The Medieval Archer

This is a study of the archer and his weapon, from the Norman Conquest to the Wars of the Roses. It opens with a definition of various types of bow and challenges the usual assumption that the longbow was a new and devastating weapon used only by the English army from the late-13th century onwards. Bradbury shows from a close study of early evidence, including that of bows used for hunting, that the archer's role before the time of Edward I was an important but rarely-documented one, and that his new prominence in the 14th century was the result of changes in development of military tactics and the organization of armies rather than a change of weapon.