English Longbow men

The longbow proved to be the dominant weapon throughout the 100 Years War and its effectiveness helped the English defeat much larger French armies at Crecy, Poitiers and Agincourt, as well as numerous other battles.

As much as 80 percent of an English army of this period could have been longbow men, although without support from more heavily-armed men-at-arms and cavalry, they were vulnerable if an enemy could get up close. They didn't carry a shield, and like most archers (whose role was more that of skirmishing than heavy combat duty), wore little or no armor.

French armies of this period usually consisted mainly of heavily armored knights on horseback. The longbow men therefore frequently dug wooden stakes into the ground immediately in front of their position. The stakes were tilted, pointing upward towards the stomach of any approaching horse, giving the longbow men similar defensive power against the initial approach of the French knights to a man armed with a long spear or pike.

As the French approached, the longbow men would fire a constant stream of arrows, bringing down as many men and horses as they could.

Even if the French did breach the English lines, discipline amongst the knights often prevented them from taking advantage. More than one battle saw the French snatch defeat from almost certain victory because rather than stick around and finish off the English infantry, they continued on to loot the English camp at the rear of the position. This allowed the English time to regroup, deal with isolated pockets of Frenchmen who did stick around to fight, and then counter-attack.