A crossbow is a weapon that shoots bolts. Crossbows may come in various sizes and with various differences in how they are built; however, they always consist of a bow that is mounted on a stock and a mechanism that holds the string of the bow and the bolt. The bolt is released by pulling a trigger of the mechanism holding the string. The crossbow was developed separately in two different regions of the world: China and Mediterranean.

Crossbows were used in European warfare beginning from the Roman European conquest to 16th Century. Crossbows replaced hand bows in 12th Century in many European armies due to a number of reasons. Even though longbows had faster shooting range and similar accuracy to crossbows; the crossbows could release more energy and thus could penetrate targets better than arrows. Also, it was easier to train shooting skills with a crossbow than a hand bow. It took years of practice to master the art of shooting hand bow, whereas, one could master crossbow shooting within a few weeks of practice.