would be great additions as well.
I know that that list could go on for a long time, and you'd always miss out some type up weapon...
Good and interesting stuff 👍🏻
could have had a pike instead then
Spear has allways been there is some ways
The spear was the most common primary weapon in medieval battles and it wasn't even close; even less so if you include lances and pikes.
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This is a fun and interesting exercise. I'm kind of shocked by the fact that you placed the warhammer in the "D" tranche. This seems a great weapon for the battlefield, particularly for fighting in formation or in a shield wall. It seems a perfect amalgam of the best features of other weapons. Like the axe, it is easy to use but has greater reach. It is able to do crushing damage to the joints - perhaps not quite as effectively as a mace but close enough when you consider its other versatile features. It is shorter than the pole axe and and has a lower swing radius to take advantage of its leverage making it more effective to use in formation. The longer, pointed side can be effectively used as a hook to pull down an opponents shield in a shield wall. And finally, the long point combined with the fact that the weapon is a lever to multiply force makes it particularly effective in separating ring mail and punching through plate to create deep, heavy bleeding, impaling wounds, making not just joint strikes but every strike potentially very serious. The only downside might be that the wounds created by the spike side might be so deep that the weapon could become stuck in it but that's a much bigger problem for the person that you hit than it is for you. It would make any movement an agony and only open the wound further. Add to that the haft which can be used defensively and, if I saw a bunch of soldiers armed with these things coming across the field, I'd be running the other way!
Super interesting video, loved it! I'm surprised the bow wasn't included though, is it because it's a ranged weapon?
The classic cruciform style longsword is so mythicised and romanticises and associated with the immage of the knight and Middle Ages, but most people don't know that the mainstay of medieval armies where pole weapons : poleaxes, polehammers, halberds, spears, pikes, two handed axes, warhammers.
Knights started a fight with lances at horse back, the sword ( if it was even carried ) was a secondary or even a third weapon, behind a pole weapon.
Swords were carried at every important medieval battle. They absolutely belong here. And they are very good sidearms.
@@Didamina101 Of course they were, I never denied their importance. They were also extremely important status symbols.
And as far as weapons go, a longsword was very nimble and versatile and could do a lot of things in battle, it could be used to effectively attack and defend.
What my point was, was that swords were not the main weapons on battlefields, but more secondary to the type of weapons I mentioned.
When you showed the morning star I thought of "Ivanhoe," 1952. For the final battle, de Bois-Gilbert picks Mace and Chain. Ivanhoe picks the Axe. As the fight progresses, Ivanhoe is unhorsed. He is on the ground and he loses his shield, which is severely crumpled. He keeps taking blows and ducking. Then, he is able to pick up his axe. As de Bois-Gilbert takes a swing, Ivanhoe holds his axe in both hands. The chain wraps around the handle and he pulls de Bois-Gilbert out of his saddle. With de Bois-Gilbert on his back, Ivanhoe buries the axe in his chest. This is, by far, one of my favorite movies. Before anyone says anything, I know they didn't have steel shields in the early 13th Century. Another problem is that everyone is speaking English, when, in fact, most of the Normans would've been speaking French. Certainly when King Richard arrives on scene and gives his speech, he would've been speaking French.
Wow, gotta go watch this movie now. Seems like they got some things right there.
@@maybrittwilkens6149 Just remember, this is fiction. Elizabeth Taylor at her most beautiful time. It well portrays the animosity between the Saxons and Normans. I haven't been able to find where, but I understand that the term holocaust was first used in the time of Richard I. If you take it as just plain good entertainment, you'll be fine.
Love all your content!
Types of metals made lots of difference, I think I'd want to know that before ranking a weapon. Fun video!
I very much enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up
Can't imagine using a morning star over a mace. They do have a slight cool factor, but I'd be afraid of hitting myself in the face. A mace and a katana, and maybe a halberd.
It gives you reach when you're on horseback. When mounted you have to fight differently, and it gives you those crucial extra inches on chain. Additionally he missed out on the ability to wrap the chain around weapons or limbs to pull and drag around your opponent. It does lack the solid punch and simplicity of a mace and requires a lot of training and practice to get good with, but a high speed iron ball is a scary thing when wound up.
He did say he might make mistakes and to feel free to correct him. Also he is rating everything according to his idea of what the weapons can do, not any particular list of actually how they are rated. So he isn't even wrong, its just his opinion.
Dagger, I'd put it on B. There are reports from different places and times where knights dropped their main weapon, picked up their daggers and stabbed their targets, to then pick their main weapon. Also daggers come in a lot of flavours. There are more triangular shaped-tip daggers for exploiting gaps in armor; there are "pikey" daggers to try to pierce some pieces of armour; there are 3 blade daggers to cause a lot of internal bleeding.
Axe, I'd put in A. It's a sharp but somewhat blunt weapon, so it doesn't require much training or finesse. Despite the blade, you can also use the blunt side as basically a hammer, making it very, very versatile.
Funny theory about messers is that they came out of guild dispute. Swordmakers guild made it illegal to make swords for non members but they still were talking business from knifemakers with daggers so knifemakers came up with legal loophole that allowed them to sell long blades in retaliation
MATT LEWIS!!! Love your shows. Very enjoyable as well as educational. Thanks!
Loved the hilariously honest way the katana ended up in the S class.
kinda sounds like he have no idea whats hes talking about, puting katana in S becase its "cool".. its still just a sword... medieval expert my ass..
@@kristiankoperarealistically he’d put it where the falchion is, but c’mon, it’s a samurai sword
"Well, it's going to get me killed, but, it just looks so cool, so . . . "
It doesn't get much stupider than that.
You've described how 90% of basement nerds would die in the apocalypse.
@@wbbartlett Boom!
@@wbbartlett I'm pretty sure 90% of battle-hardened soldiers would die in the apocalypse also.
Combat training is no defense against nuclear weapons, no matter if they're nerds or not.
To Schola Gladiatoria. This vid only lacks a spear, staff and perhaps a distinction between armoured v unarmoured combat; please disregard missile combat (javelins, slings, bows, etc.) as it requires a different approach.
Also remember this is the choice for a PRIMARY weapon entering combat, so please dont listen to the DAGGER/RONDEL plonkers. And remember that the katana has been folded a thousand times and can cut through a tank ;) (I.e its super cool, he is absolutely right)
Might be sad to hear for some folks but i tend to think a durable spear well used still tends to beat everything.
All those useless youngsters with their pole-axes.
Hi Matt. Love this video. Your content is so interesting and fun. I wonder if you know from history what weapons particular Kings used in battle? For instance, I think I have read Edward IV either used a double-handed sword or one sword in each hand. Would you kindly confirm or give alternative insights. Many thanks 😊
As a HEMA instructor, all I can say that you need to get to swinging these things to be able to judge them. Really, the only thing you were spot on with is the pollaxe. Sorry.
Sorry, but as a HEMA instructor, you should also have noticed that he was spot on with the "morning star" ball and chain mace thing as well.
How would you have ranked them?
@@jamesj.mccombie5031 Sorry, skipped past the morning star bit because morning stars are ridiculous weapons. So, if he also stated that they are silly then touche, we now agree on two things.
My biggest issue is that the mace is not an S tier weapon. It is true that it can be used in one hand and can cause damage vs those in armour, but not as much as was once thought. In addition, they are not any easier or harder to use by an untrained person, in fact, it might be that it takes more. There has been some great work done on this by Dequitem, I would highly recommend you go watch his take on mace vs longsword, it is illuminating.
His placement of the messer was not bad, but his take as to why shows that he does not understand how the messer is applied. If it was such a specialized weapon as he suggests, why did so many common people carry them? Medieval people were wrestlers first, and the messer really feeds into that inherent skill, making in more intuitive to use than he thinks.
His placement of the Rondel is problematic. He never discusses context. Imagine a pollaxe vs Rondel. Well, if both parties are at distance, and have plenty of space to maneuver, then of course the pollaxe is an S tier weapon, and the Rondel is an F. But, if the two parties are pressed together in a mob of ranks, the pollaxe quickly becomes a liability and becomes an F tiered weapon while the Rondel jumps up to being an S tiered weapon.
I could go on, but I have better things to do. I’ll Let Matt Easton handle it.
@@mosesjones4853 I'll agree with you on 99% of what you just said but Dequietem's analysis of the damage done by a mace is not based on historical maces but rather ones used in modern armoured fighting competitions. The historical maces were a bit heavier. This is one of those cases where more investigation is needed to make judgement one way or another on the impact maces had on armoured opponents (pun 100% intended).
A lot of HEMA instructors here.
Another Western historian does not know about normal one-handed flails.
In Eastern Europe and the steppes of Asia, the flail was actively used. It was actively used by steppe nomads. For example, it was a very popular weapon in the Golden Horde.
Why? Easy to make in the field. It does not require a lot of metal and its quality. Can be made from almost any metal and even stone. The flail takes up little space. You also don’t need high-quality wood to make a flail.
A one-handed flail is called a " Кистень " in Russian. You need to go to the Russian Wiki, there is a good article on the topic. Please note that some of the pictures in the article are modern stylizations that are not related to ancient examples. The version shown in this video is a European exotic that was almost never used.
What about the long bow and the cross bow.
The war hammer shown is more of a Lucerne Hammer...longer shaft like a pole axe. A War hammer could have a shorter shaft such that it was paired with a Buckler. A dangerous combo.
Maces aren't morning stars. A mace is the simplest weapon to use. Breaks bones, skulls, joints, etc, with relatively little purchase. A glancing blow might break a limb. Barely any training needed.
Spears have been around since the dawn of time and have won more empires than any other weapon.
The Messer is underrated. Messer is German for "knife", and was easier to make than swords. Lighter and easier to use, they're much easier to train with.
A falchion is essentially a heavy Messer, but weighted more like an axe. It's not a specialist weapon in any regard. If you've used a machete, you're good with a falchion or Messer.
A morning star has no chain. That's a flail. Seriously. Morning stars are life enders. Between the bludgeoning damage and the spike penetration, you'll die of internal injuries before leaving the field
Flails are great for offense, and are capable of circumventing shields. They can't block or party well.
Lastly, daggers. Daggers are ESSENTIAL. Close quarter combat, coup de grace, eating utensil, carving tool....it does so much. AND you can throw the bloody things.
The katana is basically a short single edge longsword with a longer handle. They're made from softer steel as well. A lot of myth, but not the legend it's made out to be.
You covered a lot I was going to mention. I also thought it strange he would place a mace at 'S' tier for being handy against armor, but a warhammer all the way down at 'C'.
Good vid, but where was the long sword?
Just a suggestion, you can rank the items in question on the same letter from left to right left being the higher rank. For example, if you like the two handed sword better, that would be left of the messer in the B row. Just to add some nuance.
Hi Matt, the "War Hammer". I think I'd be slightly worried about using the pick, and not being able to extract it, before getting nobbled myself.
Names video "Medieval Historian Ranks Dark Age Weaponry", proceeds to rank mostly high medieval and later weaponry.
What happened to the Seax? Definitely useful in the shield wall? It did say dark ages and not Middle Ages?
any reason for not including the best weapon, the spear?
The best weapon is determined by the type of battle and opponent armour. In a medieval european heavy armour battle I would also pick the halberd for for open field or a mace+shield for close quarter. Steel clad knight can be killed without buckling if using a mace - the vibrational force on a helmet would be deadly.
I think a dagger being a sidearm should give it bonus points. It's situational for sure but excellent in those situations and there's not much of a drawback of keeping one as a second option. Especially when those choices use cases can complement another weapon so well when it comes to range control.
When you held the katana I was afraid for your life, thinking an army of dweebs would come out and murder you because you insulted their favorite weapon. Instead you handled it quite well, made some good points and especially acknowledged the coolness, which is an important factor. Well done!
he said is was the medieval equivalent of a lightsaber, and that was enough to keep them off his back. Ultimately, he suffered from the same delusions they have about this weapon. Its a sword. A decent one, but no more deadly in a trained person's hands than a longsword in the hands of a trained person.
@@jamesj.mccombie5031 Actually less so than a long sword. Considering the longsword is double edged
@@jamesj.mccombie5031 Yup this guy has no weapons experience yet is ranking them? lol
I think you need more than a ranking system. More like rock/paper/scissors.
Oh and add spear and add shield. Some of these are specialized to overcome others.
Flail is about overcoming shield, either braining over the top or pulling shield down.
Pole axe and similar are for defending against cavalry.
The axe is devastating against both armored and unarmored opponents, it's a shield destroyer, it serves as a tool for many a thing from cutting, chopping, cleaving and more. It's also a very easy to understand item. Btw, I am going at this from the picture he shows in his hands, which is a standard axe.
It's really silly though, the axe shown is a cleaving axe that everyone owns while the other pictures shown all have different sizes and functions. A dane axe is more capable of doing damage and has more reach but it's way harder to wield properly while a small battle axe is more nimble and lighter, and yes, a woodcutter's axe is not made for murdering people but it will most certainly do the job, albeit not optimal depending on thr circumstance.
Also, he shows a Rondol dagger in his hand while he talks about every kind of dagger except the very specific one he holds in his hand.
What it all comes down to is that 'axe' and 'dagger' and what not is not a good term to rank things with because of how ambiguous those words are.
Pretty interesting to see how many varieties of sword you rated, but only ONE pole-arm, when I feel like on balance on a medieval battlefield you would probably be more likely to see a variety of pole-arms and fewer swords (obviously largely concentrated with wealthier combatants). Great video though, cool to hear your perspective.
What about the longsword, the broadsword, the claymore, the scimitar? The spear, the lance, the kendo stick?
The Medieval pike, especially the shorter hooked pike (not a halberd), should have been included in your review. It was reasonably inexpensive to mass produce. It afforded the lightly-armored infantry (70-80% of the fighting force in most battles) an effective stand-off thrusting weapon and the hook excelled at unseating a mounted knight and pulling down shields. Heavily armored knights were tasked with plowing through infantry ranks to disrupt formations and create chaos similar to mechanized tank warfare on today's battlefields. Once a heavily-armored knight was on the ground, he was at a distinct dis-advantage on a crowded battlefield and could be overcome by numerous lightly-armored infantrymen wielding pikes, axes and daggers (Agincourt). Also, I didn't realize that the Japanese katana (Samurai sword) ever made an appearance on Medieval European battlefields? (joke, old boy). Interesting video.
The Flail seems like a bigger version of the morning star. It seems like it would be equally unpredictable in the heat of battle, just with a larger surface area that has the ability not only to hit yourself but your comrades,
Dagger should be way higher tier. Dirk and Targe was a dagger/shield combination and extremely lethal as once they charged in with the Targe , the dirk/dagger would deliver a highly accurate lethal blow.
Dagger is very accurate - very deadly. Does need a shield though.
The flail should get an extra versatility point as it's one handed so can have a shield to make up for it's lack of defence
No Shamshir? The main sword used in the East during the medieval period.
What about a Boomstick
Shop smart. Shop S-Mart...
@10:45 I used that sword in HEMA. I needed a lot practice to use it properly
Fantastic video
I think you underestimate the dagger. The strength of this weapon is in how easy it is to maneuver. Medieval people knew how to butcher humans. They knew how to deliver a lethal stab. Even women carried these things as protective weapons and they've always existed in various sizes and shapes because every person needed one. A trained person knew what angle to use in order to hit a vital organ. They'd stab it in someone's body and then twist it to destroy the liver or whatever. Besides the violent side of the thing, it was also an essential to have on you, just as essential as shoes. You could use it in setting up camp, gathering food, fixing things, anything and everything. Although a dagger isn't technically the same as a knife, these small hand weapons were all used for a wide array of tasks and it just depended on what function you needed to use it most for to determine what dagger or knife you needed in your life. Soldiers might want a very solid big dagger while the country peasant woman would prefer a smaller implement that could fit under her clothes and a simple farmer might just want a good knife. In any case, having a small, versatile, and easily maneuverable weapon on you wasn't just a battlefield thing, it was personal protection in a world where you had to expect violence out of nowhere if you were out and about.
Can you do a farm tools episode in this style?
I would put the longbow, composite recurve and the crossbow at S tier.
Spear at A tier.
Daggers a must at A tier.
Actually the rest of the list is messed up, too. IMHO.
Spear has to be S tier as well. All of recorded human history doesn't lie, pointy stick is eternal.
@@blortbugman8722 Fair enough. We even make firearms capable of adding a pointy end to emulate the eternal spear.
But the Dagger has been used even longer. But I don't see it as a game changer.
And my reasoning for my S tier choices was that they were consistent game changers on the battlefields during the medieval time period. They were weapons that had to be overcome, or you'd lose a war.
Crossbow could be used by almost anyone with little training or practice. Always a huge plus with levied armies. And it was armor piercing.
The Longbow had good RoF, good range and decent penetration power.
But the real S tier, in my opinion, was the composite recurve. In the hands of the army the Mongol Empire, it knew no equal. RoF, range, penetration...the works.
Would falchions be like scimitars and be more designed for use on horseback?
This video should have been titled something along the lines of; "History Tier List | Medieval Historian Ranks Dark Age Weaponry"
Is this a History Hit video I see before me? I am, of course, referencing the Scottish Play and the role the dagger plays in it; it deserves a higher rating. After all, the dagger was used to dispatch King Duncan which set off a string of events that even the witches were involved in. Tolkien himself drew influence from these events 😀
If you are going to rank weapons you must be impartial, this is the second video of Matthew's I have seen and on both occasions he brings his own favouritism into it.
Loved this. As a woman, I would choose the mace and the dagger. But first, I would lean to use a bow and arrow and try to avoid battle at all costs.
Should be probably defined, what is the situation. Personally I expect it to be huge formation/mob of people standing against other formation, where you have no space to really swing, unless you go forward alone (which I would not want to do) and some angry guys on horses in ironclad riding at you with tons of arrows flying.
So in this setup I would go with pointy thing to just aim forward and let impale whatever is in front of me. Not a lot of energy expended compared to swinging and slashing, I dont need to worry about hurting my allies. The question is now whether I want shield (to be protected from arrows and blows, but maybe worried about cavalry) or if I want to be in some formation with tons of spears making sure nobody gets close, but if arrows are raining on me, this sucks.
Ideal choice would be spear with shield, but that would be probably too heavy. My choice would probably be spear, hide in the mdidle of the formation and hope arrows dont hit me and the mass of bodies protect me for a while before I get to stabbing.
Nice video, but why is he rating pollaxes and billhook together? They are very different weapons.
Love the juxtaposition of the falchion and katana 😂
During the famous Siege of Malta in 1565 when the Muslim Ottoman Empire was trying to conquer it from the Knights of St. John (aka the Knights of Malta, aka the Knights Hospitaller), the master of the Knights personally fought with a big two-handed great sword, and mowed down many Janissaries like grass with a scythe! The Knights successfully defended Malta for Christendom, and the Ottomans never tried attacking it again.
Dagger definitely at least A tier. With all the armor commonly present during that time, closing the distance and grappling was almost a guarantee, rendering most weapons useless. Dagger, shield, and gauntlet, reign supreme.
Axe should be higher, it can be thrown as a hand axe as well as used as a two sided battle axe. Very versatile and its weight can have a bludgeoning effect. Should be an A tier as it can be used to take out armored opponents and potentially calvary.
The two handed sword was primarily intended to break up pike formations by chopping their shafts in half, lopping off the iron heads, etc. and creating gaps for the short-swordsmen to get in close and kill the unarmoured pikemen. Also, no spear???
I think warhammer could be even higher ranked because it is quite versatile as cavalry weapon as well as infantry weapon, and you could wield shield also
Flail in A-tier is absolutely absurd, especially when putting the Chained Morningstar in D with essentially the same weaknesses. Messer should be A-tier. Arguably the 2-handed sword too but I can get how it being such a specialist weapon making it B-tier. I don't know enough about falchions but I struggle to see it being that low down too. Katana is a weird inclusion for this list, I feel it would have been better to cover the Shamshir instead - and there's a severe lack of polearms.
Spear, spear, spear where is the damn spear
The Samourai style of fighting is different than the european knight in that they expected to win or die and either one was fine with them. The katana and its use is a reflection of that philosophy.
An ax can do alot of blunt force damage
It doesn't have to cut
Relying on the blade it often skitters off
"Sword making more damage then axe", mace above pick/hammer, saber under arming sword, shaft flail above one handed one. My physicist heart are bleeding.
One thing about daggers, although this is mostly about military applications, it's probably way cheaper for commoners than a sword, so for self defense it's probably A tier for me. But that's outside of military use so probably not too relevant to this list.
Nice concept of a video, I see only two glaring personal bias errors. I am an archer and the bollock knife would be a battlefield must, it can despatch any enemy who is slightly incapacitated, from knight, crossbowmen to peasant foot soldier. For me the most versatile secondary weapon, and no archer would enter the battlefield without one. Only question is whether it is an A or S! And I beg to differ on the Samurai sword, it's just a sword! So for me B at best.
A nice attempt and some good historical context around the weapons, but the lack of the most common medieval battlefield weapon (the spear) and ignoring the practicality of a number of these weapons on the battlefield (i.e. functionality) leads to some questionable rankings.
Dagger should have been an A - IMO you missed another category - why did so many actually carry them - which you actually said! 👍😀🗡
Disagree with a lot of the choices:
S TIER
- Pollaxe: totally agree with this one
- Spear: don't know how this one is missing, but if any melee weapon should be S tier, it should be the spear
A TIER
- Arming sword: reliable, versatile, a lot of design variations to prioritize thrusting or cutting, can be paired with another weapon or a shield. It's only downside is that if the opponent is wearing armour it becomes useless, and of course it won't see a lot of action in open battlefield.
- Messer: everything you can say about the arming sword you can say about the messer, plus it tends to have better hand protection because of the nail in the guard and some models have a knuckle bar. The only issue compared to the arming sword is that because of the curved nature it would probably have more trouble to get into armour gaps
B TIER
- Katana: pretty simmilar to the messer and arming sword in function, BUT, i give it a lower score because of a couple of points. The laminated construction with a softer spine will give it a risk of bending, hence i would be more worried about ruining it mid battle, its also a very chunky sword, making it not the best at getting into armour gaps. Plus, the blade lenght tends to be shorter than an average one handed sword (unless it's a tachi)
- Two-handed sword: It's my favourite weapon, but still, I recognize it has a lot of flaws that prevent it from being top tier. Its a very weird weapon whose use was shortlived and that is the king of compromises, a weapon designed to be a jack of all trades but not dominate in anything.
- Falcion: Though it depends on the model since falcions varied widely throughout regions and time periods. I've always seen the messer as a more evolved version of the falcion, hence I find it hard to put them in the same category if we're taking both into account. Still, it's a would be a very reliable side arm
C TIER
- Dagger: nothing to add here. fightingwise it's worse than axes and maces, but I do agree it's a quintessential tool for any soldier in ancient times, hence it totally deserves the spot here
- Hand axe: good chopping action, poor reach, null hand protection. Only if you're fighting armoured opponents or somebody with a wooden shield I'd see the appeal
- Mace: Lot of percussive action, also poor reach and hand protection. Again, only against armoured opponents it would be worthwhile
- Warhammer: same case as with the mace
D TIER
- Flail: Everything with a chain and segmented i would find akward to wield. Sure enough, it should give a good wack to anybody, but I'm positive most people would choose something else over this. Even as a peasant, why choose this over a regular spear or a billhook?
- Morningstar ball and chain version: same case as the flail but with lower reach and a higher chance to hurt yourself in the process. I would guess controlling this thing would require a lot of practice and the advantages it provides are minimal compared to the time investment.
The Poleaxe is the Swiss Army Knife of medieval weapons. Ironically, the Swiss Army Knife is not very effective in combat, due to its diminutive size. In spite of its militaristic name.
I mostly agree with the rating but i think that with the Katana you have to specify whether you would use it as a dueling weapon or as a weapon for the battlefield. Katanas are made from fairly soft steel and therefore bend really easily, the blade gets damaged and you have barely any crossguard for blocking and covering your hand. In a duel where both contenstants are armed and armoured the same way, meaning a Katana and little to no armour, a Katana would be extremely deadly and due to its normally lighter weight a better pick over a european sword. But on a battlefield, where every one wears different armour, carries different weapons and has different levels of training, I think that you are in every way better off with a european sword than with a Katana.
Swords can do serious damage threw armor you just have to conect proper. "Witch is hard as f btw" but you do that and the energy goes threw. A big advatage with war axes witch is curved is that you almost always get a god conection against armor
Swords do absolutely no damage through armour, what you said is about as far from the truth as you can get.
If I was wearing a suit of full steel plate armour and you came along and hit me as hard as you could with a sword I would hardly feel it, I know this because I fight people in armour every week.
Good video, interesting.
But I think it's odd to rank flail and morning star so far apart with weapons so functionally similar.
Flail should be lower. i'd 100% rather have an axe than a flail.
missing the bow :(
One of these days someone's going to realize that the Katana not really that go of a weapon it takes a long time to learn and Japanese fighting was so restricted in style and specialized that only the Samaria had the time do learn to use it , pole axe and long reinforced dagger or a good sax.
I enjoyed that, all a bit of fun. But, there’s always a but! The complete disregard for the war hammer, where’s that come from?! And then you big up the mace! Very similar weapons, wielding one handed in a melee, except one can just bash but the other bashes and pierces. I’d be flipping those rankings.
Anyways, whichever weapon was the most popular (the sword) must have been the best. These guys weren’t idiots.
I feel like "dagger" should of been expanded because daggers can vary alot in function, form and size. Same with "axe" but not to the same extreme.
Why were no pole arms ranked... this is a whole class, which had been used with great success for centuries.
I'm thinking most words aren't that great offensively against heavily armoured opponents. But they sure are great at slashing and stabbing those pesky hordes of farmers. And they are mostly balanced towards the grip, so you can stab and slash for quite a while.
Also parrying, if you got no shield.
How's about hooking opponents shields to created openings with the axe ?
Also aint it a poll axe and not a pole axe ?
This seems more of a tier listing pr. your personal ideas than what history shows..
Dagger - S tier. Axe (not the hatchet in the video) - A tier, especially a Dane axe. Long sword - A tier. Spear - S tier. Long Bow - B tier - great if you can use one. War pick / spiked mace - B tier against armour. Halberd - S against cavalry, otherwise use a spear instead.
Everything else - meh.
I had hoped you would go through the Halbard, Spear and perhaps a Rapier or Club. That said I agree with most of the ranking except your obvious bias toward the Samurai Sword which I think you rated higher than is fair to do, considering that it really does no more damage than a European sword, is less versatile and not much more useable. In attack a regular sword and Samurai sword I think would be similar, but I think you would much rather want to defend yourself with a European Sword over a Samurai Sword, so I would have put the Samurai Sword as a B-tier.
I am also not sure I would put a flair as a A since its versatility and defense ability would not be great, you also mentioned it could be a worry of hitting someone behind you, so I might put the flair in B as well. The Two Handed Sword I might upgrade to a A because it does so much damage. Yes it is tougher to use, but it is deadly if you become proficient at it. Also I think the Morning Star does more damage than a 6 because you have to consider the extra damage which comes from the fact that this is swung and so get a extra gravitational damage, however I would still have rated it a D since it is a very hard weapon to use with virtually no versatility or defense capability. Otherwise I think I agree with everything else.
But this was a very fun video. Thanks for making it.
The dagger should be at least A level. I'd go as far as an S level. They've been around forever, we still use a form of them with bayonets & KA-BARs, they were common even amongst peasants, & a dagger could be used in a wide variety of situations. The dagger is clearly S level.
Fun video!
I hadn’t thought about it much, if at all, but I guess I imagined a dagger through a helmet eye slit more of a rare occurrence. Just watching the first part about daggers changed that quickly. Yikes
The injured were finished that way. When they were already floored.
Squires did it to get them used to killing.
Sorry, the samurai sword is overrated here. It is mostly similar to the long sword except it is shorter and is a great cutter as the long sword is better at thrusting and can cut very well. Everyone thinks the samurai sword is better, but it is equivalent to the typical long sword. They just have different jobs. Long sword has a slight edge for reach, but both should be rated nearly equal. B tier by your chart. I'd personally put them both at A tier and drop the flail down a bit as it's use on the farm is quite different for use in battle. Both the morning star & the flail are shield beaters. You can hit the opponent from above using the shield as a pivot point & hit anyone behind the shield. This adds a bit to versatility, but they aren't great weapons for defense. Flail B or C tier. Everything else is fine/close enough.