The Tudors ruled England at a time when Europe at large was undergoing a transition in the field of warfare.
This transition was being ushered in by the invention of effective gunpowder weapons which were increasingly replacing conventional weapons on the battlefield.
As a result, the Tudor era is marked by the use of conventional weapons such as swords, polearms, spears and axes as well as new gunpowder weapons such as matchlocks and flintlocks.
In many battles fought by the Tudor monarchs in the later period, both types of weapons were used side by side on many occasions.
The conventional weapons used during the Tudor era also continued in a rapid flurry of change and transformation.
Due to extensive warfare in Western Europe at the time, conventional weapons were being continually evolved to better suit military needs.
As a result, pole weapons such as bills and bill-hooks were widely used at the time which enabled infantry units to effective counter enemy cavalry.
The Halberd, which was a sharp Axe-head combined with a spike at the back, was a long pole weapon which was used with great success during the Tudor period.
Most of the innovations in conventional weapons during this period were meant to help infantry units bring down enemy cavalry units.
The Halberd, which was a sharp Axe-head combined with a spike at the back
Despite the evolution of most other conventional weapons during the period, the use of regular swords continued throughout the Tudor era.
Three distinct types of swords were used in this period. The cutting sword which was used in the early Tudor period soon became ineffective on the battlefield.
Side-by-side with the cutting sword, the broadsword was also widely used in the Tudor era.
The Rapier sword was commonly used at the time in Spain and it soon influenced the English who began using the sleek and light-weight rapier on the battlefield.
However, the rapier soon passed from military use into exclusively being a sword for sport and also became a part of the dress of English noblemen.
The Rapier sword was commonly used at the time in Spain and it soon influenced the English
By the 13th century, gunpowder weapons had arrived in Europe and basic versions of such weapons were being used by English armies as well.
However, early gunpowder weapons were too heavy and impractical to be effective on the battlefield except as being merely auxiliary weapons.
During the Tudor era, this changed as gunpowder weapons became more accurate and far-ranging.
Lighter variants of such weapons also became available which made it possible for individual soldiers to wield gunpowder weapons.
Muskets were the key gunpowder weapons which had become a regular part of the weaponry of the English troops by the late Tudor era.
The iconic English bows were rapidly replaced by the muskets during this period.
Other light gunpowder weapons used by Tudor armies included the matchlock as well as flintlock guns.
Larger gunpowder weapons such as cannons also became a regular part of the arsenal of Tudor armies, often used in laying sieges to enemy fortresses with great success.
By the end of the Tudor period, conventional weapons had been more or less completely replaced by gunpowder weapons on the battlefield.
Larger gunpowder weapons such as cannons also became a regular part of the arsenal of Tudor armies