when did muskets fully replace the Bow in Europe?

I think some cannon or muskets were used at Poitiers. When did cannon and muskets replace the bow?


Would the brittish have been better off keeping skilled Brittish Longbow men alongside the less skilled musketeers? My understanding is that the long bow was superior to the musket for centuries. However, it required alot more skill to use? Couldn't they have continued to train longbowmen and then use unskilled soldiers as musketeers?

Bows were used I think till the war of Spanish succession when artillary, muskets, pistol and other arms replaced them as being more effective.

Originally posted by Al Jassas Bows were used I think till the war of Spanish succession when artillary, muskets, pistol and other arms replaced them as being more effective.   Al-Jassas

They were calls to reintoduce them all the way until the arrival of breech loading rifles. The problem, you need years to train a longbowman, it takes a few months to achieve a good level on a musket, there was no way the Brits could train 150,000 longbow men.

Paul might I suggest taking a longbow and then lanuching a quiver full of arrows at 6 shots a minute at a target at 300 yards. If you don't die of exhaustion please report back on the results, how many hits, never mind that, how many shots even cleared 150 yards. A longbow string  has a tension of 80 pounds or more when fully streched. Longbow men had biceps that even Arnies would admire. It takes years be a effective longbowman, not half a day.

I think that there is an economic reason for switching to muskets. Other than training, demand for wood was at its greatest during those day to build ocean going vessles, manufacturing paper, building and other more profitable wood using industries. Also, most of England's and Europe's great oak forests were dwindiling fast during those days. Muskets however used metal which was becoming cheaper and cheaper as more and more iron mines are found especially during the 15-16th centuries. Wood was also used to make gun powder which was used extensively. Another reason might be military. Not all horses were trained to withstand the emmense explosive noise of the muskets and the flash was more hurtful than the balls. This was one of the main reasons for Baburs victory at Panipat.

Leipzig, 1813 Oktober. Bashkirian and kalm�k mounted archers in the russian army. I 've heard from a german weapon-expert that most of the injuries in the french imperial guard were caused by arrows.

Edited by Tar Szer�nd - 03-Apr-2008 at 15:32

Mongol cavalry had it as late as the Boxer rebellion.

Wanna bet?

Basically it's a history show where a guy gets some people who have never fired a longbow and teaches them to shoot in two days.