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One of the major developments in the military sphere during the Late Middle Ages was the increasing use of infantry and light cavalry.[305] The English also employed longbowmen, but other countries were unable to create similar forces that enjoyed the same military success.[306] Armour continued to advance, spurred on by the increasing power of crossbows, and plate armour was developed to help protect against the threat from crossbows as well as the hand-held guns that were developed.[307] Pole arms reached new prominence with the development of the Flemish and Swiss infantry armed with pikes and other long spears.[308] In agriculture, one major advance was the increasing use of sheep with long-fibred wool, which allowed a stronger thread to be spun. Also important was the replacement of the traditional distaff for spinning wool with the spinning wheel, which tripled production over hand spinning.[309][AI] A less technological refinement that still greatly affected daily life was the use of buttons as closures for garments, which allowed for better fitting without having to lace clothing on the wearer.[311] Windmills were refined with the creation of the tower mill, which allowed the upper part of the windmill to be spun around to face whichever direction the wind was blowing.[312] The blast furnace appeared around 1350 in Sweden, increasing the quantity of iron produced and improving its quality.[313] The first patent law in 1447 in Venice protected the rights of inventors to their inventions.[314] |
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