The earliest reference to crossbow
use was in the Battle of Ma-Ling, in Lingyi, China in 341
BC. It was widely used in China for hundreds of years after
that, being a primary weapon in battle. Many Chinese Emperors
were found surrounded by soldiers armed with crossbows.
The Chinese made several advances and upgrades to the classic
crossbow, including the repeating crossbow.
This advanced weapon was used until 1895 by troops in the
China-Japan war.
The Romans also 'invented' crossbows, but were very rough
in design as compared to their Chinese counterparts.
Until the mid-1400's, the crossbow's prod was made of wood.
This made the crossbow much lighter, and easier to carry.
It was also easier to span and much quicker to fire. Composite
prods (made of several materials, including horn) were much
heavier. Composite prods had much harder draw forces, which
is the string tension. In some cases, the soldier needed a
winch to draw the string, as it was nearly impossible to do
by hand. Composite crossbows also took a
very long time to make, and for the glue to dry, and as a
result many of them would be drying out for more than 6 months.
In the late 1400's, steel was used more frequently in the
production of crossbows. Steel brought more durability, and
strength to the prod and the crossbow as a whole. It was also
about this time that the use of the crossbow changed as well.
Soldiers started placing the butt of the stock on their shoulder
to steady them, and to improve accuracy.
During the 1600's, many elegant designs were created by Arbalistmeisters
(crossbow makers). |
