How was a cross bow made in the Middle Ages?

Answer 1

Like all aspects of medieval life, crossbow technology changed and evolved over time.

The earliest medieval crossbows (called balastre or torkeis in Anglo-Norman French) were brought to England by the Normans in 1066 and remained an important military weapon after that time (despite being condemned as un-Christian by the Church).

These early types had a prod (bow) made entirely of wood, attached to a wooden stock. The linen bowstring could be drawn back by hand (spanned) because such weapons were relatively weak; the string was caught behind a step in the upper surface of the stock. The simple trigger of wood pushed up a wooden peg, which forced the string out of its step, allowing it to shoot the crossbow bolt along its carved channel. Range and penetration were limited.

By the 13th century the prod was being constructed of multiple materials, including horn, wood and sinew - this increased the power of the weapon which now had to be spanned by means of a hook attached to the bowman's belt. He placed the front of the crossbow on the ground, put one foot into the metal stirrup at the front of the weapon, leaned forward and attached the hook, then straightened up to span the crossbow.

The introduction of metal for the prod gave crossbows their greatest power; the weapon then had to be spanned by means of a windlass system, like a winch.

The link below takes you to a web page discussing how an early medieval crossbow may have been constructed: