User:NicoloSt/Balestrino

The balestrino (Italian, "little crossbow") is a type of miniature crossbow from the early Renaissance period. They were small enough to be concealable under clothing, but fired bolts at nearly the same velocity as large crossbows. Due to the very short draw length, the bow had an extremely high draw weight, sometimes as high as 300 pounds. This required the use of a spanning mechanism, usually a screw winch, to span the bow.

The very light projectiles generally lacked enough mass to deliver a lethal wound by themselves, and so there has been speculation among historians as to their actual purpose. The prevailing belief is that they were weapons were used for assassination by means of poisoned bolts, which only need to penetrate the skin. This has led some modern authors to refer to balestrini as assassin bows. Others speculate they may have been merely novelties for wealthy nobles to shoot for recreation, or possibly scaled down weapon for use by children to practice marksmanship.

The weapons have been mentioned in documents from as early as the 15th century, with several surviving specimens dated as early as 1500. There are several written instances of balestrino being banned by law from possession, with punishments has harsh as years of galley service.