Archery

Medieval archery was very important in history and can be tracked all the way back to the Stone Ages. Medieval archery is considered to be the use of a long bow or a crossbow. To become a skilled bowman training would take a very long time. Although the crossbow doesn’t take as long to master, it can be used without much training. The bow was considerably easier to make then the crossbow. The bow is probably more efficient because it can shoot up to 10-12 arrows in a minute and shot up to 300-350 yards with a skilled bowman, but a crossbow can only shot up to 2 shoots per minute and shot up to 350-400 .(http://www.medieval-life-and-times.info/medieval-life/medieval-archer.htm). The longbows were often made out of wood and the string was made from hemp and it was soaked in glue and this made it more durable in the weather when it shot. The people that made these bows were called artillators and the arrow was a straight shaft with a sharp point at the end to kill the target. (http://www.castles.me.uk/bow-and-arrow.htm). A very popular and effective arrow was called the Bodkin arrow and these could pierce armor very easy. (http://www.castles.me.uk/bow-and-arrow.htm). The crossbow was made out of wood, iron, or steel and the string was also made out of hemp and it was soaked in glue, too. (http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/crossbow.htm). The crossbow was built with a wooden stock at the end to help aim out the shot and the bow span was usually 2-3 feet long. It did take a good bit of strength to use a crank crossbow but an untrained solider could operate one. (http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/crossbow.htm). The Archery Law of 1363 was an important law to almost all people in England in the medieval times. This law required all men from the ages 15-60 to have a bow equipped at all times. This also meant that everyone had to train with a bow and this soon made archery a whole other thing. This then becomes a huge part in war and archery becomes the main weapon used in