Genoese crossbowmen
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The Genoese crossbowmen (Italian: Balestrieri genovesi) were a famous military corps of the Middle Ages, which acted both in defense of the Republic of Genoa and as a mercenary force for other Italian or European powers.
Armed with
Membership
Members of the Genoese crossbowmen were trained and organized in Genoa, but also came from other parts of Liguria. They also came from other regions of Montferrat, certain towns of the Plain of the Po, including Pavia, Piacenza and Parma, and Corsica, but were formed and organized in Genoa.[1] Commanders of the companies usually came from the noble families of the city.
Equipment
The main armament of the Genoese crossbowmen was the crossbow, made in Genoa by the Balistrai Corporation. As well, the mercenaries were equipped with a dagger, a light metal helmet, a gorget, a hauberk and a large shield, called a pavese (pavise), which was used while reloading the crossbow. The usual team consisted of a crossbowman and two assistants, one supporting the pavise, the other responsible for spanning a second bow, thus doubling the rate of fire.
History
The Genoese crossbowmen came to prominence during the
The heavy losses created by Genoese crossbows led medieval monarchs to extreme measures. Emperor
During the
Notes
- ^ Romanoni, Fabio. ""Boni balistrarii de ripperia Ianue". Balestrieri genovesi attraverso due cartulari del 1357, in "Archivio Storico Italiano", CLXVIII (2010)".
- ^ "The Crossbow - A Medieval Doomsday Device?". Military History Now. 23 May 2012. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
- ^ N F Green: Lives and Times of the Garter Knights 1348-1600 pp16-17
- ^ OCLC 4029021. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ David Nicolle: Failure of an Elite - The Genoese at Crécy Archived 2009-10-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Donald F. Featherstone, The History of the English Longbow (1993)