Medieval European Armies by Terence Wise

Medieval European Armies by Terence Wise

Author:Terence Wise
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Medieval European Armies
ISBN: 9781782008767
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing


THE ENGLISH LONGBOW

The longbow had been in use in South Wales and parts of England since at least the twelfth century but Edward I was the first to realise the full potential of the weapon during his conquest of North Wales. In 1282 he had 850 hired crossbowmen in his army but over the next decade this number dwindled to a mere seventy, while a large corps of longbowmen was trained to replace them. In 1292 at the Battle of Orewin Bridge his faith in this ‘new’ weapon was vindicated. The Welsh, mainly spearmen, had taken up a position on the forward slope of a hill overlooking the bridge but just beyond bowshot, and any attempt to force a crossing by cavalry or infantry would have enabled them to descend at any time to engage as much of the English force as they chose, with the remainder unable to advance in support. However, at dawn the next day the English infantry crossed the river upstream by an unguarded ford and attacked the Welsh in the flank. The Welsh retired to make a stand on the hilltop. The cavalry was powerless against the hedge of spear points but the longbowmen were ordered forward and under a hail of arrows the Welsh ranks began to thin. Unable to break ranks to advance or retreat because of the cavalry poised for a charge, the Welsh were broken by the arrowstorm and the survivors ridden down by the cavalry. It was a perfect example of the combination of shock and missile tactics.

Edward took these tactics to Scotland and at Falkirk (1298) defeated 10,000 Scottish infantry and 200 knights with 12,500 infantry and 2,500 knights. The Scots took position on the forward slope of a hill, their front covered by a marsh, and formed four great hedgehogs of spearmen, with perhaps 2,000 archers in the intervals and the knights at the rear. It was impossible to cross the marsh and Edward’s flank Battles therefore went round the ends, the Main Battle under Edward following to the right. The Scottish knights fled the field without striking a blow, enabling the English cavalry to ride down most of the archers, although they were repulsed by the spearmen with heavy losses. Edward then arrived on the scene and ordered forward the longbowmen. It was Orewin Bridge all over again and few of the spearmen survived the battle. The disaster at Bannockburn (1314), when 10,000 Scots defeated 23,000 English under Edward II, was the direct result of the cavalry attempting to fight the battle on their own.

These tactics were perfected during the early years of Edward III’s reign at Dupplin (1332) and Halidon Hill (1333). At Dupplin 500 knights and 2,000 longbowmen faced a Scottish army of about 10,000. The English took position on a hill with the knights dismounted in the centre, except for a small mounted reserve, and the archers on the flanks, slightly forward so they could sweep the front with their fire. The Scottish spearmen



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