During the decline of the Roman influence in England, many Norse tribes had begun to make their way across from Denmark to take hold of the territory Rome had withdrawn from. They would continue to hold England from Viking raids throughout the 8th-10th centuries, but ultimately are defeated with the invasion of the Normans under William the Conqueror in 1066.
(Most Common Weaponry)
Sword:
The sword is considered the most symbolically important weapon of the Dark Ages, beginning with the Anglo-Saxon period. In the Old English language, sword was rendered as sweord, although other terms used for such weapons included heoru or heru, bill or bile, and mēce or mǣce.
Swords in Anglo-Saxon England were comprised two-edged flat, straight blades. The tang of the blade was then covered in a hilt, which consisted of an upper and lower guard, a pommel, and a grip by which the sword itself would have been held. These blades typically measured between 34 and 37 inches in length (including tang), and between 1.5 and 2 inches in width. However, examples that are larger, reaching up to 40 in in length and 2.5 inches in width, have been discovered.
The furnaces of the period were only able to produce small pieces of iron, so these pieces were then forge welded into a single blade, either by being beaten into thin sheets that were then hammered together as a laminated blade or placed together as thin rods and then welded together. Some of these blades were instead constructed using pattern welding. In this, the iron was beaten into strips which were twisted together and then forge welded; this twisting action removed much surface slag which could cause weaknesses in the finished blade
Spear:
Spears were the most commonly found weapons in Anglo-Saxon England. Examples have been found in around 85% of Early Anglo-Saxon graves containing weapons - around 40% of adult male graves from this period.
In Old English, they were most commonly termed gār and spere, although also appear in textual evidence under more poetic names, such as æsc ("[item made of] ash wood"), ord ("point"), and þrecwudu ("[thing of] wood for harming"). When used as a throwing-spear or javelin, they were typically termed daroþ ("dart").
The spears themselves consisted of an iron spearhead mounted on a wooden shaft, often of ash, although other examples have been identified as being of hazel, apple, oak, and maple. There is little evidence how long these spears typically were, although estimates based on grave goods have indicated that they ranged in length from 5 ft 3 inches to 9 ft 3 inches. The butt end of the spear was sometimes protected with an iron ferrule, which typically formed a hollow cone which fitted over the shaft
Shield:
The shield is the second most common item of war gear found from Anglo-Saxon England. Examples have been found from almost a quarter of male graves from the Early Anglo-Saxon period. In Old English, the shield was termed a bord, rand, scyld, and lind ("linden-wood"). These shields consisted of a circular wooden board that had been constructed from planks of solid wood which had been glued together, with an iron boss then affixed to the centre. The shield was then often covered in leather, which served to help hold the planks together, and decorated with bronze or iron fittings and studs. Textual and pictoral depictions of shields suggest that in some cases they may have had a convex shape, although this has yet to be corroborated archaeologically, with known archaeological examples suggesting that they were non-convex.
(Most Common Weaponry)
Sword:
The sword is considered the most symbolically important weapon of the Dark Ages, beginning with the Anglo-Saxon period. In the Old English language, sword was rendered as sweord, although other terms used for such weapons included heoru or heru, bill or bile, and mēce or mǣce.
Swords in Anglo-Saxon England were comprised two-edged flat, straight blades. The tang of the blade was then covered in a hilt, which consisted of an upper and lower guard, a pommel, and a grip by which the sword itself would have been held. These blades typically measured between 34 and 37 inches in length (including tang), and between 1.5 and 2 inches in width. However, examples that are larger, reaching up to 40 in in length and 2.5 inches in width, have been discovered.
The furnaces of the period were only able to produce small pieces of iron, so these pieces were then forge welded into a single blade, either by being beaten into thin sheets that were then hammered together as a laminated blade or placed together as thin rods and then welded together. Some of these blades were instead constructed using pattern welding. In this, the iron was beaten into strips which were twisted together and then forge welded; this twisting action removed much surface slag which could cause weaknesses in the finished blade
Spear:
Spears were the most commonly found weapons in Anglo-Saxon England. Examples have been found in around 85% of Early Anglo-Saxon graves containing weapons - around 40% of adult male graves from this period.
In Old English, they were most commonly termed gār and spere, although also appear in textual evidence under more poetic names, such as æsc ("[item made of] ash wood"), ord ("point"), and þrecwudu ("[thing of] wood for harming"). When used as a throwing-spear or javelin, they were typically termed daroþ ("dart").
The spears themselves consisted of an iron spearhead mounted on a wooden shaft, often of ash, although other examples have been identified as being of hazel, apple, oak, and maple. There is little evidence how long these spears typically were, although estimates based on grave goods have indicated that they ranged in length from 5 ft 3 inches to 9 ft 3 inches. The butt end of the spear was sometimes protected with an iron ferrule, which typically formed a hollow cone which fitted over the shaft
Shield:
The shield is the second most common item of war gear found from Anglo-Saxon England. Examples have been found from almost a quarter of male graves from the Early Anglo-Saxon period. In Old English, the shield was termed a bord, rand, scyld, and lind ("linden-wood"). These shields consisted of a circular wooden board that had been constructed from planks of solid wood which had been glued together, with an iron boss then affixed to the centre. The shield was then often covered in leather, which served to help hold the planks together, and decorated with bronze or iron fittings and studs. Textual and pictoral depictions of shields suggest that in some cases they may have had a convex shape, although this has yet to be corroborated archaeologically, with known archaeological examples suggesting that they were non-convex.