Armor and Weapons

http://www.medievalchronicles.com/medieval-weapons/

For this assignment, I decided to research weapons, armor, and other protective articles used during wars during the Medieval England period. The first article I found was named Rebuilding the Fabulated Bodies of the Hoard-warriors. Rebuilding the Fabulated Bodies of the Hoard-warriors. This article provides a background and foundations for understanding the lifestyle for this period. Kingdoms were beginning to form due to the beginning of the colonization of tribes. The wardrobe during this time mostly represented danger and violence which installed fear in the lives of the common people. The enemies were referred to as “monsters”. The knights who fought against them should have been looked up to as heroes but instead, the knights were seen as contributors to the terror of war on the battlefield. The protective wardrobes were made to represent gods. The gold accessories added to the weapons symbolized wealth, ranking, and most importantly, power. The technology behind the weapons was more advanced than we think. The helmets were designed with different shapes, textures, and sized with the sole purpose of destroying the enemy. Some of the warriors wore a cross on their helmet which proves how much religion influenced their lives. The second article I read explains the beliefs and customs represented in the weaponry. The article is called The Trumpington Cross in Context. It explains how religion is a lifestyle and how religion influenced the knights. The articles explore and investigate burial grounds from the seventh century. Four distinguishable groups were found. Three of the four were found with similar accessories such as gold, riches and other items which represented wealth. One of the items were combs carved from bones or antlers which means the person was well maintained. Along with the combs, there were gold pins, knives, blankets, ash boxes, and weapons. The bodies that were soldiers were buried with gold garments to show respect and gratitude for their services on the battlefield. The ironworks surrounding the bodies showed what religion they followed and how much religion was important for them. The female bodies found in the burials were very interesting and noticeably different from the men who were buried. During these times, females were not respected so for their bodies to be buried with gold pieces and garnets was fascinating. Similar to the men, the women who were buried with these expensive jewelry pieces represented their status. This article gives a perspective of females during this time. The information gives readers a sense of how women might have lived during the Anglo-Saxon time period. The last article that I will discuss is named Explaining Anglo Saxon Military Efficiency: The Landscape of Mobilization. This article explores a battlefield with a mission figure out the strategic management done by military officials to make certain calls in battles. The purpose was to investigate how the officials made decisions during war regarding their men, the opposing side, and the common people. There was an obvious sense of teamwork in war, after the war, making weapons, and other aspects. The women of the knights contributed in making the weapons and providing food for the soldiers. This article connects with the other two because it talks about how life was like during wars. Although it focuses on military approaches, weapons and armor were included in how they were going to defeat their enemies.