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Crusader Crossbow
A mechanical crossbow widely used by crusader and Ayyubid forces in the Levant during the Third Crusade.…
Timeline
- 1191Acre · Northern DistrictIn the final stages of the Siege of Acre in 1191, both crusaders and the defenders deployed large numbers of crossbowmen on the walls and siege lines. Crossbow bolts provided sustained suppression against heavy infantry and fortification works, making the crossbow a key ranged weapon that shaped the pace of the siege.
Sources
- Arms and Armour of the Crusading Era 1050-1350: Western Europe and the Crusader States — David Nicolle (1999)
- The Crossbow: Mediaeval and Modern, Military and Sporting — Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey (1903)