Essay On Weapons In The Renaissance

Have you ever wondered what people used their weapons for in the Renaissance era since this was a time of peace? People came to find out that their weapons could be used for so much more than just running around a killing people. The people of the Renaissance period were starting to find new ways to use weapons and even incorporated them into entertainment. With the invention of gunpowder and the firearm, guns started to replace most of the commonly used weapons on the battlefield.The weapons of the Renaissance were not only designed for their functional use to hunt but they were also designed to be decorations and look good as well as being used to compete in tournaments. Just like in today 's world, hunting was a big part of the way of life

The more detail and time put into them the more the price went up so the only people that owned these were the wealthy and upperclassmen and they were often for show and wall decorations. One of the most famous artists and inventors of this time was Leonardo Da Vinci. Among some of his inventions were a giant crossbow, a multibarred cannon to increase the rate of fire, and a scythed chariot. He was way ahead of his time with some of his drawings including flying machines that could be used in battle and some weapons that could shoot them down. A repeating machine gun operated by a man powered treadmill was also in these drawings. Knights would often wore decorated armour but they had to be functional just as much as anything else. “For warfare, arms and armor must, above all, be practical, affording the utmost protection and functionality without impairing body movement because of excess weight or inflexible material.Even such practical equipment, however, was often decorated, care being taken that the decoration would not impede its function”(Breiding). Most of the weapons used in the armies were functional but there were some things made for ceremonies and plays that were just meant to look fancy. ”The armor of the Elizabethan period was used mainly for decoration in parades and ceremonies - not for protection purposes in war. Armor became more and more expensive and