The medieval and modern crossbow

Ralph Payne-Gallwey was the author of books on military and sporting history as well as an engineer and expert in the field of ancient and medieval ranged weapons. This book is his tribute to the crossbow, which was an important weapon in antiquity and the Middle Ages and later became a popular sporting and hunting weapon in Europe. Invented in the 4th century in the Western Roman Empire, it has survived, with a brief interruption, to the present day and continues to delight military experts and collectors thanks to its elaborate mechanical design and artistic decoration. His comprehensive work on the crossbow covers its historical development as well as its various uses in the European military based on scientific details and contemporary battle scenes. In addition to true-to-scale construction drawings, owners of historical crossbows receive instructions on repair and care as well as extensive knowledge on adjusting the sights and stringing the bow with aids. Payne-Gallwey's precise knowledge of the Roman ballista, the catapult and the medieval blide is reproduced in the concluding chapter. The ancient and medieval siege engines are presented with measurements and detailed illustrations.

Table of contents

Part I The history of the crossbow 10
The nomenclature of the crossbow 10
1 The military crossbow 11
2 The sporting crossbow 19
3 The general dimensions of the crossbow 21
4 Bolts for crossbows 23
5 The range of the medieval crossbow compared to the longbow 27
6 The shortbow and the longbow in relation to the crossbow 38
7 The handgun in relation to the crossbow 46
8. summarising the development of the medieval handgun 48
9. summary of the history of the crossbow 51

Part II The construction and handling of medieval crossbows 61
10 The primitive crossbow with a wooden bow, strung by muscle power 62
11 The crossbow of the 13th and 14th centuries, with a composite bow, which was bent using aids 66
12 Construction of the primitive crossbow with a steel bow 70
13 The positioning of the crossbow bolt 73
14 The components of 13th and 14th century cocking devices. The rope and the pulley 75
15 The components of 13th and 14th century cocking devices. The hook and the belt 79
16 The components of 13th and 14th century tightening devices. The screw and the handle 83
17 The components of 13th- and 14th-century jigs and fixtures. The goat's foot lever 86
18 The 15th century military and sporting crossbow with steel bow and winch 92
19 The sporting crossbow of the 15th century. The crossbow shaft 93
20 The sporting crossbow of the 15th century. The rotating nut and its base 96
21 The sporting crossbow of the 15th century. The trigger and the lock 99
22 The sporting crossbow of the 15th century. The steel bow, the bow stirrups and the stirrup 101
23 The sporting crossbow of the 15th century. How the bow is attached to the stock 105
24 The sporting crossbow of the 15th century. The groove for the bolt 107
25 The sporting crossbow of the 15th century. The bowstring 109
26 The sporting crossbow of the 15th century. Attaching the bowstring to the bow 113
27 The sporting crossbow of the 15th century. The winch 119
28 The sporting crossbow of the 15th century. The bolt and how it was placed on the crossbow 123
29 The slurbow 126
30 The steel bow sporting crossbow with Cranequin winch of the 16th century 127
31 The Cranequin winch and its use in the 16th century 135
32 The Spanish sporting crossbow of the 16th and early 17th centuries 141
33 The stone crossbow with a light steel bow of the 16th century 153
34 The 17th century stone crossbow with a thicker steel bow 156
35 The 17th and 18th century sporting and target crossbow with a light steel bow 157
36 The improved locks of the 16th century on sporting and target crossbows 163

PART III The construction and handling of modern crossbows 167
37 The English bullet-shooting crossbow 168
38 The English bullet-shooting crossbow. The bastard string 174
39 The English bullet-firing crossbow. The manufacture and fitting of the bowstring 178
40 The English bullet crossbow. The lock and the sight 184
41 The large bolt-firing European target crossbow 189
42 The small Belgian bolt-firing crossbow 194
43 The small Belgian bolt-firing crossbow. The lock 197
44 The small Belgian bolt-action crossbow. The sight 200
45 The small Belgian bolt-action crossbow. The lever 202
46 The Belgian ball-firing target crossbow with a rifle barrel 205
47 The popinjay, with notes on the old companies of continental crossbowmen 209
48 The crossbowmen of the Dresden Privileged Archery Society 216
49 The Chinese repeating crossbow 223
50 Arrow throwing 228

Part IV Siege engines of antiquity and the Middle Ages for firing large stones and arrows 232
51 Introductory notes on the ancient projectile machines 233
52 Introductory notes on the medieval siege engines
siege engines 238
53 The antiquity of ballistae and catapults 248
54 The effect of ancient siege engines in warfare 254
55 The ranges of the various siege engines 266
56 The catapult, its construction and handling 269
57 Manufacture and assembly of the cable 280
58 The catapult with sling 289
59 The ballista, its construction and handling 296
60 The ballista with base 303
61 The trebuchet (the blide) 308
62 The spring machine 316
63 Turkish and other oriental bows of the Middle Ages and later 320

Characteristics

• Author: Ralph Payne-Gallwey
• Around 240 illustrations
• Original title: The Crossbow - Mediæval And Modern, Military And Sporting Its Construction, History And Management, With A Treatise On The Balista And Catapult Of The Ancients. London: Longmans, Green, and Co, 1903.
• Translated from the English by Carsten Rau
• 356 pages
• Format: Paperback
• Language: German
• Publication date: 17.01.2023

Included in the scope of delivery

• The medieval and modern crossbow