In the second half of the 13th century Rus was in the state of perpetual war. Back then the weaponry and military skills of the Rus warriors matched those of other European countries. King Danylo reformed the army: he changed the composition of the troops and the organization of their management and equipage, which helped him and his son Lev achieve success during their campaigns in the Central Europe.

Our collection includes replicas of weapons, used by both professional warriors and volunteers, that were typical for our region in the 13th – 15th centuries. For two centuries arms and armor had been developing and improving together with changes in the art of war. Some of the body armor in use at the time include helmets, chain-mails, shields, etc. They protected from cold blade weapons such as swards, spears, sabers, axes, and maces, as well as from arrows and arbalests.

Spears were the main close combat strike weapons of the Middle Ages. Formations of infantry spearmen could hold a cavalry assault and inflict heavy losses on the enemy. On the other hand, an attack of men-at-arms (fully armored heavy cavalrymen) with spears could easily smash enemy’s ranks. Another common close combat weapon was the sward designed to slash. Beginning from the 13th century sabers, adopted from the nomads, were widely used. Battle axes and maces were effective against armored troops.

To equip a large army, thousands of craftsmen had to manufacture lots and lots of spears, swards, battle axes, arrowheads and so on; they also forged helmets, chain-mails and shields, made saddles, stirrups and horse-shoes, sewed clothes and footwear. In Rus, crafts and trade were concentrated in cities. For example, L’liv became a major center of arms and armor production of the Rus Kingdom as early as the 13th century.