English longbow facts for kids
The English longbow was a very powerful type of bow used in the Middle Ages. It was usually about 6 feet (1.8 meters) long. People debate if it started in England or Wales, but by the 1300s, both English and Welsh people used it for war and hunting.
English longbows were very effective against the French during the Hundred Years' War. They helped win major battles like Sluys (1340), Crécy (1346), Poitiers (1356), and Agincourt (1415). However, they were less successful if archers didn't have time to set up their defenses, as seen at the Battle of Patay (1429).
Not many English longbows from their main period (around 1250–1450) still exist today. This is probably because bows would wear out, break, and get replaced. But more than 130 bows from the later Renaissance period have survived. A huge discovery was made when the Mary Rose, a ship from Henry VIII's navy, sank in 1545. Over 3,500 arrows and 137 complete longbows were found on board!
Contents
What the Longbow Was Like
How Long Were They?
A longbow had to be long enough for the user to pull the string back to their face or body. So, the length changed depending on the person. In Europe, any bow longer than 4 feet (1.2 meters) was often called a longbow.
Experts used to guess their length. But after the Mary Rose ship was found, we got real examples. The bows from the Mary Rose were between 6 feet 2 inches (1.87 meters) and 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 meters) long. Their average length was about 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 meters).
How Strong Were They?
The "draw weight" of a bow is how much force it takes to pull the string back. Estimates for medieval longbows used to vary a lot. Some thought they were around 90–110 pounds of force (400–490 Newtons).
However, the bows found on the Mary Rose were much stronger! Experts now believe their original draw forces were around 150–160 pounds of force (670–710 Newtons). Some were even as strong as 185 pounds of force (820 Newtons). Modern longbows are usually much lighter, around 60 pounds of force (270 Newtons).
It took a lot of practice to use such strong bows. A man named Hugh Latimer, whose father was a yeoman (a commoner who owned land), explained how he learned:
My father taught me how to draw, how to put my body into my bow... not to draw with just arm strength like other nations do... I had bows bought for me based on my age and strength. As I grew stronger, my bows were made bigger and bigger. For men will never shoot well unless they are trained for it.
This means archers used their whole body weight to pull the bow, not just their arm muscles.
How They Were Made
The Bow Itself
The best wood for making longbows was yew. But people also used ash, elm, and other strong woods. Making a traditional yew longbow took a long time. The wood had to dry for 1 to 2 years, and then it was slowly shaped. The whole process could take up to four years.
The bow was shaped like a "D" when you looked at its end. The outer part, called "sapwood," was flat and followed the tree's natural growth rings. The inner part, called "heartwood," was rounded. Sapwood is good at stretching, and heartwood is good at resisting squeezing. This natural combination in one piece of wood made the longbow very strong.
Yew wood became so popular for longbows in England that it ran out in many places. England had to import yew wood from other countries, like Germany and Austria. By the 1500s, there was very little yew left in those areas too.
The String
Bowstrings were made from materials like hemp, flax, or silk. They were attached to the bow using horn "nocks" at each end. Today, modern materials like Dacron are often used for strings.
Arrows
Many different kinds of arrows were used with the English longbow. They varied in length, fletching (the feathers at the back), and heads. For war, arrows were ordered in thousands and came in bundles, usually 24 arrows per bundle. For example, between 1341 and 1359, England got over 1.2 million arrows!
The best examples of medieval arrows come from the Mary Rose wreck. Over 3,500 arrows were found, mostly made of poplar wood. They ranged from 24 to 33 inches (61 to 83 cm) long, with an average length of 30 inches (76 cm). The most common arrowheads for military use were the short bodkin point (a sharp, narrow point) and a small barbed arrow.
How They Were Used in Battle
Training
Longbows were very hard to master. It took a lot of strength to shoot an arrow that could go through the armour of medieval soldiers. Skeletons of longbow archers show how their bodies were affected. They often had enlarged left arms and bone growths on their wrists, shoulders, and fingers.
Because it was so hard, English kings made rules to encourage archery practice. Edward III of England declared in 1363:
People of our kingdom, rich and poor, used to practice archery in their games. This brought great honor and profit to our kingdom, and much advantage to us in our wars... every able-bodied man in the country shall, on holidays, use bows and arrows in his games... and so learn and practice archery.
This made it easier for the king to find skilled archers for his armies. The long training needed for longbowmen was one reason they were eventually replaced by soldiers using muskets, which were easier to learn.
How Far Could They Shoot?
The exact range of medieval longbows isn't perfectly known. It depended on the bow and the type of arrow. Some suggest a special "flight arrow" could fly up to 400 yards (366 meters). In the 1500s, the longest target at a London practice ground was 345 yards (315 meters).
Modern tests agree with these historical ranges. A replica Mary Rose longbow (667 Newtons or 150 pounds of force) could shoot a 1.9 ounce (53.6 gram) arrow 328 meters (359 yards). However, in real battles, archers couldn't shoot as far. They would get tired, and conditions were tough.
Could They Go Through Armour?
Modern Tests
Many modern tests have tried to see if longbows could pierce medieval armour. One test showed a steel bodkin point could go through Damascus mail armour.
Another test used a 75-pound draw bow. It showed that a needle bodkin arrow could go through thin padded armour (gambeson) and even riveted mail. Against coat of plates or thin plate armour, the bodkin point could make a small hole, but other arrows might not. Experts believe thicker plate armour, especially with more padding underneath, would have stopped most arrows.
More recent tests in 2019, using very accurate replicas of 15th-century plate armour and a 160-pound longbow, showed that arrows could not penetrate the front of the best armour. However, an arrow that hit below the armour could go right through.
What People Said Back Then
People at the time said that longbows were very deadly against large groups of armoured men. However, they also noted that the best steel plate armour could protect against arrows. This kind of armour became more common for knights in the mid-1300s.
Even so, at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, English longbowmen were still very effective. While they might not have pierced the thickest breastplates, they could hit thinner armour on limbs. Also, the French knights were exhausted from walking through mud in heavy armour while arrows rained down on them, making them easier to defeat in close combat.
Less heavily armoured soldiers were more vulnerable. For example, French crossbowmen had to retreat at Crécy because they didn't have their protective shields. Horses were also less protected than knights. Longbowmen often aimed at the horses, especially from the side where their armour was weaker. This could injure the horses and make the knights fall, making them easier targets.
In Short
Modern tests and old stories agree: good plate armour could protect against longbows. But this didn't make longbows useless. Thousands of archers at Agincourt still helped win the battle. They could hit weaker spots, injure horses, and tire out the enemy with a constant "storm" of arrows.
How Fast Could They Shoot?
A longbow archer usually started a battle with 60 to 72 arrows. Most archers wouldn't shoot as fast as possible because it would make them too tired. Even the most experienced archer might only shoot about six arrows a minute with the heaviest bows. The muscles in their arms and shoulders would get tired, and their fingers holding the bowstring would hurt.
So, the actual speed of shooting in battle changed. At the start, they might shoot many arrows in "volleys" from far away. As the enemy got closer, they would take more careful, aimed shots. English archers would often stick their arrows upright in the ground at their feet. This made it faster to grab an arrow, put it on the string, pull, and shoot.
Arrows weren't unlimited, so archers had to use them wisely. But they could get more arrows during a battle. Young boys often ran extra arrows to the archers on the battlefield.
Compared to early firearms, longbows were much faster and more accurate. However, early guns had advantages too. They needed less training, shot flatter, and could cause more damage when they hit.
Treating Arrow Wounds
Doctors in medieval times had special tools for arrow wounds. If an arrow had a simple "bodkin" point, it was easier to remove. But barbed arrows were harder and often needed cuts to be made to get them out.
A famous example is Henry, Prince of Wales (later King Henry V), who was hit in the face by an arrow at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403. His doctor, John Bradmore, used special tongs to grip the arrowhead and pull it out. Before that, he widened the wound with honey-soaked wooden dowels, which helped prevent infection.
History of the Longbow
Where Did the Name Come From?
The word "longbow" probably came about to tell it apart from the "crossbow." One of the first times the term "longbow" was written down was in a Latin document from 1386, which mentioned "bows called 'longbows'."
Its Beginnings
The exact start of the English longbow is debated. Archery was important in England even before the Normans arrived in 1066. The Normans also used archers, as shown at the Battle of Hastings.
During the Anglo-Norman invasions of Wales, Welsh archers caused a lot of trouble for the invaders. From then on, Welsh archers became a key part of English armies. A writer named Giraldus Cambrensis visited Wales in 1188. He wrote that the bows from Gwent (a Welsh kingdom) were "stiff and strong." He even told a story about a Welsh arrow that went through a knight's armoured thigh, his leather tunic, his saddle, and then killed his horse!
Historians argue about whether these early Welsh bows were the same as the later English longbows. Some believe that before the 1300s, bows were shorter and weaker. Others think that powerful longbows existed earlier, but they became more common and tactically important in the late 1200s and early 1300s. What everyone agrees on is that by the late 1200s, England developed a very effective way of using powerful longbows in large groups.
In 1295, Edward I started organizing his army better. He combined archers with cavalry and foot soldiers. This tactic was used very well at the Battle of Falkirk in 1298.
The 1300s and 1400s
The longbow was key to many English and Welsh victories in the Middle Ages. The most famous were Battle of Crécy (1346) and Battle of Agincourt (1415) during the Hundred Years' War. They also had success at Battle of Falkirk (1298) and Battle of Halidon Hill (1333) during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
However, their success faded later. At the Battle of Patay (1429), longbowmen were defeated because the French attacked before they could set up their defenses. The Battle of Castillon (1453), which ended the Hundred Years' War, was decided by French cannons, not longbows.
Longbows were much faster and more accurate than early guns. But it took years of practice to become a skilled longbowman. This was a challenge for medieval rulers, as training a large, year-round army was expensive. Because of their special skills, English longbowmen were often hired as mercenaries (soldiers who fight for money) in other European countries, like Italy and Spain.
The 1500s and Later
Longbows were still used until about the 1500s. By then, firearms (like early guns) became a big part of warfare. Even so, English kings tried to keep archery alive by banning other sports and fining people who didn't own bows.
The Battle of Flodden in 1513 was the last major British battle where the longbow played a big part. Even though the English archers struggled against heavily armoured Scottish nobles, they were devastating against less protected foot soldiers. King James IV of Scotland himself received several arrow wounds.
Longbows remained the main weapon for local defense groups in England until Queen Elizabeth I disbanded them in 1598. The last recorded use of bows in an English battle might have been a small fight in 1642 during the English Civil War. An untrained town militia, armed with bows, was effective against unarmoured musketeers.
After the 1600s, military interest in the longbow mostly disappeared. However, people still use longbows today for sport and hunting. They are usually not as strong as the medieval war bows.
Interestingly, there were a few times later when people suggested bringing back the longbow for military use. Benjamin Franklin thought it was a good idea in the 1770s. Even Winston Churchill wrote that a general after the Napoleonic Wars suggested using longbows instead of muskets because they were more accurate and shot faster. There's even a story that Jack Churchill used a longbow to kill an enemy in France during WWII in 1940!
How They Fought in Battles
Historians used to think there was one standard way English longbow armies fought. But now, they agree that armies used different formations.
However, a common English battle setup in the 1300s and 1400s was:
- Foot soldiers (often knights and armoured men with pole weapons like axes or bills) in the middle.
- Longbowmen usually placed on the sides, sometimes in front.
- Cavalry (soldiers on horseback) were rarely used. If they were, they'd be on the sides to attack or defend flanks, or in the middle as a backup.
In the 1500s, these formations changed as new weapons appeared. Armies would have a core of pikemen (soldiers with long spears) and billmen, with groups of archers and early gunners on the sides.
Surviving Bows and Arrows
The Mary Rose ship, which sank in 1545, is an incredibly important source for longbow history. Over 3,500 arrows and 137 complete longbows were found on board. The bows were between 6 feet 2 inches (1.87 meters) and 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 meters) long, averaging 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 meters). Most arrows were made of poplar wood.
The bows from the Mary Rose were in excellent condition. Tests showed they had an average draw force of about 450 Newtons (100 pounds of force). However, the wood had weakened over time in the seawater. Replicas made from fresh wood had much higher draw forces, from 445 to 823 Newtons (100 to 185 pounds of force).
Before the Mary Rose discovery, only a few longbows were known to exist:
- One from the Battle of Hedgeley Moor (1464), about 5 feet 5 inches (1.66 meters) long.
- One from the Battle of Flodden (1513), which was the last major battle in England where the longbow was the main weapon.
- Two bows found in 1836 from the Mary Rose (before the main discovery).
- One from a church in Mendlesham, Suffolk, believed to be from the time of Henry VIII or Elizabeth I.
Why the Longbow Was Important to Society
The longbow was very important in English culture. You can see this in the stories of Robin Hood, who was often shown as a master archer.
In 1252, King Henry III made a rule that all able-bodied men between 15 and 60 years old should own weapons. The poorest people had to have a halberd (a pole weapon) and a knife, and a bow if they owned land. This made it easier for the King to raise an army. But it also meant that bows were common weapons used by rebels during the Peasants' Revolt. Because the common people of England (the yeoman class) were so good with the longbow, the nobles had to be careful not to push them into rebellion.
Some people think that yew trees were often planted in English churchyards so that there would always be wood available for making longbows.
See also
- Archery
- Infantry in the Middle Ages
