Talk:Peasant Bowmen/@comment-35381510-20190601181914/@comment-39952338-20190627121234

That's so wrong it hurts. Longbows can't pierce plate, maille and padding and vurnerable spots maybe. Archers are thought to go for the horses as they are more vurnerable. The reason the English put stock in their Longbowmen is because they are cheap and cost effective, once they run out of arrows (which they often do) they are expected to join in the melee where they are no slouches either. Heavy cavalry was the dominant trump card of most armies in the middle ages and even when firearms became common. When the rare field battle occur every other unit in the battle is a supporting screen so they can perform their line breaking charges. Archers were a mild deterrent at best, unfavourable terrain, allied cavalry, or a stout body of disciplined infantry did a better job at stopping cavarly.