R.J. Delgadillo Mrs.

Garza English II 5th Period October 3rd, 2013 The Medieval Times The Medieval Times were a time of great arts, and great battles. One of the great arts was music, and due to the many battles during these times, weapons and armor played a large part. The Medieval Times were very artistic times in general, with art playing a part in everything. It played a part in the music, and even in things such as dangerous weapons and heavy armor. The Dark Ages, due to its violence, led to a society that lacked elegance and refinement (Medieval Music). Although, after the Crusades, there was more travel, which led to more interest things such as beautiful objects, elegant manners, poetry, and music (Medieval Music). So, music began to play a very important part in the everyday lives of people (Medieval Music). Uplifting music was played during weddings and celebrations (Medieval Music). During weddings and on Valentines Day, music was played that had a romantic atmosphere, and during Christmas, the sound of bells brought the good news of Jesus birth (Medieval Music). Also, in those times, it was believed that music helped with the digestion of food, so music would always be played during meals (Medieval Music). Unfortunately, not much was mentioned in The Once and Future King about Medieval Music. However, I still find this topic very interesting, because I am a musician myself, and I enjoy learning about different music from other time periods. The term Medieval Armor is an extremely broad term (All About Medieval). Armor played an important part throughout all of the Medieval Times, and was constantly changing

(All About Medieval). Before there was plate armor, there was something called chain mail (All About Medieval). Chain mail was a garment made of a series of small metal rings that were attached together, and it covered the torso and went down to the knees (All About Medieval). The Knight would wear a linen shirt, a pair of pants, and heavy woolen pads underneath the garment of chain mail (The Medieval Knight). Although chain mail worked, weapons such as maces and hammers were very effective against chain mail, and this led to the development of plate armor (All About Medieval). Plate armor started to make its first appearances in the 13th Century (All About Medieval). In the 14th Century, chain mail was still used, but by the end of the 14th Century, plate armor was worn more than chain mail (All About Medieval). By the 15th Century, Medieval Armor was at its highest point (All About Medieval). When you think of a knight in full armor, this is the century that you are thinking of (All About Medieval). Now, plate armor was so effective, that shields were now in disuse (All About Medieval). Helmets also received many upgrades throughout the Medieval Times (All About Medieval). They became more curved so they could defect blows, and had a hinge visor that could be lifted (All About Medieval). In The Once and Future King, there are many instances where armor is mentioned. It is mentioned how heavy armor could be, and the story had many knights throughout. I personally find this topic interesting, because I think stuff like this is really awesome. Its amazing to me how things like armor worked back in the Medieval Times. Even with all the beautiful things, the Medieval Times were still very violent times (Medieval Weapons). There were many weapons that were used during the Medieval Times, and each was used for a different particular reason (Medieval Weapons). Probably the most popular weapon among the Medieval Times was the sword. There were many different kinds of

swords, such as broadswords and sabers (Weaponry of the Medieval Ages: Weapons). Another weapon that was used was the longbow (Weaponry of the Medieval Ages: Weapons). This was an excellent weapon if it was in skilled hands (Weaponry of the Medieval Ages: Weapons). Some arrows that were shot with the longbow were sometimes dipped in poison, so whoever was hit by the arrow would surely die, even if the hit was not fatal. (Weaponry of the Medieval Ages: Weapons). Some arrows were also set on fire to set fire to distant objects (Weaponry of the Medieval Ages: Weapons). Another important weapon that was used is the trebuchet, also known as the catapult (Weaponry of the Medieval Ages: Weapons). The catapult launched things, and was used for different things (Weaponry of the Medieval Ages: Weapons). If someone wanted to smash down a wall, an iron ball would be launched with a catapult to break it down (Weaponry of the Medieval Ages: Weapons). Fireballs were launched to set fire to inner structures, and diseased or dead animals even people were launched over walls to spread disease to others on the inside (Weaponry of the Medieval Ages: Weapons). If you think about it, In The Once and Future King, one of the major plot events involves a weapon. One of the most important parts of the story is when Wart pulls the sword form the stone, and becomes King Arthur. Also, that sword becomes his main sword when he grows up, and it is known as Excalibur. I think that the topic of Medieval Weapons is awesome, because of how each of them was so unique, and used for something different. Overall, the Medieval Times were very diverse times, with things such as beautiful music, dangerous weapons and heavy armor. However, even though each seems different from each other, they are all arts. No matter how you look at it, the Medieval Times were times of great arts. I learned a lot about the Medieval Times when researching these three topics. I learned

how much detail people put into everything they did, and how complex it was. The Medieval period of time was a very unique one, and will forever remain in history.