The crossbows history is much longer than 800 years!
HISTORY:
Literary and physical evidence suggest that the crossbow originated in China during the 4th century BC, though a type of crossbow called the gastraphetes may have been independently invented in Greece at about the same period. It wasn't until the 10th or 11th centuries AD that the crossbow became a significant military weapon in Europe. It passed from general military service in the 16th century, but its use for hunting and target shooting has continued to the present day. The majority of the following chronology is abridged from GUIDE TO THE CROSSBOW by Paterson:
341 BC
Earliest reliable record of crossbow use at battle of Ma-Ling in China.
228 BC
Earliest crossbow artifact, a bronze lock mechanism from the tomb of Yu Wang.
0-100 AD
Heron of Alexandria describes gastraphetes.
300-700
Roman carvings of crossbows.
385
Vegetius mentions crossbows in DE RE MILITARIA.
1066
Crossbows introduced to England by Normans.
1096
Anna Comnena describes Norman crossbows.
1100-1200
Composite crossbow lath appears.
1139
2nd Lateran Council interdict forbids use of crossbow among Christians.
1192
Crusader victory at Jaffa aided by crossbows.
1314
Earliest reliable record of steel lath.
1346
Genoese crossbowmen defeated at Crecy by English longbowmen.
1373
Earliest illustration of cranequin.
1503
First of many English laws restricting possession and use of crossbows.
1550-1600
Firearms replace crossbows in most Western armies.
1860
Photographic evidence from Chinese shows repeating crossbows still used there as military weapons.
1939-45
"Arrowspeed" crossbow used by Australian commandos in Pacific Theatre.
1945-1975
Crossbows employed by Montagnard peoples and US special forces during Vietnam conflict.
1960?-present
Crossbows used to shoot anesthetic darts for capturing and treating wildlife; also used to obtain tissue samples from marine animals for obtaining genetic information.