The English Longbowman
The English Longbowman The most feared soldier in Europe during the late medieval era was the English Longbowman. The English archer went on campaign with his feudal overlord, with his prince, or with his king. The ideal English Longbowman was a freeman (Yeoman) and a true professional soldier. In the reign of Edward III, Englishmen who enlisted into the ranks of their King did so by choice and for specified rates of pay and conditions of service. Nearly all Englishmen were trained from boyhood to use the mighty longbow. The preferred archers were tall, strong men quite capable of notching a mark at 300 paces, a pace at the time being between successive steps with the same foot. Thomas Eltham, the chronicler of Agincourt wrote of the air being darkened by arrows...to pour down on the enemy like rain. To achieve such perfection required continuous practice.English Kings made practice compulsory.Archery was made compulsory on Sundays and Public holidays, and there were penalties for any man not taking part. The Sheriffs had orders to ensure that training was kept up. Henry I decreed that if an archer slew a man at practice then this was not to be considered as a crime if he had first shouted 'fast!' as a warning.. Edward III regarded archers so highly that even poachers (a crime that would normally have got you hung) could be pardoned if they agreed to serve in his army against the Scots. All this practice was to pay good dividends as the results of Crecy, Poitiers and Agincourt were to testify.
Equipment
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Article added: 2006-03-03 @ 11:10 am | Last Modified: 2006-11-21 @ 8:20 pm
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