The Medieval Archer

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating history of a lethal weapon
Review: The Medieval Archer traces the use of archery in English wars, from the Battle of Hastings, in 1066, to the Wars of the Roses which ended with the death of Richard III, the last Plantagenet king, in 1485.

The book has interesting details about a few English battles before the Norman Conquest and interesting details about crossbows, as well as the shortbows used on the Continent, but it really is about the English longbow, during the time it flourished.

The English longbow was very lethal, very fast shooting and cheap to make, but required great skill to use. It allowed small English armies to dominate larger French armies for a long time. The wonder was that English bowmen did not use such a potent weapon to sweep away their own kings and princes, or that slow-firing, less accurate gunpowder weapons were able to displace it so quickly.

Read this book and learn why.