Main Discussion Area > English Warbow
Crossbows outrange Longbows?
JW_Halverson:
The accounts of Agincourt I have read state the Italian mercenary crossbowmen were getting nicely aerated/perforated long before they could return fire. They turned and marched back out of range of the longbowmen where the French reneged on payment and slaughtered the crossbowmen instead of paying their wages.
mullet:
That's the story I read too.
Jaro:
By 1400´ most crossbows would still have composite prods, though there are steel prods already in use, they are nowhere as thick and heavy as late 1600´ hunting renaissance crosbows too often cited as "as heavy as 1200 pounds".
Composite prods have drawweight limitations and by that time belt hook with or without single pulley was standart spanning device for field weapons. That should tell you how heavy these probably were. But these bows had still relativelly long draw (for crossbows I mean)
In 1500´the situation was different, steel prods/short draws were standart and german cranequin most common in mid/western europe. In Schilling chronicles is "sound of german cranequins being unwind" described as most prevalent sound on battlefield. At that time though arquebuis was already cheaper and more used alternative.
We have here some husite crossbows from early 1400´ intended for field use and they do not appear to be very heavy, nor well made......
Jaroslav
Len:
I think some of you may be confusing crecy with agincourt in regards to crossbowmwen being killed by the French knights etc. A typical fieldcrossbow of the time probably had a draw of around maybe up to 300lb , so its not going to out range an English warbow and its not going to get anywhere near it for rate of fire, IMO .
Loki:
It was Crecy the crossbowmen were ridden down by their own cavalry,because they had retreated from the engagement with the Longbowmen.They had to retreat because they had no pavises to reload behind so they fell like wheat to the English arrows.
At Agincourt the crossbowmen werent positioned so they could shoot at the English,the battlefields so narrow and the French Nobles were so eager to kill the English peasents they filled their 'battles' with Infantry and left the Crossbowmen to the rear,they must of been confident ;D.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version