Crossbows and Longbows.
The crossbow was one of the greatest set backs to a fully armored knight. The bolts could pierce even plate mail, and were frighteningly deadly and accurate. But medival crossbows were slow and difficult to load, some were so powerful, they even required mechanical devices to get the job done. Here is the process by which they were loaded: The bowstring was held in loaded (spanned) position by a rotating catch which was a nut and set in the crossbow tiller. The bolt was laid in a groove along the top of stock and aimed by pressing the rear of the stock to the cheek. The bolt was then released by pressing up the rear end of the trigger. A basic Crossbow was a turned upside bow with a piece of wood across, the most powerful kind was mounted and could fire 200 yards. Another could be carried on the shoulder. Crossbows were used from the tops of the castle walls or from murder holes. Historically they were outlawed in 1139.
The longbow fired powerful long arrows. The longbow was not very accurate, but when a mass of arrows were shot one was in trouble. The deadly arrows could be shot up to 100 yards. In the battle of Hastings in 1066 the Normans beat the Saxons with one shot of the longbow. A Norman soldier shot the arrow across the battlefield and hit the Saxon ruler in the eye. Without their leader the saxons retreated. In order to take care of a longbow, an archer would unstring the longbow to release the tension from the frame of the bow, and to prevent the string from getting wet.
Maces and Flanged Maces
When it came to fighting armored knights one could hardly go wrong with a mace. It was one of the best weapons for puncturing armor. A short haft with two lengths of chain and a spiked ball attached to the end of each chain. It was often used by law makers, because just laying that weapon on the table was a statement, NO ONE argued with the judge.
The Flanged mace had metal plates spoking off of a haft. It could deliver powerful crushing blows with it's two pond head, and some theorize it was the inspiration for the royal scepter, which it strongly resembles.
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