Editing Crossbow (section)

=== Medieval Europe ===
[[File:Basilique Saint-Sernin Toulouse 15 (cropped).JPG|thumb|Capital sculpture in the [[Basilica of Saint-Sernin, Toulouse|Basilica of Saint-Sernin]] depicting two primitive crossbows without stirrups, early 12th century]]

There are essentially no references to the crossbow in Europe from the 5th until the 10th century. There is however a depiction of a crossbow as a hunting weapon on four [[Pictish stones]] from [[Scotland in the Early Middle Ages|early medieval Scotland]] (6th to 9th centuries): [[St Vigeans|St. Vigeans no. 1]], [[Glenferness]], [[Shandwick]], and [[Meigle]].<ref>John M. Gilbert, ''Hunting and Hunting Reserves in Medieval Scotland'' (Edinburgh: John Donald, 1979), p. 62.</ref>

The crossbow reappeared again in 947 as a French weapon during the siege of [[Senlis]] and again in 984 at the siege of [[Verdun]].{{sfn|Needham|1994|p=170}} Crossbows were used at the [[battle of Hastings]] in 1066, and by the 12th century they had become common battlefield weapons.<ref name="Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey 1995 p. 48">Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey (1995). ''The Book of the Crossbow''. Dover. {{ISBN|0486287203}}, p. 48</ref> The earliest extant European crossbow remains were found at [[Lake Paladru]], dated to the 11th century.{{sfn|Loades|2018}}

[[File:Balestriere1.jpg|upright|thumb|left|A model of a medieval [[Arbalist (crossbowman)|crossbowman]] drawing his bow behind his [[pavise]]. A hook on the end of a strap on his belt engages the bowstring. Holding the crossbow down by putting his foot through the stirrup, he draws the bow by straightening his legs]]

The crossbow superseded hand bows in many European armies during the 12th century, except in England, where the [[longbow]] was more popular. Later crossbows (sometimes referred to as [[arbalest]]s), utilizing all-steel prods, were able to achieve power close (and sometime superior) to longbows but were more expensive to produce and slower to reload because they required the aid of mechanical devices such as the cranequin or [[windlass]] to draw back their extremely heavy bows. Usually these could shoot only two bolts per minute versus twelve or more with a skilled archer, often necessitating the use of a [[pavise]] (shield) to protect the operator from enemy fire.<ref name="Robert Hardy 1992 p. 75">Robert Hardy (1992). ''Longbow: A Social and Military History''. Lyons & Burford. {{ISBN|1852604123}}, p. 75</ref> Along with [[polearm]] weapons made from farming equipment, the crossbow was also a weapon of choice for insurgent peasants such as the [[Taborite]]s. [[Genoese crossbowmen]] were famous mercenaries hired throughout medieval Europe, whilst the crossbow also played an important role in anti-personnel defense of ships.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web| url = http://www.diaspora.uiuc.edu/A-AAnewsletter/newsletter16.html| title = Notes On West African Crossbow Technology| website = Diaspora.uiuc.edu| access-date = 14 April 2006| archive-date = 26 November 2022| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221126000651/http://www.diaspora.illinois.edu/A-AAnewsletter/newsletter16.html| url-status = dead}}</ref>

[[File:DaVinci Crossbow.JPG|thumb|Sketch by [[Leonardo da Vinci]], c. 1500]]

Crossbows were eventually replaced in warfare by [[gunpowder]] weapons. Early [[hand cannons]] had slower rates of fire and much worse accuracy than contemporary crossbows, but the [[arquebus]] (which proliferated in the mid to late 15th century) matched crossbows' rate of fire while being far more powerful. The [[Battle of Cerignola]] in 1503 was won by Spain largely through the use of matchlock arquebuses, marking the first time a major battle had been won through the use of hand-held firearms. Later, similar competing tactics would feature [[arquebus|harquebusiers]] or [[musket]]eers in formation with pikemen, pitted against cavalry firing [[pistol]]s or [[carbine]]s. While the military crossbow had largely been supplanted by firearms on the battlefield by 1525, the sporting crossbow in various forms remained a popular hunting weapon in Europe until the eighteenth century.<ref>Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey (1995). ''The Book of the Crossbow''. Dover. {{ISBN|0486287203}}, pp. 48–53</ref> The accuracy of late 15th century crossbows compares well with modern handguns, based on records of shooting competitions in German cities.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Foley |first1=Brendan |title=Interim Report on Gribshunden (1495) Excavations: 2019–2021 |journal=Acta Archaeologica |date=31 January 2024 |volume=94 |issue=1 |pages=132–145 |doi=10.1163/16000390-09401052 |url=https://brill.com/view/journals/acar/94/1/article-p132_10.xml |access-date=26 October 2024 |issn=0065-101X|doi-access=free }}</ref> Crossbows saw irregular use throughout the rest of the 16th century; for example, [[Maria Pita]]'s husband was killed by a crossbowman of the [[English Armada]] in 1589.