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How British Longbow Changed the Tactics of the French Army in the Hundred Years War

The Hundred years war wreaked havoc throughout Europe. It had killed one third of the population and left most places in ruins. Beginning in the year 1337 and ending in 1453 was named one of the longest wars in European history. The intrusion of each other’s realms, religious differences, and a thirst for power created the battle between Britain and France. The Hundred Years War was one hundred and sixteen years of harsh grueling combat. Who ever was to come out on top in this war was to be the one with the best military tactics, strategy, and weaponry. Over the course of thousands of years, civilizations have used self-made tools to advance in their everyday life. While the bow has been used for hunting and in warfare, no bow has had the success or fame like the English longbow has. Robert E Kaiser has stated, “From the thirteenth until the sixteenth century, the national weapon of the English army was the longbow. It was this weapon which conquered Wales and Scotland, gave the English their victories in the Hundred Years War, and permitted England to replace France as the foremost military power in Medieval Europe.”  The longbow has had countless successes while drastically affecting the outcome of Hundred Years War. It changed French tactics and hailed England as the supreme military powerhouse of the sixteenth century.

Battles of hundred years war

-design

The English longbow was designed to be easy to use but also have the greatest precision and accuracy. First originally seen in Wales, Edward III introduced the longbow into English warfare in about 1280.  It was not until Edward III that the longbow was integrated into common practice in British war tactics. The bow itself was roughly between four and six feet in size and had an estimated strength of eighty to ninety pound of force.  They are “made of wood; shaped in order to use both the center and sapwood; are symmetrically tapered; and appear to have a very stiff draw weight.”  The bows were given to skilled archers who could be able to produce about ten to twelve arrows a minute. It was the quickest use of weaponry during the period and took drastic effect for the English cause. The arrows for the longbow were also about three feet in length and had the ability to travel on average one hundred and ninety yards.

The Longbow’s effect on the French army While talking about the longbow, one must commend the power of the weapon and note the true reasons of its success. The French were sitting ducks when they came in contact with the longbow and had little protection from the deadly use of attack. It was noted, the French armies did employ majority of professional mercenary troops, and most notably the Genoese crossbow would be equipped with both sufficient weapons and armor. The common soldier’s lack of armor was a major reason the longbow had such a great impact on warfare and strategy in the early part of the war.  Here it demonstrates the lack of strategy on the French’s behalf. In order to have more triumph the French had to spend the money to produce better armor and to purchase more soldiers for combat. The French were economically better off than the English and had the money to put into their weapons and their mass volume of soldiers.

-important battles

While looking into the failure of the French Army, one must look at the battles at Poitiers and the Battle of Crecy. These battles had great significance in the early stages in the Hundred Years War. It was seen at the “Battle of Poitiers in 1356, the long bow was responsible for the deaths of 2,000 French mounted knights – the elite of the French army.” This was a devastating blow to the French Army, whom was determined to win this encounter. They had the superior leadership to the English but it was apparent lacked the technology to handle the power of the longbow.

To continue, at the Battle of Crecy, “English archers devastated the French who lost 11 princes, 1,200 knights and 30,000 common soldiers. The English lost just 100 men. In this particular battle, 20,000 English soldiers’ defeated 60,000 French soldiers.” Here it just goes to show the strength and the relentlessness of the longbow. It gave protection to the English Army and left the French helpless. They French had to strategize against the bow, while they kept losing men and money from the severity of the attacks. The English had created a large-scale version of the legendary David and Goliath.

-counter attack

As the French tried to counteract the hard hits from the longbow, they increased their tactics in the form of increasing body armor. They added heavier chain mail that weighed thirty to fifty kilograms.  This however seemed to be on of their biggest downfalls. “They hit problems with their amour which, historians now believe, was their Achilles' heel, making them so exhausted that they were unable to fight.” While they tried to better protect themselves they created more problems and were then more vulnerable. This was one of the main reasons the French lost the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, was because they tried to over compensate themselves for the longbow. The English Army, under King Henry V had six thousand soldiers to French’s overwhelming twenty thousand men. Not only were the men of France incredibly slow, they also were at a disadvantage in terrain. They had picked a narrow valley to post camp that lead to their ultimate demise. “The heaviest longbows on the flanks were now ordered to shoot so-called “galling” arrows into the French lines. These arrows were not shot in great numbers as they were essentially meant to wound and disorientate.” This meant they were weakening the forces and targeting the powerful horses, who would throw and kill/injure their riders. Then at Henry’s command, “6,000 English archers firing up to 20 arrows a minute fill the sky with death.”  In order to try and protect themselves further from the English, the French tried to adapt the Longbow into their own set of tactics. However, the fear of rebellion in the lower levels of society, “the king was most concerned about peasants having such powerful weapons and the idea was dropped.”  Since the battle of Agincourt, the French were overwhelmed at the repeated losses.-impact

“The longbow contributed to the way our world works today because with the war in-between the French and the English each rushed to discover new technologies and pulled Europe out of the Middle Ages.” Around this time, guns and cannons were invented. The French were abandoning their crossbow, which were slow to reload but easy to use and making a transition to guns and cannons. It is believed that, “guns, with an even slower rate of fire and a tendency to explode on the user allowed the longbow to continue its reign of dominance as the number one weapon. Cannons were even slower to reload, at best only being fired 2 or 3 times in one battle.” The cannon proved to be useful and left a bigger hole in its victim, but was still inferior to the longbow.

Due to the staggering number of deaths, it became harder and harder to have men operate as archers for the longbow in England.  Towards the later years of the war, “gradually the territory across the Channel slipped out of English control. In 1436 the English lost Paris and by 1450 the French had recovered Normandy. In 1451 the French overran Aquitaine and took Bordeaux, which had been in English hands for three hundred years and ran a thriving wine trade with England.” The tables had now turned and the English were now the ones struggling. Often, they were outnumbered by the French military and began losing more and more battles.

-Sources

"Bowing to the Longbow." The Economist. N.p., 22 Oct. 2005. Web. 06 Dec. 2015. <http://www.economist.com/node/5053455.>.

Cavendish, Richard. "End of the Hundred Years War." Historytoday.com. N.p., 10 Oct. 2003. Web. 4 Dec. 2015. <http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/end-hundred-years-war.>.

"History Magazine - The Longbow." History Magazine - The Longbow. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2015. <http://www.history-magazine.com/longbow.html>.

Hitchmin, Paul. "Longbow Archers." Longbow Archers. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2015. <http://www.longbowarchers.com/historyagincourt.html>.

"Hundred Years' War." New World. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2015. <http://www.newworld.org/entry/Hundred_Years'_War#Weapons>.

Kaiser, Robert E. "The Medieval English Longbow." Society of Archer Antiques. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2015. <http://margo.student.utwente.nl/sagi/artikel/longbow/longbow.html.>.

Mortimer, John J. "Tactics, Strategy, and Battlefield Formation During the Hundred Years War: The Role of the Longbow in the Infantry Revolution." Infantry Revolution (2013): 1-14. Print.

Reporter, Daily Mail. "Why the French Lost the Battle of Agincourt: Heavy Armour Made Troops Too Exhausted to Fight." Mail Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2015. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2016732/Why-French-lost-Battle-Agincourt-Heavy-armour-troops-exhausted-fight.html.>.

Trueman, C N. "The Longbow." History Learning Site. N.p., 5 Mar. 2015. Web. 03 Dec. 2015. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medievalengland/the-longbow/.>.

How British Longbow Changed the Tactics of the French Army in the Hundred Years War

The Hundred years war wreaked havoc throughout Europe. It had killed one third of the population and left most places in ruins. Beginning in the year 1337 and ending in 1453 was named one of the longest wars in European history. The intrusion of each other’s realms, religious differences, and a thirst for power created the battle between Britain and France. The Hundred Years War was one hundred and sixteen years of harsh grueling combat. Who ever was to come out on top in this war was to be the one with the best military tactics, strategy, and weaponry. Over the course of thousands of years, civilizations have used self-made tools to advance in their everyday life. While the bow has been used for hunting and in warfare, no bow has had the success or fame like the English longbow has. Robert E Kaiser has stated, “From the thirteenth until the sixteenth century, the national weapon of the English army was the longbow. It was this weapon which conquered Wales and Scotland, gave the English their victories in the Hundred Years War, and permitted England to replace France as the foremost military power in Medieval Europe.” The longbow has had countless successes while drastically affecting the outcome of Hundred Years War. It changed French tactics and hailed England as the supreme military powerhouse of the sixteenth century.]

-design Battles of hundred years war the English longbow was designed to be easy to use but also have the greatest precision and accuracy. First originally seen in Wales, Edward III introduced the longbow into English warfare in about 1280. It was not until Edward III that the longbow was integrated into common practice in British war tactics. The bow itself was roughly between four and six feet in size and had an estimated strength of eighty to ninety pound of force. They are “made of wood; shaped in order to use both the center and sapwood; are symmetrically tapered; and appear to have a very stiff draw weight.” The bows were given to skilled archers who could be able to produce about ten to twelve arrows a minute. It was the quickest use of weaponry during the period and took drastic effect for the English cause. The arrows for the longbow were also about three feet in length and had the ability to travel on average one hundred and ninety yards. The Longbow’s effect on the French army While talking about the longbow, one must commend the power of the weapon and note the true reasons of its success. The French were sitting ducks when they came in contact with the longbow and had little protection from the deadly use of attack. It was noted, the French armies did employ majority of professional mercenary troops, and most notably the Genoese crossbow would be equipped with both sufficient weapons and armor. The common soldier’s lack of armor was a major reason the longbow had such a great impact on warfare and strategy in the early part of the war. Here it demonstrates the lack of strategy on the French’s behalf. In order to have more triumph the French had to spend the money to produce better armor and to purchase more soldiers for combat. The French were economically better off than the English and had the money to put into their weapons and their mass volume of soldiers.

While looking into the failure of the French Army, one must look at the battles at Poitiers and the Battle of Crecy. These battles had great significance in the early stages in the Hundred Years War. It was seen at the “Battle of Poitiers in 1356, the long bow was responsible for the deaths of 2,000 French mounted knights – the elite of the French army.” This was a devastating blow to the French Army, whom was determined to win this encounter. They had the superior leadership to the English but it was apparent lacked the technology to handle the power of the longbow. To continue, at the Battle of Crecy, “English archers devastated the French who lost 11 princes, 1,200 knights and 30,000 common soldiers. The English lost just 100 men. In this particular battle, 20,000 English soldiers’ defeated 60,000 French soldiers.” Here it just goes to show the strength and the relentlessness of the longbow. It gave protection to the English Army and left the French helpless. They French had to strategize against the bow, while they kept losing men and money from the severity of the attacks. The English had created a large-scale version of the legendary David and Goliath.

-counter attack As the French tried to counteract the hard hits from the longbow, they increased their tactics in the form of increasing body armor. They added heavier chain mail that weighed thirty to fifty kilograms. This however seemed to be on of their biggest downfalls. “They hit problems with their amour which, historians now believe, was their Achilles' heel, making them so exhausted that they were unable to fight.” While they tried to better protect themselves they created more problems and were then more vulnerable. This was one of the main reasons the French lost the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, was because they tried to over compensate themselves for the longbow. The English Army, under King Henry V had six thousand soldiers to French’s overwhelming twenty thousand men. Not only were the men of France incredibly slow, they also were at a disadvantage in terrain. They had picked a narrow valley to post camp that lead to their ultimate demise. “The heaviest longbows on the flanks were now ordered to shoot so-called “galling” arrows into the French lines. These arrows were not shot in great numbers as they were essentially meant to wound and disorientate.” This meant they were weakening the forces and targeting the powerful horses, who would throw and kill/injure their riders. Then at Henry’s command, “6,000 English archers firing up to 20 arrows a minute fill the sky with death.” In order to try and protect themselves further from the English, the French tried to adapt the Longbow into their own set of tactics. However, the fear of rebellion in the lower levels of society, “the king was most concerned about peasants having such powerful weapons and the idea was dropped.” Since the battle of Agincourt, the French were overwhelmed at the repeated losses.

-impact “The longbow contributed to the way our world works today because with the war in-between the French and the English each rushed to discover new technologies and pulled Europe out of the Middle Ages.” Around this time, guns and cannons were invented. The French were abandoning their crossbow, which were slow to reload but easy to use and making a transition to guns and cannons. It is believed that, “guns, with an even slower rate of fire and a tendency to explode on the user allowed the longbow to continue its reign of dominance as the number one weapon. Cannons were even slower to reload, at best only being fired 2 or 3 times in one battle.” The cannon proved to be useful and left a bigger hole in its victim, but was still inferior to the longbow. Due to the staggering number of deaths, it became harder and harder to have men operate as archers for the longbow in England. Towards the later years of the war, “gradually the territory across the Channel slipped out of English control. In 1436 the English lost Paris and by 1450 the French had recovered Normandy. In 1451 the French overran Aquitaine and took Bordeaux, which had been in English hands for three hundred years and ran a thriving wine trade with England.” The tables had now turned and the English were now the ones struggling. Often, they were outnumbered by the French military and began losing more and more battles.

-Sources "Bowing to the Longbow." The Economist. N.p., 22 Oct. 2005. Web. 06 Dec. 2015. <http://www.economist.com/node/5053455.>. Cavendish, Richard. "End of the Hundred Years War." Historytoday.com. N.p., 10 Oct. 2003. Web. 4 Dec. 2015. <http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/end-hundred-years-war.>. "History Magazine - The Longbow." History Magazine - The Longbow. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2015. <http://www.history-magazine.com/longbow.html>. Hitchmin, Paul. "Longbow Archers." Longbow Archers. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2015. <http://www.longbowarchers.com/historyagincourt.html>. "Hundred Years' War." New World. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2015. <http://www.newworld.org/entry/Hundred_Years'_War#Weapons>. Kaiser, Robert E. "The Medieval English Longbow." Society of Archer Antiques. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2015. <http://margo.student.utwente.nl/sagi/artikel/longbow/longbow.html.>. Mortimer, John J. "Tactics, Strategy, and Battlefield Formation During the Hundred Years War: The Role of the Longbow in the Infantry Revolution." Infantry Revolution (2013): 1-14. Print. Reporter, Daily Mail. "Why the French Lost the Battle of Agincourt: Heavy Armour Made Troops Too Exhausted to Fight." Mail Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2015. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2016732/Why-French-lost-Battle-Agincourt-Heavy-armour-troops-exhausted-fight.html.>. Trueman, C N. "The Longbow." History Learning Site. N.p., 5 Mar. 2015. Web. 03 Dec. 2015. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medievalengland/the-longbow/.>.