Medieval Crossbows

Are you looking for a medieval-style crossbow to complete your collection of ancient weapons? We offer medieval crossbows on our online armory site, inspired by historical crossbows. Please note, the available products are not designed for recreational or sport shooting. They are mainly decorative weapons, although some models are actually functional. We advise you to keep it only for decorative purposes. Instead, discover our mini crossbows, tactical crossbows, hunting crossbows, and crossbow pistols if you want to buy a shooting weapon for practice. They are available with all accessories in our store.

Choose our collectible pieces

Medieval crossbows are true collectible pieces for enthusiasts. They are particularly appreciated for their rustic style and authenticity. These are replicas of crossbows used in the Middle Ages. To impress or surprise your guests, let yourself be seduced by our superb models. With varying dimensions, ranging from about 50 cm to 80 cm, they will easily find their place in an existing collection in a dedicated room, in your office, in your living room... They are also great gift ideas for your loved ones, whether they are crossbow fans or not.

The medieval crossbows differ in many ways from real classic crossbows designed for shooting. They are, for example, smaller, but also lighter and their power is limited between 50 lbs to 100 lbs. That's why they are ideal as decorative and collectible objects. They also have other specific characteristics. They notably have an all-wood handle or stock, a metal bow, and a metal stirrup. They come with wooden bolts, of variable size.

The crossbow and its origin

The crossbow is believed to have appeared in ancient China where it was mainly used for hunting. The ancient weapon still lacked a mechanism. It was in the Middle Ages, around the 10th century, that this weapon underwent major developments as people sought to perfect the bow and arrow and make it a more powerful and practical weapon.

The crossbow of the Middle Ages

To create the medieval crossbow, the primitive wooden bow was transformed into a much more efficient metal bow. It included one or more metal joints and instead of a vegetable string, it was equipped with an iron wire string before the current aesthetic fiber strings. Various systems were invented to automatically reload the weapon. It's the ancestor of the modern crossbow. It would use shorter arrows made of wood, metal, or carbon.

In the past, the crossbow was primarily used as a military weapon before it was banned [forbidden by the Church, as it easily pierced the armor of knights and nobles, thus deemed unfair], then replaced by firearms.

The evolution of the medieval crossbow

To facilitate the use of the crossbow and maintain its power, the systems for arming the bow have continuously evolved. To bend the bow, the jack, stirrup, crank, crowbar were invented... To keep the bow bent and aim effortlessly, the nut was added. To release the string and launch the bolt, the trigger was created.

We have thus known different types of crossbows since the Middle Ages: stone-throwing crossbows, repeating crossbows, stirrup crossbows, lever-arming crossbows, rack crossbows, windlass crossbows, or even giant crossbows. They are distinguished by their arming mechanism, that is, the ways of tensioning the bowstring. Crossbowmen also used different bolts and tips: the bolt (quarrel or carrel), dondaine, madras, vireton, and tranchoir.

Handcrafted collectible medieval crossbows

Among collectible crossbows, handcrafted models are undoubtedly the most appreciated. They accurately reproduce historical pieces visible in old engravings, museums, or from other historical sources. For great enthusiasts, there are no more authentic and original crossbows than these. Moreover, these replicas of medieval weapons will add character to your interior.

Why collect crossbows on Hattila?

Hattila is a reference for crossbow and archery. In our store dedicated to these disciplines, we exclusively offer high-quality products, available in different ranges and adapted to all budgets. To do this, we partner with major manufacturers of crossbows, bows, and accessories worldwide. We thus make available to you authentic, magnificent, and sometimes unique collectible crossbows that you can proudly display among your own collection of historical weapons at home. They are also essential accessories for themed events around the Middle Ages, castles, Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, etc. Make your choice from our models and receive your order as soon as possible.