Infantry in the Middle Ages heavy toll on the English invaders of their lands. Adapted by the English, the longbow was nevertheless a difficult weapon to master, requiring long years of use and practice. Even bow construction was extended, sometimes taking as much as four years for seasoned staves to be prepared and shaped for final deployment. A skilled longbowman could shoot 12 arrows a minute, a rate of fire superior to competing weapons like the crossbow or early gunpowder weapons. The nearest competitor to the longbow was the much more expensive crossbow or Arbalest, used often by urban militias and mercenary forces. It required
Perfect Weapon category. Perfect Weapon Perfect Weapon is a British TV series for the National Geographic Channel. It features the 2 hosts: ex-Royal Marine Monty Halls and archaeologist and medieval weapons expert Stuart Prior choosing a weapon for the current episode's category. Medieval weapons of the same type (such as rifles and cannons or mangonels and trebuchets) are compared and tested in rate of fire, how easy it is to make and to use, fatality (usually using a pig carcass), overall power, accuracy etc. The weapon which would win most of the rounds in the end is deemed the perfect weapon for