bolt of the early military crossbow was called a quarrel, a name afterwards applied to all crossbow bolts of whatever form.¹ The bolts of crossbows were not ' nocked ' at their butt-ends like the arrows of a longbow. I have never seen any original crossbow bolts with nocks, and from experiments of my own I find that they fly further and with more accuracy when they have plain upright ends.

There is little doubt that a strong military crossbow, with a steel bow, was able, at a fair range, to penetrate with a sharp-headed bolt any armour that was worn at the time of the introduction of this weapon into warfare, though the arrow of a longbow could not always be depended on to do so, as its shaft was more apt to break on contact.

The bolt of a steel crossbow was a heavy and dangerous projectile, even when at the end of its flight; far more so than an arrow. A bolt which did not happen to penetrate armour, must have dealt a blow sufficient to stun a man and knock him to the ground.

Even the primitive handgun, at close range, would probably shiver with its ball the mail and armour worn at the period when this weapon came into use.

Armour was most likely first increased in thickness, and plate generally substituted for chain mail, in order to resist the sharp head of the arrow of the powerful longbow. When the hand-gun was introduced, and the crossbow with a thick steel bow perfected, breast-plates, helmets, and other metal protections for horse and man, were still further strengthened : so much so, that near the end of the fifteenth century they attained a weight almost beyond the physical endurance of the knights on horseback or the men-at-arms.

Finally plate armour was much lightened, and to a considerable extent discontinued, in the reign of Henry VIII., as being of small avail against gunpowder and bullets, though it was worn in its less complete form till near the end of the seventeenth century as a protection from sword and pike.

Though the knights, secure in their heavy armour, had no scruples in riding down and killing the leather-clad foot-soldier, it is entertaining to read of the fierce outcry they made when the foot-soldier retaliated with steel crossbow and arquebus.

The knights called Heaven to witness that it was not honourable warfare to employ such weapons in battle, the fact being that they realised that armour was no longer the protection to their persons which it was before the days of heavy crossbows and hand-guns.

¹ Probably from quarreau, - in modern French carreau, anything diamond-shaped or with squared faces, as was usually the head of a crossbow bolt. 3, fig. 10.
 

The Crossbow   >  Chapter 4   >   Bolts Used with Crossbows   > p.19