James P. Ward http://james.wardware.com/J-Europ-Econ-Hist.pdf Halberds were 3-4 times more expensive than pikes. Bows were very cheap: The poor man's other weapon besides the pike was the longbow with its arrows. One hundred longbows cost Gouda 14 stuivers in 1508, the same price as one halberd at Leiden. Although arrows were bought in larger numbers (thousands) … Continue reading Prices of Weapons in Early 16th C Holland
Historians
The Book of the Crossbow by Ralph Payne-Gallwey; Crossbow, longbow ranges compared
https://archive.org/details/Book_of_the_Crossbow_The_by_Sir_Ralph_Payne-Galloway/ Ralph Payne-Gallwey claimed that his Book of the Crossbow, published 1903, was the first to examine the use of the medieval crossbow in detail. He is probably correct. He was able to examine a large number of extant medieval crossbows and provided diagrams along with descriptions of their context, construction, and point-blank and maximum … Continue reading The Book of the Crossbow by Ralph Payne-Gallwey; Crossbow, longbow ranges compared
The Amazons of Cartagena – Antonio de Hererra, 1601
From the chronicles of the Spanish historian Antonio de Hererra, a passage describing "Amazonian women" who fought with poisoned arrows and one who slew eight Spaniards with her bow. The first that saw Carthagena, in the year 1502. was Roderick Bastidas, & the year 1504. Juan de la Cosa or John of the Thing went … Continue reading The Amazons of Cartagena – Antonio de Hererra, 1601
‘War Bows’ by Mike Loades
I picked up Mike Loades' new book War Bows after it was recently reviewed by Matt Easton on his Youtube channel scholagladiatoria. Easton remarked that the book, a four-part survey of the English longbow, crossbow, composite bow and Japanese Yumi, is based on the latest scholarship. I find the book a mixed bag. To some … Continue reading ‘War Bows’ by Mike Loades
Chinese general Qi Jiguang adopts musketry
A history book I read about a year ago said that Qi Jigaung, a 16th century general famous for defeating the pirate invasion of southern China, had mostly ignored musketry and focused on contact weapons. Since it didn't seem like there would be any bow/musket comparison I forgot about him until coming across the name … Continue reading Chinese general Qi Jiguang adopts musketry
Lindybeige: Fire Arrows
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTd_0FRAwOQ Lindy proposes several different possible compositions of fire arrows, and why he believes they wouldn't work. I don't know how common fire arrows might have been in the classical period or middle ages, or how they would have been constructed. Fortunately however we do have a recipe for fire arrows from 1628, … Continue reading Lindybeige: Fire Arrows
Lindsay Boynton, The Elizabethan Militia, 1967
Boynton doesn't mince his words. Page 113: "One of the reasons that firearms superseded bows, it is suggested, is that they could be mastered in a shorter time. Such an argument runs wholly counter to the growing professionalisation of military affairs. Training, in particular, was becoming ever more comprehensive and the specious argument that firearms … Continue reading Lindsay Boynton, The Elizabethan Militia, 1967
Bow Vs. Musket 