The longbow helped defeat French knights at the 1415 Battle of Agincourt.
English and Welsh longbowmen formed a major part of Henry V’s army at Agincourt on 25 October 1415. The English force was heavily outnumbered, and the battlefield had recently been soaked by rain. The narrow, muddy ground restricted the movement of the French army and made massed cavalry attacks especially difficult.
Longbowmen shot volleys into advancing French troops, while sharpened stakes helped protect them from mounted attacks. Many French men-at-arms fought on foot because the terrain and the dense formations reduced the usefulness of cavalry. Crowding made it difficult for fallen soldiers to rise, and the English captured or killed large numbers of nobles.
The longbow was not a magic weapon that automatically defeated armor. Its effectiveness depended on terrain, training, numbers, tactical placement, and the condition of the opposing army. Agincourt became one of the best-known English victories of the Hundred Years’ War.