Quote Originally Posted by Ludens View Post
If longbows were so clearly superior, why had they disappeared in most European countries by the middle ages?
I think we can find the answer in the society of those "monarchs" in the "classic" middle ages (before the Hundred Years' War). Who fought the battles? Nobles/knights whose role was the "honourable" heavy cavalry and the peasants who had to arm themselves usually (and citizens mostly in North-Italy). The "mainlander" peasants had to pay taxes, work on the estates and on their own lands I don't think that they had that much time to master archery/hunting. Also with the appearance of the crossbows (around 12-13. century) which required little skill to use, it was evident that it was favoured over the longbows. But these are my thoughts only.