How well do you know your medieval weapons?

By: Dyann J
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
How well do you know your medieval weapons?
Image: YouTube

About This Quiz

The battlefield in the Middle Ages used more up-close-and-personal techniques compared to wars today. Masses of soldiers with bladed and blunt weapons clashed against one another in a desperate fight. Are you a history buff? Take our quiz to see how many medieval weapons you can name!
Today mace is sprayed from a can, but what was mace in medieval times?
A spiked or knobbed steel club
Pepper dust
An arrow
Greek fire
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While today’s mace is a spray that is often made from the capsaicin oil found in peppers, the medieval mace was a short club, made entirely of steel or wrought iron, often having knobs or sharp angular features.

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Who was the person that maintained the weapons and armor of a knight and helped the knight don his armor?
Assistant
Intern
Page
Rookie
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The page was both an understudy to a squire and an assistant and intern to the knight. He was responsible for caring for the weapons and the knight's mount (horse), as well as other servant’s duties. Pages started early, as young as 7 years old. Promising pages became squires in their teens. Squires also served the knight, but trained in battle more intensely. This was the path to becoming a knight.

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Soldiers weren’t sheepish about using what massive log on wheels to breech doors and walls?
Roller dolly
Trojan horse
Battering ram
Door dropper
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The battering ram was often housed in a rolling steel plated enclosure to protect the users from arrows, stones, hot oil and fire. It would be rolled up to the castle doors or wall, then the men inside would swing the log that was hung like a pendulum, to smash it into the castle. The log often had a massive iron tip, shaped like a ram's head or ram's horns.

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When were cannons first fielded in Europe?
WWI
1600s
1700s
13th century
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Invented by the Chinese in the late 12th or early 13th century, black powder found its way to Europe in the 13th century. The advent of black powder eventually rendered castles and armor useless defense methods.

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What is the sport where two horsemen gallop towards each other on horseback, with long poles, trying to knock each other from their mounts?
Lancing
Jousting
Javelining
Racing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jousting was a sport of knights and noblemen, but it was also often used to settle arguments of honor. Participants attempted to dismount their opponents to earn points. In jousts of honor, once dismounted, the opponents typically fought with sword and lance until one quit or died.

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What was the long pole called, that was used in jousting?
Lance
Pole arm
Spear
Jouster
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The lance was a long, tapered, blunt-tipped pole, used in jousting. The lance was designed to not harm the opponent, but injuries did occur. King Henry II of France died from wounds suffered while jousting; the lance broke and a large shard entered his helmet through the eye slot, piercing his eye and then his brain.

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What type of armor consisted of interlaced metal rings?
Ring armor
Chain mail
Metal cloth
Sequins
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Chain mail was worn to protect against sword slashes and spear strikes. It could be defeated by specialized arrowheads with long, thin points. Certain knives called daggers were capable of piercing through the mail as well.

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What medieval weapon was made famous in stories about Robin Hood and William Tell?
Longbow
Strong bow
Recurve bow
Compound bow
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The longbow was notable for its high draw weight, often as much as 100 pounds. It took years of training to learn to use a long bow. The English longbow was the .50 caliber rifle of its day.

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Which of these is a knife, popular in medieval times, with a long, tapered, double-edged blade?
Pocket knife
Boot knife
Arkansas toothpick
Dagger
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While an Arkansas toothpick is a dagger, Arkansas didn’t exist in medieval times. Daggers can be used to thrust or stab. The dagger was often used in battle to get in between layers of armor and to defeat chain mail.

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Bows fire arrows, but what do crossbows fire?
Cross arrows
Bolts
Quillons
Lanyards
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A quillon is the cross guard on a sword which was intended to protect the hand from an enemy blade. Crossbows fired short, thick arrows called bolts. While most arrows fired from bows had three or four fletchings (feathers at the back end to stabilize flight), crossbow bolts typically only had two.

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While the Germans referred to their large two-handed sword as a Zweihänder, what was the Scottish version of this weapon called?
Scotty
Claymore
Highland dagger
Whiskey stick
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Scottish claymore was a massive sword, sometimes reaching six feet in length. The claymore and its German cousin, the Zweihänder, often instilled fear on the battlefield at first sight.

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What was the name of a large sword that required the soldier to use both hands when wielding it?
Long sword
Fahrvergnügen
Zweihänder
Battle sword
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Zweihänder is a German word meaning “two hander,” denoting that it requires two hands to wield the weapon. Up to six feet long, this weapon was an impressive blade. It was also called a Doppelhander.

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What was a long, thin, sharply pointed sword called?
Rapier
Foil
Shank
Quillon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A foil is a long, thin, edgeless sword with a bulbous button tip, used in fencing, which is the sporting counterpart of swordsmanship. In actual combat, a rapier is used. A rapier is a long, thin sword, designed mainly for thrusting.

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When the Romans nearly ruled the world in their heyday, they managed it at the point of what short sword?
Caesarus
Gladius
Short sword
Pig sticker
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Roman gladius was a short, wide sword with a dramatic point, designed for slashing, chopping and stabbing. The Roman soldiers were experts in its use and it took these weapons around the world.

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A catapult was what type of weapon?
Artillery
Stationary
Siege
Surrender
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A catapult was a siege weapon, designed to throw large heavy objects to smash castle walls. It was also used to hurl flaming objects, to set forests, towns, and castles ablaze and throw hundreds of fist-sized stones into charging masses. Siege weapons like the catapult were indeed the artillery of their day.

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Which of the following is a siege weapon, also called a Perrier?
Crossbow
Slingshot
Trebuchet
Launcher
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A trebuchet was a siege weapon, larger than a catapult. While a trebuchet was built on site due to its size, some catapults could actually be pulled by horses and moved around. These types of weapons were the medieval equivalent of today’s artillery.

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Which of the following is a larger version of the crossbow, used for siege warfare?
Ballista
Catapult
Jumbow
Pole launcher
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While a jumbow is not a thing, the ballista was indeed a jumbo-sized crossbow that launched massive bolts the size of telephone poles in order to smash castle walls. This war engine could skewer many enemies at once. It is also called a bolt thrower.

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What sword was carried in feudal Japan by the Samurai?
Shinto
Bento
Katana
Shobu
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The katana is a long, curved sword with a dramatically angled point that was carried by the Samurai in feudal Japan. A shobu is a chef’s knife used for cutting sushi. Shinto is a Japanese religion and belief system.

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What is the name of the short sword that is the counterpart to the Katana?
Bushido
Minitana
Tanto
Bunraku
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The tanto is a short sword that was carried by the Samurai. It was like a mini katana. Bushido is the Samurai warrior code and bunraku is a type of Japanese puppet theatre, often used to depict heroic acts of the Samurai.

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What is the term for the pair of swords carried by Samurai in feudal Japan?
Banshee
Daisho
Sake
Kamikazi
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Daisho, meaning “big-little”, referred to the paired set of katana and tanto carried by the Samurai. Some Samurai carried a wakizashi, which is a shorter katana.

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The Vikings carried a sword, usually referred to simply as a Viking sword, but what is the true name of this iconic blade?
Carolingian
Norman
Cutlass
Vikinger
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The iconic Viking sword is generally referred to by the era of its design, the Carolingian era. Vikings named their swords, often with ominous monikers like “Death Dealer.”

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What favorite weapon of the Vikings evolved from a tool used for chopping wood?
Hatchet
Wood chisel
Plane
Axe
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The battle axe evolved from a woodsman's axe and has since devolved back into the double-bit axe used for cutting wood. A fearsome weapon, the battle axe was often more prevalent with Viking warriors than the sword on the battlefield.

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What Indian weapon, which ran circles around other weapons of its time, was probably secretly concealed in Oddjob's hat brim in a James Bond movie?
Chakram
Frisbee
Flying guillotine
Batarang
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The chakram is a weapon made from a ring of sharpened steel, designed to throw. Soldiers would have several hung on their arms to take into battle. These could take off an arm or head when thrown.

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When was the last known use of the guillotine in France?
1777
1877
1977
1677
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Of course, the guillotine was an instrument of execution, not a weapon of war, but it discouraged enemies of the state. Believe it or not, the guillotine was used in France as recently as September 10, 1977, when Hamida Djandoubi was executed.

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What is the object held by the Greek god, Poseidon, that resembles a pitchfork?
Triple axe
Trident
Gig
Fighting fork
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Poseidon holds a trident, but a pitchfork pitches hay. A frog gig looks like a small trident, though. The trident was often seen in the Coliseum, when gladiators fought to the death.

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What was the most iconic headgear of the Middle Ages?
Great helm
Metal
Iron helmet
Capstain
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The most recognizable headgear of the Middle Ages is the great helm. This was the style of helmet worn by the Crusaders. It was also the helmet of the Black Knight in Monty Python's “Holy Grail” movie.

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What weapon, basically a spear with an axe attached, is still used ceremoniously in Vatican City by the Swiss Guard?
Lance
Halberd
Pole axe
Pike
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Halberd was often 6-8 feet long, featuring a spiked end and a side axe blade with a hook opposite the blade. It was designed to reach past the front line of shield-bearing soldiers to strike those behind. It was also designed to pull mounted knights off of their horses with the hook, to then be dispatched with a mighty swing of the axe.

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What medieval weapon is often used now for constructive use, rather than destructive use?
War hammer
Concrete
Trebuchet
Club
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Capable of smashing helmets to inflict massive head wounds, the war hammer had a crushing effect on its victim. The spiked reverse of the head could penetrate armor to inflict lethal wounds.

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While most armor in Europe was made from steel, what was some armor made from in China?
Paper
Silk
Cloth
Wood
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Actually, the first three options were used in some form to protect the body from weapons, but the Chinese used paper to make literal body armor and it worked almost as well as its steel counterpart!

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While modern bows are often made from composite materials, like wood and fiberglass, who most likely created the oldest known composite bow?
Japanese
English
Spanish
Mongols
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Mongols were known as skilled archers and their recurve bows were made from composite materials to make them stronger and more powerful. The bows were shorter, so they could be fired from horseback.

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Not typically associated with the medieval battlefield, what weapon is still in use today by many hunters?
Muzzle loader
Bow
Spear
Sling bow
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While all of these weapons are used to hunt, it is often surprising to learn that firearms existed in medieval times. However, weapons like hand cannons and matchlock firearms were in use, and these were muzzle loading weapons. An armor maker's test shot often left a dent in the breastplate of armor, proving that it could stop a bullet.

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According to the Bible, what weapon did David use to kill Goliath?
Knife
Sling
Dagger
Bow and arrow
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Used prolifically in the Middle East and Asia in the Middle Ages and beyond, the sling is the weapon that threw a rock to kill Goliath.

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What was the name of a long, wooden hafted weapon with a spiked ball on the end?
Morning star
Flail
Iron Maiden
Pike
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While the mace often consisted of a knobbed ball on the business end of a shaft, morning stars were longer, with spikes.

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What is the fearsome medieval weapon that looked like a tall building - as in, when one was being erected next to your castle you'd better get ready to fight?
Walmart
Siege tower
Turret
Battering tower
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The siege tower was sometimes erected on site, as it was too large to move. It had multiple levels and was covered in metal plating and/or wet animal hides for armor. Soldiers breeched the walls at many levels and poured into the castle from within the tower.

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What was basically a long pointed stick that was used for defense against charging cavalry?
Staff
Pike
Pole arm
Spear
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The pike was used as a line defense weapon against charging cavalry. Soldiers lined up and hold their pikes at an angle, creating a wall of spikes pointing toward the charging horses and riders. Pikemen were sometimes thwarted by archers who attacked them from the sides.

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You Got:
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