Honors English 12
Little Stirrup Big Impact In Europe during the Medieval Period there were many misfortunes, such as famine, plague, and war. One third of the population of Europe died from the Black Plagues alone and war sprung from controversy within the Catholic Church. The warrior of the Early Middle Ages behaved like a barbarian, but his role became a more honorable one during the Medieval Period as he evolved into the armored knight on horseback with a code of moral values (Zohorsky 10). Over the years society was transformed as well by cultural and technological developments. Advancements surrounding the horse changed life for knights in Europe in regards to war and sport. The changes made impacted the future immensely …show more content…
Their adoption was revolutionary, for it enabled a heavily armored horseman to retain his balance in the saddle whilst using a weighty spear, sword, or lance. (Seth-Smith, 28) As technology advanced so did the weapons used. Knights going into battle would be equipped with swords and daggers, the most common weapons used in hand to hand combat. Blades were specially designed for its owner so weight, length, and handle design all varied (Jordan 180). Some knights would be skilled enough to shoot a bow and arrow while riding their horse. Armor was used to cover both the knight and his horse. Another weapon that was used while riding the horse was the lance. This was a 9 to 14 foot pole made of wood with a steel tip. It would be used to unhorse enemies. Scale armor was one of the earliest forms of armor made from bronze, iron, leather, and even bones. The problem with this type of armor is that knights were not able to maneuver while riding on their horse. This problem was fixed with the later invention of chain mail armor. This was made from metal rings linked together to form a mesh (Jordan 181). All of these weapons and armors were used in battle by knights, who took all of the same items and turned them to