Editing English longbow (section)

=== Origins ===

The origins of the English longbow are disputed. While it is hard to assess the significance of military archery in pre-[[Norman Conquest]] [[Anglo-Saxon warfare]], it is clear that archery played a prominent role under the [[Normans]], as the story of the [[Battle of Hastings]] shows. Their [[Anglo-Normans|Anglo-Norman]] descendants also made use of military archery, as exemplified by their victory at the [[Battle of the Standard]] in 1138.

During the Anglo-Norman invasions of [[Wales]], Welsh bowmen took a heavy toll of the invaders and Welsh archers would feature in English armies from this point on. [[Giraldus Cambrensis]] [[Itinerarium Cambriae|toured Wales]] in 1188, recording that the bows of [[Kingdom of Gwent|Gwent]] were "stiff and strong, not only for missiles to be shot from a distance, but also for sustaining heavy blows in close quarters."<ref>Gerald of Wales. (c.1188). The Journey Through Wales and The Description of Wales. Translated by:

Lewis Thorpe. (1978 edition). London: Penguin Books Ltd. </ref>  He gave examples of the performance of the Welsh bow :

{{quote|[I]n the war against the Welsh, one of the men of arms was struck by an arrow shot at him by a Welshman. It went right through his thigh, high up, where it was protected inside and outside the leg by his iron [[chausses]], and then through the skirt of his leather tunic; next it penetrated that part of the saddle which is called the alva or seat; and finally it lodged in his horse, driving so deep that it killed the animal.<ref>''Itinerarium Cambriae'', (1191)</ref><ref>{{citation |quote=12 at the time, 1191, this would be mail chausses, and the story is that having had one leg shot through and pinned to the saddle by an arrow, the knight wheeled his horse around, only to receive a second arrow, which nailed the other leg in the same fashion. |publisher= Osprey |title=Weapon 030 – The Longbow |page= 66}}</ref>}}

However, historians dispute whether this archery used a different kind of bow from the later English Longbow.{{sfn|Strickland|Hardy|2005|pp=34–48}}

Traditionally it has been argued that prior to the beginning of the 14th century, the weapon was a self bow between four and five feet in length, known since the 19th century as the shortbow. This weapon, drawn to the chest rather than the ear, was much weaker. However, in 1985, Jim Bradbury reclassified this weapon as the ''ordinary wooden bow'', reserving the term shortbow for short [[composite bow]]s and arguing that longbows were a developed form of this ordinary bow.{{sfn|Bradbury|1985|pp=14–15}} Strickland and Hardy in 2005 took this argument further, suggesting that the shortbow was a myth and all early English bows were a form of longbow.{{sfn|Strickland|Hardy|2005|pp=37–38, 48}} In 2011, Clifford Rogers forcefully restated the traditional case based upon a variety of evidence, including a large scale iconographic survey.{{sfn|Rogers|2011}} In 2012, Richard Wadge added to the debate with an extensive survey of record, iconographic and archaeological evidence, concluding that longbows co-existed with shorter self-wood bows in England in the period between the Norman conquest and the reign of Edward III, but that powerful longbows shooting heavy arrows were a rarity until the later 13th century.{{sfn|Wadge|2012|pp=211–212}} Whether or not there was a technological revolution at the end of the 13th century therefore remains in dispute. What is agreed, however, is that an effective tactical system that included powerful longbows used in mass was developed in the late 13th and early 14th centuries.
In 1295, [[Edward I]] began to better organize his armed forces, creating uniformly-sized units and a clear chain of command. He introduced the combined use of an initial assault by archers followed by a cavalry attack and infantry. The technique was later used effectively at the [[Battle of Falkirk]] in 1298.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kench |first1=Tony |title=Longbow Origins Before Crecy – Was It Really Welsh? |url=https://www.bowyers.com/LongbowOrigins.pdf |website=bowyers.com |access-date=16 June 2021 |date=19 November 2014}}</ref>

{{quote|The rising importance of foot troops, then, brought not only the opportunity but also the need to expand armies substantially. Then as early as the late 13th century, we can observe Edward I campaigning at the head of armies incorporating tens of thousands of paid archers and spearmen. This represented a major change in approaches to recruitment, organization, and above all pay.{{sfn|Keen|1999|p=148}}}}