What weapon was famously used by English longbowmen?

What weapon was famously used by English longbowmen? The longbow was their famous weapon.

The English longbow was a tall wooden bow, often made from yew, that could be used to fire arrows in powerful massed volleys. English and Welsh archers became especially renowned during the Hundred Years’ War, when longbowmen supported English victories at Crécy in 1346, Poitiers in 1356, and Agincourt in 1415.

The weapon’s battlefield value depended on more than raw power. Archers trained for years to draw heavy bows, and commanders often placed them behind stakes or on protected flanks. This made cavalry attacks dangerous and allowed large groups of archers to disrupt advancing formations. The longbow was not an unstoppable weapon, however: it was less effective when archers lacked time to prepare defenses or faced changing battlefield conditions.

The longbow is sometimes confused with the crossbow, another important medieval missile weapon. Crossbows were easier to learn but slower to reload, while effective military longbows demanded exceptional strength and long practice. The English longbow gradually declined as armor, tactics, and gunpowder artillery developed.