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A '''longbow''' is a long, hand-drawn ranged weapon which sometimes exceeded 6 feet in length, made famous in [[medieval]] [[England]].<ref>http://www.thefreedictionary.com/longbow</ref>  It is a common misconception that the longbow is a uniquely [[British]] weapon, when in reality longbows existed on every continent and arrived relatively late to England.<ref>http://www.thebeckoning.com/medieval/longbow/the-longbow.html</ref> It was the [[Welsh]] who actually developed the longbow that the English later adopted.  It should be noted, however, that bow quality changed over time, and it was more than just size that made a longbow.     

A '''longbow''' is a long, hand-drawn weapon designed to shoot arrows at a distance and which sometimes exceeded 6 feet in length.  It was made famous from its usage in [[medieval]] [[England]].<ref>http://www.thefreedictionary.com/longbow</ref>  It is a common misconception that the longbow was a uniquely [[British]] weapon, when in reality longbows were developed on every continent and arrived relatively late to England.<ref>http://www.thebeckoning.com/medieval/longbow/the-longbow.html</ref> It was the [[Welsh]] who actually developed the longbow that the English later adopted.   

Able to shoot further and with more power than conventional bows, it's affect was notable.  In fact, at short range, an arrow from a longbow could penetrate 4 inches of seasoned [[oak]].<ref>http://www.archers.org/default.asp?section=History&page=longbow</ref> The longbow proved to be a devastating weapon in the hands of British longbowmen, who demonstrated enormous success against armies with significantly greater numbers of troops.  Good examples of this were the [[Battle of Crecy]] and the [[Battle of Agincourt]] during the [[Hundred Years War]].

It should be noted that bow quality changed over time and all longbows were not the same.  It was more than just large size that made the English longbow a formidable weapon.  Able to shoot further and with more power than conventional bows, it's affect was notable.  In fact, at short range, an arrow from a longbow could penetrate 4 inches of seasoned [[oak]].<ref>http://www.archers.org/default.asp?section=History&page=longbow</ref> The longbow proved to be a devastating weapon in the hands of British longbowmen, who demonstrated enormous success against armies with significantly greater numbers of troops.  Good examples of this were the [[Battle of Crecy]] and the [[Battle of Agincourt]] during the [[Hundred Years War]] where heavily armored French knights were no match for the weapons used against them.

[[Image:Longbow.jpg]] [[Image:Longbows.jpg]]

[[Image:Longbow.jpg]] [[Image:Longbows.jpg]]