The Medieval Archer.

by Jim Bradbury

A study of the archer and his weapon from the 11th to the 15th century, focusing on military tactics but also exploring the archer's position in society.

It is a delight to read a book which recognises the importance of warfare in medieval times...also...discusses the changing role of the archer in medieval society. SIR STEVEN RUNCIMAN

This book traces the historyof the archer in the medieval period, from the Norman Conquest to the Wars of the Roses. From a close study of early evidence, the author shows that the archer's role before the time of Edward I was an important but rarely documented one, and that his new prominence in the fourteenth century was the result of changes in development of military tactics rather than the introduction of the famous "longbow".
A second thread of the book examines the archer's role in society, with particular reference to that most famous of all archers, Robin Hood. The final chapters look at the archer in the early fifteenth century and then chronicle the rise of the handgun as the major infantryweapon at the bow's expense.

JIM BRADBURY writes and lectures on battles and warfare in England and France in the Middle Ages.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military History, Medieval, Military Fiction, War, Medieval History

206 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Jim Bradbury (born 27 February 1937) is a British historian specialising in the military history of the Middle Ages. Bradbury lectured in history at Brunel University.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Bra...

Reviews

[David Campton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this short piece piece on Medieval archers and archery where the author looks at the place of bows of different types both militarily and socially in western Europe between the 11th and 16th centuries. He explores some of the overt mythology like Robin Hood and explodes some of the more subtle mythology like the Welsh origin of a distinct "longbow", the originality of English tactics at Agincourt and the image of French chivalry riding to their doom against a hail of arrows, among others. There are a few frustrating typos and the author perhaps might have inferred something from the later use of firearms in association with pile regiments by western European forces during the renaissance and later, as to how bow and spear/bill troops might have interacted in the earlier period, rather than argue, as he does that archers were largely and most effectively used on the wings of the entire army rather than on the wings of smaller regiments or divisions. This, to me would more easily explain the mysterious reference to "herces" of archers in some literature.

[AskHistorians]

One of the best overviews of the archer from the early through later Middle Ages.

[Paul A · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fair overview of English archery from 1066 to 1450, with some short asides regarding other types of bows and crossbows. The author discusses the development of the "longbow" and how its size and use evolved over its lifetime. He also covers in brief some of the battles in which the longbow played an important, if not always decisive, role. A good introduction, but those familiar with these period of history are unlikely to learn very much that is new. I did find some topics of discussion to be interesting, such as the author's theories on how the archers might have actually been deployed in the herce.

[Anthony Benwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant breakdown of the life of archer that will leave you ready to pull back the bow string and go off to war.
Breaks down what it means to be an archer, from his equipment, his standing in society throughout history, all the way to the decline of the archer in an ever changing war machine.

Overall, it is a timeless and well-rounded treasure trove of information from the great Jim Bradbury.

[RDax Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim Bradbury makes history easy to read. This very concise but detailed coverage of the Archer just flew by. Covering everything from eh major battles, to artwork and types of bow. If you want to read up on the archer in history this is a great place to start.

[Anthony Benwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t think I would get much information from this book. Turns out the history of archery in the medieval age was very complex and highly interesting.

Loved the depth it went into when it comes to the weapons of the day.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! An extremely fun read! Very informative look and medieval archery and the different types of bows used. A must, for any hunter or avid shooter.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting, thorough, and well written. My only complaints are related to more or less peripheral issues. Due to the lack of detail in the original sources, the maps of battles are vague to the point of being literally useless. The book would be better off without them. But my biggest problem is with the citations. There are many citations on almost every page, in which he provides quotes from historical sources supporting the claims he makes in the main text. The problem is that the vast majority of the quotes are written in Latin, but none are accompanied by a translation. True, there are non-Latin quotes... mainly in French... OLD French. Fortunately, there are a handful of quotes written in English... Unfortunately, most of these are written in OLD English. The others, predictably, are written in Middle English. So he provides plenty of citations, but they are useless unless you either speak Latin and several dead languages, or take the time to find translations for several quotes on each page. This should not, however, be interpreted as a reason to avoid the book. It is quite enjoyable and full of interesting tidbits.