Ajay Kumar at 14:17, 7 September 2023

2023-09-07T14:17:50Z

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{{Short description|Type of ranged weapon resembling a tall bow and arrow}}
{{About|the weapon}}
[[File:Crecy village sign.JPG|thumb|Longbowman depicted on a sign commemorating the [[Battle of Crécy]]]]

A '''longbow''' (known as '''warbow''' in its time, in contrast to a hunting bow) is a type of tall [[Bow and arrow|bow]] that makes a fairly long [[Bow draw|draw]] possible. A longbow is not significantly [[Recurve bow|recurved]]. Its limbs are relatively narrow and are circular or D-shaped in cross section. [[Flatbow]]s can be just as long, but in cross-section, a flatbow has limbs that are approximately rectangular.

Longbows for hunting and warfare have been made from many different woods in many cultures; in Europe they date from the [[Paleolithic]] era and, since the [[Bronze Age]], were made mainly from [[Taxus baccata|yew]], or from [[Ulmus glabra|wych elm]] if yew was unavailable. The historical longbow was a [[self bow]] made of a single piece of wood, but modern longbows may also be made from modern materials or by gluing different timbers together.

==History==
[[File:Longbowmen.jpg|thumb|right|Illustration of longbowmen from the 14th century]]

===Europe===
A longbow was found in 1991 in the [[Ötztal Alps]] with a [[natural mummy]] known as [[Ötzi]]. His bow was made from [[yew]] and was {{convert|1.82|m|in}} long; the body has been dated to around 3300 BC. A slightly shorter bow comes from the Scottish parish of Tweedsmuir in a [[peat bog]] known as Rotten Bottom. The bow, made from [[yew]], has been given a calibrated radiocarbon date of 4040 BC to 3640 BC.<ref>Scottish Archaeological Research Framework: Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Neolithic: Alison Sheridan & Kenny Brophy (editors). ScARF National Framework Neolithic 5. Material culture and use of resources 5.3 Organics 5.3.2 Wood and other plant material https://scarf.scot/national/scarf-neolithic-panel-report/5-material-culture-and-use-of-resources/5-3-organics/5-3-2-wood-and-other-plant-material/</ref> Another bow made from yew, found within some peat in Somerset, England has been dated to 2700–2600 BC. Forty longbows, which date from the 4th century AD, have been discovered in a [[peat bog]] at [[Nydam]] in [[Denmark]].<ref>Loades, Mike (2013) ''The Longbow'', Osprey Publishing, {{ISBN|978-1-7820-0085-3}} (p. 7)</ref>

In the [[Middle Ages]] the English and Welsh<ref>{{Cite web |title=The History of the English Longbow |url=https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/The-Longbow/ |access-date=2023-02-15 |website=Historic UK |language=en-GB}}</ref> were famous for their very powerful longbows, used ''en masse'' to great effect against the French in the [[Hundred Years' War]], with notable success at the battles of [[Battle of Crécy|Crécy]] (1346), [[Battle of Poitiers|Poitiers]] (1356), and [[Battle of Agincourt|Agincourt]] (1415).<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/13146838/_The_Efficacy_of_the_Medieval_Longbow_A_Reply_to_Kelly_DeVries_War_in_History_5_no._2_1998_233-42 "The Efficacy of the Medieval Longbow: A Reply to Kelly DeVries,"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160123072400/http://www.academia.edu/13146838/_The_Efficacy_of_the_Medieval_Longbow_A_Reply_to_Kelly_DeVries_War_in_History_5_no._2_1998_233-42 |date=2016-01-23 }} ''War in History'' 5, no. 2 (1998): 233–242; idem, "The Battle of Agincourt", ''The Hundred Years War (Part II): Different Vistas'', ed. L. J. Andrew Villalon and Donald J. Kagay (Leiden: Brill, 2008): 37–132.</ref> During the reign of [[Edward III of England]], laws were passed allowing [[fletcher (occupation)|fletchers]] and [[bowyer]]s to be [[impressment|impressed]] into the army and enjoining them to practice archery. The dominance of the longbow on the battlefield continued until the French began to use [[cannon]] to break the formations of English archers at the [[Battle of Formigny]] (1450) and the [[Battle of Castillon]] (1453). Their use continued in the [[Wars of the Roses]]. They survived as a weapon of war in England well beyond the introduction of effective firearms.<ref>Nolan, Cathal J. (2006), [https://books.google.com/books?id=oBHJ1eK_tcoC&dq=Edward+III+longbow&pg=PA546 ''The Age of Wars of Religion, 1000–1650: An Encyclopedia of Global Warfare and Civilization, Volume 2''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820022828/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=oBHJ1eK_tcoC&pg=PA546&dq=Edward+III+longbow&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjdkYD736rNAhWmKsAKHayBBlQQ6AEIMzAE |date=2016-08-20 }}, Greenwood Press, {{ISBN|0-313-33734-9}} (pp. 546–547)</ref>The [[Battle of Flodden]] (1513) was "a landmark in the history of archery, as the last battle on English soil to be fought with the longbow as the principal weapon..."<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mcTtAAAAMAAJ&q=flodden|title=The Grey Goose Wing |first=Ernest Gerald |last=Heath|date=1972|publisher=New York Graphic Society|isbn=978-0821204498 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

The first book in English about longbow archery was ''[[Toxophilus]]'' by [[Roger Ascham]], first published in London in 1545 and dedicated to [[Henry VIII of England|King Henry VIII]]. In 1588, the [[Militia (English)|militia]] was called out in anticipation of an invasion by the [[Spanish Armada]] and it included many archers in its ranks; the [[Kent]] militia for instance, had 1,662 archers out of 12,654 men mustered.<ref>Hutchinson, Robert (2013) ''The Spanish Armada'', Phoenix (Orion Books Ltd) {{ISBN|978-1-7802-2088-8}} (pp. 65–66)</ref>

The [[Battle of Tippermuir]] (1644), in Scotland, may have been the last battle in the [[British Isles]] to involve the longbow in significant numbers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/The-Longbow/|title=The History of the English Longbow|website=historic-uk.com|access-date=3 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170612202822/http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/The-Longbow/|archive-date=12 June 2017}}</ref> It has also been claimed that longbows may have been used as late as 1654 at the [[Battle of Tullich]] in northeast Scotland.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://braemarscotland.co.uk/history/ |title=Braemar History |publisher=Braemar Tourism Group }}</ref>

===Modern recreational and hunting use===

Although [[firearm]]s supplanted bows in warfare, wooden or [[fibreglass]] [[Laminated bow|laminated longbows]] continue to be used by traditional archers and some tribal societies for recreation and hunting. A longbow has practical advantages compared with a modern [[Recurve bow|recurve]] or [[compound bow]]; it is usually lighter, quicker to prepare for shooting, and shoots more quietly. However, other things being equal, the modern bow will shoot a faster arrow more accurately than the longbow.

Organisations that run [[archery]] competitions have set out formal definitions for various classes of bow; many definitions of the longbow would exclude some medieval examples, materials, and techniques of use.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nfas.net/nfas_styles.asp?style=LB|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070209021550/http://www.nfas.net/nfas_styles.asp?style=LB |url-status=dead |title=The (UK) National Field Archery Association's definition of a longbow|archivedate=February 9, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ifaa-archery.org/pages/longbow.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927191949/http://www.ifaa-archery.org/pages/longbow.htm |url-status=dead |title=The International Field Archery's definition|archivedate=September 27, 2007}}</ref> Some archery clubs in the United States classify longbows simply as bows with strings that do not come in contact with their limbs. According to the British Longbow Society, the [[English longbow]] is made so that its thickness is at least {{frac|5|8}} (62.5%) of its width, as in [[Victorian era|Victorian]] longbows, and is widest at the grip.<ref>
{{cite web |url=https://sylvanarchery.co.uk/longbowrequirementsnew.html |title=British Longbow Society Definition |author= |date= 2009|website=Sylvan Archery |access-date= November 5, 2022}}</ref> A similar, more inclusive, definition was created by the International Longbow Archers Association (ILAA) which defined the bow as fitting within a rectangular template of the proportions 1:0.625.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.longbow-archers-association.org/Definition/|title=Longbow definition|last=Cornhill|first=R. E.|website=International Longbow Archers Association |access-date=November 5, 2022}}</ref>

==Design and construction==
[[File:Self and composite longbows-blank.jpg|thumb|Top: Lemonwood, purpleheart and hickory [[laminated bow]]. <br>Bottom: Yew selfbow.]]

Because the longbow can be made from a single piece of wood, it can be crafted relatively easily and quickly. Amateur [[bowyer]]s today can make a longbow in about ten to twenty hours,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.twistedstave.com/traditional-archery2/|title=Traditional Archery |publisher=Clay Hayes }}</ref> while highly skilled bowyers, such as those who produced medieval English longbows, can make wooden longbows in just a few hours.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}

One of the simpler longbow designs is known as the [[self bow]], by definition made from a single piece of wood. Traditional English longbows are self bows made from [[Taxus baccata|yew]] wood. The bowstave is cut from the radius of the tree so that sapwood (on the outside of the tree) becomes the back and forms about one third of the total thickness; the remaining two-thirds or so is heartwood (50/50 is about the maximum sapwood/heartwood ratio generally used). Yew sapwood is good only in [[Tension (physics)|tension]], while the heartwood is good in [[Compression (physical)|compression]]. However, compromises must be made when making a yew longbow, as it is difficult to find perfect unblemished yew. The demand for yew bowstaves was such that by the late 16th century mature yew trees were almost extinct in northern Europe.<ref>''Yew: A History''. Hageneder F. Sutton Publishing, 2007. {{ISBN|978-0-7509-4597-4}}.</ref> In other desirable woods such as [[Osage orange]] and [[mulberry]] the sapwood is almost useless and is normally removed entirely.

Longbows, because of their narrow limbs and rounded cross-section (which does not spread out stress within the wood as evenly as a [[flatbow]]’s rectangular cross section), need to be less powerful, longer or of more elastic wood than an equivalent flatbow. In Europe the last approach was used, with yew being the wood of choice, because of its high compressive strength, light weight, and elasticity. Yew is the best widespread European timber that will make good self longbows, (other woods such as elm can make longbows but require heat-treating of the belly and a wider belly/narrower back, while still falling into the definition of a longbow) and has been the main wood used in European bows since Neolithic times. More common and cheaper hard woods, including [[elm]], [[oak]], [[hickory]], [[Ash tree|ash]], [[hazel]] and [[maple]], are good for flatbows. A narrow longbow with high draw-weight can be made from these woods, but it is likely to take a permanent bend (known as "set" or "following the string") and would probably be outshot by an equivalent made of yew.{{original research inline|date=August 2015}}{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}

Wooden [[laminated bow|laminated]] longbows can be made by gluing together two or more different pieces of wood. Usually this is done to take advantage of the inherent properties of different woods: some woods can better withstand compression while others are better at withstanding tension. Examples include [[hickory]] and [[Calycophyllum candidissimum|lemonwood]], or [[bamboo]] and yew longbows: hickory or bamboo is used on the back of the bow (the part facing away from the archer when shooting) and so is in tension, while the belly (the part facing the archer when shooting) is made of lemonwood or yew and undergoes compression (see [[bending]] for a further explanation of stresses in a bending beam). Traditionally made Japanese [[yumi]] are also laminated longbows, made from strips of wood: the core of the bow is [[bamboo]], the back and belly are bamboo or [[hardwood]], and hardwood strips are laminated to the bow's sides to prevent twisting.
Any wooden bow must have gentle treatment and be protected from excessive damp or dryness. Wooden bows may shoot as well as fiberglass, but they are more easily dented or broken by abuse. Bows made of modern materials can be left strung for longer than wood bows, which may take a large amount of set if not unstrung immediately after use.

== Legacy ==

The longbow and its [[English longbow#Use|historical significance]], arising from its adoption by the [[Welsh people|Welsh]] fighting alongside the English during the [[Hundred Years' War]], have created a lasting legacy for the longbow, which has given its name to modern military equipment, including:

*The [[AGM-114 Hellfire|AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire]], an air-to-ground missile; and
*The Dakota [[Longbow T-76]], a sniper rifle.

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Bow shape]]
* [[Cable-backed bow]]
* [[Composite bow]]
* [[Crossbow]]
* [[Horse archer]]
* [[Welsh bow]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
;Notes
{{Reflist|40em}}

== Further reading ==
{{Commons category|Longbows}}
{{Wiktionary}}
* ''The Traditional Bowyers Bible Volume 1''. 1992. The Lyons Press. {{ISBN|1-58574-085-3}}.
* ''The Traditional Bowyers Bible Volume 2''. 1992. The Lyons Press. {{ISBN|1-58574-086-1}}.
* ''The Traditional Bowyers Bible Volume 3''. 1994. The Lyons Press. {{ISBN|1-58574-087-X}}.
* ''The Traditional Bowyers Bible Volume 4''. 2008. The Lyons Press. {{ISBN|978-0-9645741-6-8}}.
* Bryant, Arthur (1963). ''The Age of Chivalry''.
* Gray, David (2002). ''Bows of the World''. The Lyons Press. {{ISBN|1-58574-478-6}}.
* ''The Great Warbow: From Hastings to the Mary Rose'', by Dr. Matthew Strickland [https://web.archive.org/web/20071118111923/http://www.arts.gla.ac.uk/History/staff/strickland.htm Department of History – Dr Matthew Strickland] and Robert Hardy, Pub Sutton, 2005, {{ISBN|0-7509-3167-1}}.
* ''Longbow: A Social and Military History'', by [[Robert Hardy]], CBE, FSA. Pub Sutton, rev 2006, {{ISBN|0-7509-4391-2}}.

*Jenkins, Simon 2018 ''A Short History of England'' pp. 72–73 Profile Books Ltd. {{ISBN|978 1 78816 089 6}}

{{Archery}}
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[[Category:Bows (archery)]]

Longbow - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 14:17, 7 September 2023