A review of Longbow, a social and military history by Robert Hardy.

I’ve had this book for a long time. I bought it way back in 1993, and in fact the first edition was published in 1976. This third edition includes an additional chapter which examines the discovery of 137 longbows and over 3,500 arrows from the Mary Rose, Henry VIII’s warship which sank in the Solent in 1545.

Written by the actor Robert Hardy, it’s a comprehensive account of the bow from its invention around 50,000 years ago, concentrating mainly on what is now known as the English longbow. It examines historical and archaeological evidence, and also looks at the presence of the bow in mythology by examining accounts of legends like Robin Hood.

The bulk of the book, however, concentrates on the time from the reign of Edward I (1272-1307) onwards, looking at the way the feudal system worked, the rise of the archer, and detailed accounts of the wars with France. Agincourt gets a chapter of its own. Hardy then looks at post-medieval use of the bow, including its use in America. There is also a detailed examination of the making of a longbow.

The final chapter looks at the finds from the Mary Rose, examining the construction of the bows found there, and the deductions that can be made from their length and strength. There are also some appendices with detailed technical considerations.

As a possible criticism, although there are some colour plates, the majority of the book is black and white, which is a shame when this hardback book appears to be marketed as a “coffee table” read. Also, Hardy is happy to pass on his personal views, such as “I find it impossible to believe that commanders of the calibre of Edward III and Henry V, and the rest, wasted the enormous potential of their infantry weapon by failing to supply their archers with enough arrows.” However, Hardy clearly knows his stuff, and because of this I’m happy to accept his opinions.

Although presented as a coffee table book, it’s a thorough, detailed account of the longbow, and should provide any student of the weapon with an in-depth investigation into the longbow’s construction and practical use.

I’ll be posting my own podcast on the longbow over the next few days, so keep your eyes (and ears) peeled!

Freya

(And Freya's podcast on the Longbow is now available here.)

This is a review of The Wars of the Roses by Terence Wise, illustrated by Gerry Embleton.

This forty page colour book serves as a useful introduction to the Wars of the Roses. As can be expected of an Osprey book, it has a military and partly political focus rather than a social one. It begins by examining whether this was truly a civil war or actually a dynastic struggle between the Yorkist and Lancastrian houses. It then moves on to look at the ruling families and includes a useful lineage table that is both clear and easy to understand (which is no mean feat considering the complexity of the dynasties in this era.)

The book then goes on to look at the three main phases of the wars in more detail. The first, covering 1455-1464, involves the First Battle of St. Albans, and the battles of Northampton, Wakefield, Mortimer’s Cross, Second St. Albans, Towton and Hexham. Shortly after this, Edward of York secured his crown, married Elizabeth Woodville (against the wishes of Warwick ‘the Kingmaker’ who was trying to arrange a French marriage) and imprisoned King Henry VI in the Tower. The book includes maps of the battlefields, and shows placements of troops and their movements during the battle.

It then moves onto the second phase, 1469-1471. This mainly involves Warwick’s rebellion against Edward, and includes the battles of Barnet (at which Warwick died) and Tewkesbury. Barnet holds a special fascination for me. It was fought in thick fog, and where the right wing of each army overlapped the left wing of the other, over the course of the battle the two armies swung around. Because of the fog, the Lancastrian right ended up connecting with the rear of the centre section of its own army, leading to accusations of treason. Edward’s cavalry charge caused a Lancastrian rout, and Warwick and his brother were cut down and killed.

The following illustrations aren't from the book, but they show the swing of formations to almost right angles from their original positions.

The book then addresses the third phase, 1483-87, which deals with the death of Edward IV, the “Princes in the Tower” and Richard III’s brief reign, and examines the battles of Bosworth, Stoke, Blackheath and Exeter.

The rest of the book looks at the armies of the day, with photos of plate armour, styles of helmets and coloured plates of various types of soldiers and standards. As I have an interest in heraldry, I appreciated these plates—it made an interesting addition to pictures of weaponry. Wise also looks at liveries and badges, and concludes with a discussion of the scenes in the coloured plates accompanied by a few photographs of weapons used at the time.

Although it’s a somewhat thin book, it certainly doesn’t claim to be an all-encompassing study of the period, and it's a really good introduction for anyone who's interested in beginning an investigation into the era. As I also have an interest in archaeology, I wouldn’t have minded a few photos of any surviving archaeological evidence from the battles sites. But it’s a concise summary of the events leading up to the civil war, and I adore the maps of the battlefields. I spent many happy hours as a teenager drawing these onto cards and detailing the movements of the armies.

On a final note, reading once again about Edward’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville against the advice of Warwick brought to mind A Game of Thrones and Robb Stark’s marriage to Jeyne Westerling against his mother’s advice. It is clear that George R R Martin drew heavily on this period and its warring houses for his novels, so I guess it’s no surprise that I love the series so much!

Freya