The Weapon That Broke Knights English longbowmen were among the most feared soldiers of the medieval world. Trained from childhood by law, they wielded massive longbows with draw weights often exceeding 120 pounds. These bows could fire armor-piercing arrows at terrifying speed and range. At battles like Crécy (1346) and Agincourt (1415), thousands of longbowmen unleashed relentless volleys that cut down charging knights before they could ever reach the English lines. Heavy armor, once the symbo