Medieval Historian Ranks Weapons From The Middle Ages | History Ranked

Historian and host of the Gone Medieval podcast Matt Lewis ranks the most famous weapons from the medieval period. From the humble dagger to a samurai sword, Matt scores each weapon on usability, damage, and versatility. Think you know better? Let us know in the comment section below.

00:00:00 Intro
00:01:03 Dagger
00:03:35 Axe
00:06:02 Arming Sword
00:09:10 Two Handed Sword
00:11:58 Messer
00:14:28 Flail
00:17:19 Poleaxe
00:20:40 War Hammer
00:23:08 Mace
00:26:10 Morning Star
00:28:14 Falchion
00:30:20 Samurai Sword
00:32:54 Final Ranking

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free exclusive podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsely, Mary Beard and more. Watch, listen and read history wherever you are, whenever you want it. Available on all devices: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Roku, Xbox, Chromecast, and iOs & Android.

#medievalhistory #militaryhistory #historyhit

[Alex-cwrz]

I think a very important weapon that is missing is a spear

[connorwgtn]

I'm disappointed we missed one of the greatest weapons of history, the spear, which should be in the S tier.
I'm glad you explained your bias on the samurai sword, as European swords were just as effective.
The falchion could have rated higher, as it wields more like a machete, and can be used as one in thick bush, so a jungle fighter doesn't need to swap weapons if surprised.

[johnstittsworth]

Spear, spear, spear where is the damn spear

[scholagladiatoria]

This is fun. There's also lots here to unpack. So much context required. Maybe I'll do that 😄

[AnotherBrownAjah]

flail in A tier and the 2hander and messar in B is just criminal.

[barrow_]

A flail being over C rank is insane. Peasants might be used to smacking immobile wheat that's laying on the ground. Swinging a spikey dongle in a battle at people who can block and stab and dodge is much different. You miss once and you're buggered. Should be the same rank as the morning star - it's essentially the same thing.

[nunyanunya]

'first off we have..'
me: OH a rondel! we are getting very spe..
"... a dagger'

0 . 0

[wdremington]

Wasting time on Katana while leaving out spear? C'mon.

[jeffhoyt]

IMHO he vastly underestimated the effectiveness, versatility and damage of the war hammer, between the crushing blow of the hammer and the deadly effect of the back spike, combined with its ease of use, it’s probably the weapon that I would choose to take into combat against most armor types.

[simovoutilainen]

So where is the spear? The most used weapon in pre-history and history, including in the Dark Ages.

[dstaff]

The Dagger 🗡 Should Be At A category at LEAST. Every Man going into Battle Would WANT and NEED a Dagger in close quarters...

[Remigrator]

I will watch this with the highest level of scrutiny 😶‍🌫️

[DSS-jjcw]

You put the flail in the A category? The flail has limited defensive capability. I think it would take some skill besides. If used wrong you could very easily hurt yourself.

[nigden]

After all that, he puts a Katana top of the list, not because of it being superior
in every way, it's because it's ''Cool.'' Which renders the whole exercise the subjective
selections of an individual, basically.

[holyrat]

I disagree with a lot of this, having used a bastard sword and two handlers like the zweihander they are surprisingly light and nimble. The “damage” ranking is a poor way of looking at weapons, if something can kill some one then it will kill them, it’s easier to stab someone than it is to chop someone’s head off, yes, the head chopping does more “damage” in the sense that the person will look gruesome but they both have the same net effect; the dude is dead. And the stab was quicker and easier.

[jananders]

Loved the hilariously honest way the katana ended up in the S class.

[TomiTapio]

"block with your flail! Block with your war hammer(war pick)!" - this guy

[birgereng]

I strongly recommend Schwerpunkt on the Medieval weapons series. PhD specialized in Medieval warfare, quite good both in essence and in detail

[TheNetsrac]

Great video, I do miss the humble but very effective spear tho, It might be outside the time period here
The polehammer and the Bec de Corbin would be great additions as well.
I know that that list could go on for a long time, and you'd always miss out some type up weapon...
Good and interesting stuff 👍🏻

[fellfromspace]

This is a fun and interesting exercise. I'm kind of shocked by the fact that you placed the warhammer in the "D" tranche. This seems a great weapon for the battlefield, particularly for fighting in formation or in a shield wall. It seems a perfect amalgam of the best features of other weapons. Like the axe, it is easy to use but has greater reach. It is able to do crushing damage to the joints - perhaps not quite as effectively as a mace but close enough when you consider its other versatile features. It is shorter than the pole axe and and has a lower swing radius to take advantage of its leverage making it more effective to use in formation. The longer, pointed side can be effectively used as a hook to pull down an opponents shield in a shield wall. And finally, the long point combined with the fact that the weapon is a lever to multiply force makes it particularly effective in separating ring mail and punching through plate to create deep, heavy bleeding, impaling wounds, making not just joint strikes but every strike potentially very serious. The only downside might be that the wounds created by the spike side might be so deep that the weapon could become stuck in it but that's a much bigger problem for the person that you hit than it is for you. It would make any movement an agony and only open the wound further. Add to that the haft which can be used defensively and, if I saw a bunch of soldiers armed with these things coming across the field, I'd be running the other way!