What Is a Medieval Longbow?
A medieval longbow is a weapon used for warfare, hunting, and sport. It is now obsolete as a practical weapon, but is still used by some enthusiasts for historical reenactments, archery, and hunting. A longbow is a tall weapon of approximately the same height as its user. The bow is traditionally made from a single piece of wood, with yew being the preferred wood in medieval Europe, due to its lightness and elasticity. Other woods can also be used to construct a longbow, but these weapons may have a shorter effective lifespan due to bending of the wood.
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History
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The bow is an ancient weapon. Stone arrowheads found in Tunisia may be more than 50,000 years old. Although weapons that fit the longbow description have cropped up from time to time throughout history, the medieval weapon developed from one used among Welsh archers from the Dark Ages onward. The efficacy of the weapon caused English kings to adopt the longbow for their own forces in the 13th Century. Englishmen were obligated by law to practice with the longbow from an early age. This created a pool of skilled longbow archers that aided England in becoming a militarily powerful medieval nation.
Construction
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A traditional longbow stave is made from a single length of yew. The bowyer dries the wood over a long period, usually between one and two years, working it into the desired shape over that time. The part of the wood closest to the bark is called sapwood, and the bow stave is constructed so that this forms the outer surface, or "back," of the bow. The wood closest the middle of the trunk or branch is called heartwood, and this forms the inner surface, or "belly," of the bow. When the bow is drawn the back is stretched and the belly compressed: the sapwood and hardwood of yew have inherent elastic qualities that make them suitable for the particular stresses placed upon them. A traditional bow string is usually made of hemp or linen.
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Range and Accuracy
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The effective range of the medieval longbow is somewhat open to conjecture, with most estimates ranging from 175 to 250 yards. The longbow can be highly accurate at close range, but not at distances exceeding approximately 80 yards. Its efficacy in warfare relied on the mass firing of arrows at an approaching army, not at individual targets.
Decline
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In the 16th century, firearms began to replace longbows. Firearms of this period were less effective than longbows by almost every measure, but also required far less training to use. Thus, armies could be raised more quickly.
Fun Fact
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The Tudor warship Mary Rose sank in 1545 and was salvaged in 1982. Among the items recovered, there were 137 longbows, many extremely well preserved. Studies of these weapons provided highly detailed information on the performance of the medieval longbow.
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References
- Photo Credit archery image by Vladislav Gajic from Fotolia.com
