European Crossbow Weapon System

Timeline

1. 1161–1170Europe (England, France, Italy, Iberia) · Southern EuropeBy the 1160s, the European crossbow had been localized after spreading from the Byzantine and Arab worlds: Western Europe used wooden or composite limbs with lever or pulley spanning, and the Italian city-states and Spanish frontier especially relied on crossbowmen to defend cities; despite lingering effects of the Church's ban, armies and castle garrisons across all countries still generally listed the crossbow as a standard ranged weapon.
2. 1163Tours · ToursThe 1163 Council of Tours continued the moral condemnation of crossbow use at the canon law level, but practical military needs led monarchs and city-states to continue equipping crossbowmen; this node reflects the tension in the 1160s European crossbow weapon system between 'Church bans' and 'military effectiveness', which did not hinder its spread across the continent.