Why did the English adopt the longbow instead of the crossbow like much of the rest of the continent? Was it a cultural thing or were there economic reasons?
Crossbow is a shit weapon
>slow to fire
>inaccurate
>>1430040
Life is not a video game.
As well as longbows the English also used crossbows, especially in ships, defenses, and such.
>>1430040
they had a developed culture of archery, and the longbow was a reliable and effective weapon on the battlefield.
>>1430040
The English (and Welsh) could fire a longbow better than anyone could fire a crossbow
>>1430040
You have to realize, this is before the rather modern notion that the government would equip and train its soldiers. This is the feudal era. You sent out a call to arms, and your vassals would show up with whatever they had.
You didn't have a top down process of figuring out what the best weapon was, stockpiling those, and handing them out when you went to war. You had a succession of village bowyers who would make the kind of bows they knew how to make, and that what your people turned up with, and you made do with what you had to work with as a commander.
The question doesn't even really make sense.
>>1430040
Where the fuck did you ever hear that the English didn't use crossbows?
>>1430905
They didn't like to cross their brows?
Crossbows are great for sieges. Did England participate in many sieges or have a larger mercenary population?
Other Anons have covered it pretty well but there is also the fact that they serve different purposes, a crossbow has nowhere near the effective range of a longbow, meaning it was far less effective at sending arching volleys over the frontline footmen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cr%C3%A9cy
