The Longbow Essay

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The English defeat at the battle of Bannockburn on June 24th 1314 was fundamental. Scottish dismounted men-at-arms in Schiltron formations defeated wave after wave of English Heavy Cavalry, and won the day. Taught by this misfortune the English tried a new tactical combination. The English reliance on Heavy Cavalry dissipated somewhat and more focus was placed upon dismounted men-at-arms, in schiltron formations and archers. The English adopted Scottish tactics and when they met the Scots on the fields of Dupplin Moor and Halidon Hill they won by the skilful combination of archery and dismounted men at arms. The successive battles of Nevilles Cross, Homildon, Flodden, and Pinkie were all variations of the same theme. In order to assess the impact of long-bowmen it will be necessary to examine the long-bow as a weapon in the 14th century and its contribution to warfare. To measure the impact of men-at-arms it will be necessary to study why men-at-arms were increasingly relied upon over the traditional usage of Heavy Cavalry. In addition a study of the application of the tactics adopted from the English defeat at Bannockburn will enable an assessment of the impact of men-at-arms and long-bowmen on the fourteenth century battlefield. The long-bow was the weapon of the day in the 14th century; its impact on warfare was great. Its range was up to 200 meters and its power of penetration was to compel the development of more effective plate armor in the first half of the fourteenth century. The long-bows rate of fire was easily twice of that of the crossbow. But its greatest asset was its versatility. It could be used in sieges and it was valuable when used in the open by a lightly armored foot soldier. Arrows could travel at a speed of 200 feet per second and had a pull of 100lb when drawn to the ear; this made the medieval knight extremely vulnerable. Knights may have
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