The Longbow: The History of the Weapon that Revolutionized Warfare in the Middle Ages

While the bow was used throughout ancient times and the Middle Ages, on mainland Europe it was mostly replaced by the crossbow in the early 13th century, but that would change with the introduction of the longbow, a more powerful weapon than the traditional hunting bows. The original longbowmen were Welshmen recruited by King Edward I of England after he conquered Wales, and the weapon got its name from the fact that it was almost as tall as the man using it. This gave it a longer draw and therefore more force, as longbows were generally made of yew, a strong and pliable wood. The longbow was cheap and easy to make, but they required extensive training to be used well, so in England, commoners were encouraged and at times required to practice archery. A statute of Richard II dating from 1388 reads, “Servants and Laborers shall have Bows and Arrows, and use the same the Sundays and Holydays, and leave all playing at tennis or foot-ball, and other games called coits, dice, casting of the stone, kaikles [skittles], and other such importune games.”

The longbow’s greatest day was at Agincourt in 1415, but the fact that this did not end the age of heavy plate cavalry indicated the longbow did have some limitations. For example, modern tests show that longbow arrows had trouble piercing plate armor, likely the main reason they were used as a massed weapon. With arrows raining down, it increased the chances of hitting a joint in the armor or an imperfection. Also, horse armor couldn’t protect the entire animal and the knights would soon find themselves dismounted. At some battles like Agincourt, the knights foundered in soft earth, and as their horses fell and the men became confused and hampered by the arrows clanking off their armor, they got mired in the mud and the English infantry could move in and finish them off.

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