Weapons of Medieval Spain and their Influence upon the

Kingdoms there
Alex Hirsch
EF Tours Final Project
2/11/14

In 711, Muslim troops invaded the Iberian Peninsula from Northern Africa. It took about seven
years for their territory to reach its full expanse.1 However, it took the Christians about 100 times that
long to reclaim the territory. There are many factors as to why the Muslim kingdom in Spain was
conquered so easily but in the end changed hands, and one of those factors was how the weapons and
armor used by each side changed. This is especially true on the Christian side, in which the Visigoths
would not have recognized a Spanish knight of the late Middle Ages.
The Visigoths, being a Germanic tribe, would have been armed similarly to the other barbarian
tribes who came from Central and Eastern Europe and harassed Rome towards the end of its existence
(citation). They would have worn a helmet and probably chain mail (designed to stop slashing, not
piercing weapons)2 or possibly light iron or leather plate armor (all of these kinds of armor had fairly
large gaps in which an arrow could land)3, in addition to carrying a shield, spears for throwing or close
combat, and a relatively short sword.4 Because Muslim archers used light bows and arrows that were
easy to fire rapidly (at the expense of power and armor piercing ability)5, Visigothic lightly armored and
mobile tactics were not very effective in the face of Muslim projectiles. Also, while most Visigothic
warriors did have horses, they were more for transport while on campaign than for battle.6 The Muslims,
on the other hand, had battle-ready cavalry, which was swift and lightly armored. It is also notable that
the Visigoths used iron weapons and armor, rather than the later steel.7
In the late Middle Ages, however, the weapons and armor used by the Christians had changed
vastly, in both type and quality. According to the workers at the Grenadian knife shop Ruizs Cuchilleria,
late medieval swords would be made of carbon steel, which is higher quality than modern stainless steel.
In fact, it should be noted that Japanese katanas were (and are) made of carbon steel.8 While the
Christians didnt have the same technology9 while forging their swords, it shows how high the quality of
carbon steel is. In addition to the quality of the metal, the types of weapons and armor changed greatly.
Late Medieval combat on the Christian side focused on the knight, who was one of the most heavily
armed troops ever seen.10 The knight wore full plate armor, offering good protection for every part of
their body from the light Muslim bows.11 Also of importance is the fact that knights preferred to fight
from horseback. While mounted, knights would use spears, swords, or maces. If on foot, they would use
swords, maces, or morningstars (similar to a mace, but the ball is on a chain and spiked).12 One advance
1

"Islamic Spain (711-1492)," BBC News, September 04, 2009, outline, accessed February 11, 2014,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/spain_1.shtml.
2
Tim Prokop and F. P. Benz, dirs., "Deadliest Warrior: Viking vs. Samurai," in Deadliest Warrior, Spike, April 21,
2009.
3
Simon Macdowall and Angus McBride, Germanic Warrior (Oxford: Osprey, 2000), pg. #57.
4
ibid
5
Reconquista: Weapons and Tactics in Crusader Spain, by J. S. Roberts, perf. J. Stephen Roberts (Real Crusades
History, 2012), youtube video.
6
Simon Macdowall and Angus McBride, Germanic Warrior (Oxford: Osprey, 2000), pg. #57.
7
Simon Macdowall and Angus McBride, Germanic Warrior (Oxford: Osprey, 2000), pg. #58.
8
Paula Apsell, prod., "Secrets of the Samurai Sword," in Nova, PBS, October 09, 2007.
9
ibid
10
Reconquista: Weapons and Tactics in Crusader Spain, by J. S. Roberts, perf. J. Stephen Roberts (Real Crusades
History, 2012), youtube video.
11
ibid
12
ibid

important to this pursuit was that the Christians were able to use their plate armor on their horses,
which meant their horses were also well protected. This allowed a tight column of knights to function
similarly to a tank, because they were able to push through tight enemy formations and not take much
damage from enemy projectiles.13 The fact that Christians were now able to stay on their horses also
partially negated the speed advantage of Muslim cavalry, which was still faster, but no longer fighting
only foot soldiers. Of course, the change that may be most significant is the introduction of gunpowder
weapons. In the pre-cannon Middle Ages, the only effective weapon against a walled city was a
prolonged siege to attempt to starve out the enemy. The siege engines of the day couldnt do much
more than effectively throw a small rock at a larger rock. However, using iron-shot cannons, city walls
could be felled within a few hours, shifting the advantage significantly.14 This made it much harder for
the Muslims to use their favorable defensive position.
Essentially, the Visigoths had been equipped for the Roman world, and werent equipped to deal
with the completely different threat of the Muslims, who established a successful and peaceful kingdom.
While this is good for the citizens, it doesnt help to the military. The Christians, however, lived in the
constant turmoil and conflict of the European Middle Ages, forcing the military technology to evolve.
When it did, the Muslims weapons and armor had become outdated, ironically exactly what led to their
easy defeat of the Visigoths and the establishment of their kingdom.

13

ibid
David Trenholm, "Effects of Gunpowder on Medieval Warfare," Scribd, December 04, 2006, Accessed May 02,
2013, http://www.scribd.com/. (Note: the date accessed is from so far back because I used this source for a
research project last year, and then used info from that text for this one, so I did not access the source again, but I
did use the information).
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