Would chainmail stop an arrow from a longbow?
Restated in more words, would a conscripted pikeman with a decent set of chainmail but no shield have any hope against an arrow from your basic english longbow?
weapons armors arrows
edited yesterday
Cyn
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Restated in more words, would a conscripted pikeman with a decent set of chainmail but no shield have any hope against an arrow from your basic english longbow?
weapons armors arrows
edited yesterday
Cyn
5,130933
asked yesterday
LoganP98
282
New contributor
LoganP98 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Pikemen and longbow archers seldom met on a field of battle; you may be thinking of spearmen. Pike formations were introduced in the Renaissance, by which time English longbows were already falling out of fashion. One of the few notable battles where pike formations fought against longbow archers was the battle of Flodden in 1513; the (Scottish) pike formations lost against the (English) halberd formations; the English had longbow archers in the field, but contemporary sources say that they did not have much influence on the outcome.
– AlexP
yesterday
1
P.S. Pikemen were very well trained professionals. No self-respecting officer would even think of placing a conscript in a pike formation; he would be a danger to himself and to his comrades.
– AlexP
yesterday
To make a point building on John's answer: plastic rings wouldn't defend against a blunt-tip arrow. Stainless steel would stop almost anything. Can you give us specifics about the arrow attack? Distance? Altitude of the archer vs. the conscript? Approximate time period in Earth's history? Location? No armor was proof against everything.
– JBH
yesterday
@AlexP Thank you for your comment, I think you are right that I meant spearmen. By pikemen, I was thinking more of a situation where a king pulls the farmers from the field, hands them a pike and a (probably poorly made) chainmail hauberk, and says go to war. This would be taking place in a fantasy universe, so the problems with our historical timeline aren't an issue (although they are interesting).
– LoganP98
6 hours ago
@JBH good point. The idea here is that all/most military age males have been conscripted into a larger force, given a pike or spear and a chainmail hauberk made of decent quality steel, and ordered to go to war.
– LoganP98
6 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
Restated in more words, would a conscripted pikeman with a decent set of chainmail but no shield have any hope against an arrow from your basic english longbow?
weapons armors arrows
edited yesterday
Cyn
5,130933
asked yesterday
LoganP98
282
New contributor
LoganP98 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Restated in more words, would a conscripted pikeman with a decent set of chainmail but no shield have any hope against an arrow from your basic english longbow?
weapons armors arrows
weapons armors arrows
edited yesterday
Cyn
5,130933
asked yesterday
LoganP98
282
New contributor
LoganP98 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited yesterday
Cyn
5,130933
asked yesterday
LoganP98
282
New contributor
LoganP98 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited yesterday
Cyn
5,130933
edited yesterday
Cyn
5,130933
edited yesterday
Cyn
5,130933
5,130933
asked yesterday
LoganP98
282
New contributor
LoganP98 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked yesterday
LoganP98
282
asked yesterday
LoganP98
282
282
New contributor
LoganP98 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
LoganP98 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
LoganP98 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Pikemen and longbow archers seldom met on a field of battle; you may be thinking of spearmen. Pike formations were introduced in the Renaissance, by which time English longbows were already falling out of fashion. One of the few notable battles where pike formations fought against longbow archers was the battle of Flodden in 1513; the (Scottish) pike formations lost against the (English) halberd formations; the English had longbow archers in the field, but contemporary sources say that they did not have much influence on the outcome.
– AlexP
yesterday
1
P.S. Pikemen were very well trained professionals. No self-respecting officer would even think of placing a conscript in a pike formation; he would be a danger to himself and to his comrades.
– AlexP
yesterday
To make a point building on John's answer: plastic rings wouldn't defend against a blunt-tip arrow. Stainless steel would stop almost anything. Can you give us specifics about the arrow attack? Distance? Altitude of the archer vs. the conscript? Approximate time period in Earth's history? Location? No armor was proof against everything.
– JBH
yesterday
@AlexP Thank you for your comment, I think you are right that I meant spearmen. By pikemen, I was thinking more of a situation where a king pulls the farmers from the field, hands them a pike and a (probably poorly made) chainmail hauberk, and says go to war. This would be taking place in a fantasy universe, so the problems with our historical timeline aren't an issue (although they are interesting).
– LoganP98
6 hours ago
@JBH good point. The idea here is that all/most military age males have been conscripted into a larger force, given a pike or spear and a chainmail hauberk made of decent quality steel, and ordered to go to war.
– LoganP98
6 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
Pikemen and longbow archers seldom met on a field of battle; you may be thinking of spearmen. Pike formations were introduced in the Renaissance, by which time English longbows were already falling out of fashion. One of the few notable battles where pike formations fought against longbow archers was the battle of Flodden in 1513; the (Scottish) pike formations lost against the (English) halberd formations; the English had longbow archers in the field, but contemporary sources say that they did not have much influence on the outcome.
– AlexP
yesterday
1
P.S. Pikemen were very well trained professionals. No self-respecting officer would even think of placing a conscript in a pike formation; he would be a danger to himself and to his comrades.
– AlexP
yesterday
To make a point building on John's answer: plastic rings wouldn't defend against a blunt-tip arrow. Stainless steel would stop almost anything. Can you give us specifics about the arrow attack? Distance? Altitude of the archer vs. the conscript? Approximate time period in Earth's history? Location? No armor was proof against everything.
– JBH
yesterday
@AlexP Thank you for your comment, I think you are right that I meant spearmen. By pikemen, I was thinking more of a situation where a king pulls the farmers from the field, hands them a pike and a (probably poorly made) chainmail hauberk, and says go to war. This would be taking place in a fantasy universe, so the problems with our historical timeline aren't an issue (although they are interesting).
– LoganP98
6 hours ago
@JBH good point. The idea here is that all/most military age males have been conscripted into a larger force, given a pike or spear and a chainmail hauberk made of decent quality steel, and ordered to go to war.
– LoganP98
6 hours ago
Pikemen and longbow archers seldom met on a field of battle; you may be thinking of spearmen. Pike formations were introduced in the Renaissance, by which time English longbows were already falling out of fashion. One of the few notable battles where pike formations fought against longbow archers was the battle of Flodden in 1513; the (Scottish) pike formations lost against the (English) halberd formations; the English had longbow archers in the field, but contemporary sources say that they did not have much influence on the outcome.
– AlexP
yesterday
Pikemen and longbow archers seldom met on a field of battle; you may be thinking of spearmen. Pike formations were introduced in the Renaissance, by which time English longbows were already falling out of fashion. One of the few notable battles where pike formations fought against longbow archers was the battle of Flodden in 1513; the (Scottish) pike formations lost against the (English) halberd formations; the English had longbow archers in the field, but contemporary sources say that they did not have much influence on the outcome.
– AlexP
yesterday
1
1
P.S. Pikemen were very well trained professionals. No self-respecting officer would even think of placing a conscript in a pike formation; he would be a danger to himself and to his comrades.
– AlexP
yesterday
P.S. Pikemen were very well trained professionals. No self-respecting officer would even think of placing a conscript in a pike formation; he would be a danger to himself and to his comrades.
– AlexP
yesterday
To make a point building on John's answer: plastic rings wouldn't defend against a blunt-tip arrow. Stainless steel would stop almost anything. Can you give us specifics about the arrow attack? Distance? Altitude of the archer vs. the conscript? Approximate time period in Earth's history? Location? No armor was proof against everything.
– JBH
yesterday
To make a point building on John's answer: plastic rings wouldn't defend against a blunt-tip arrow. Stainless steel would stop almost anything. Can you give us specifics about the arrow attack? Distance? Altitude of the archer vs. the conscript? Approximate time period in Earth's history? Location? No armor was proof against everything.
– JBH
yesterday
@AlexP Thank you for your comment, I think you are right that I meant spearmen. By pikemen, I was thinking more of a situation where a king pulls the farmers from the field, hands them a pike and a (probably poorly made) chainmail hauberk, and says go to war. This would be taking place in a fantasy universe, so the problems with our historical timeline aren't an issue (although they are interesting).
– LoganP98
6 hours ago
@AlexP Thank you for your comment, I think you are right that I meant spearmen. By pikemen, I was thinking more of a situation where a king pulls the farmers from the field, hands them a pike and a (probably poorly made) chainmail hauberk, and says go to war. This would be taking place in a fantasy universe, so the problems with our historical timeline aren't an issue (although they are interesting).
– LoganP98
6 hours ago
@JBH good point. The idea here is that all/most military age males have been conscripted into a larger force, given a pike or spear and a chainmail hauberk made of decent quality steel, and ordered to go to war.
– LoganP98
6 hours ago
@JBH good point. The idea here is that all/most military age males have been conscripted into a larger force, given a pike or spear and a chainmail hauberk made of decent quality steel, and ordered to go to war.
– LoganP98
6 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
2 Answers
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This depends a lot on the arrow and type of chainmail. the draw of the bow (english longbows do not have a standardized draw) also matters. A broadhead hitting a six ring mail wouldn't yield much more than a scratch, a spike bodkin will go right through 4 ring mail and barely notice the armor.
If the archers know there will be armored targets they will be using bodkins which are very good at penetrating chainmail (and armor in general) of course the downside of these arrowheads is they don't cause all that much bleeding meaning they take time to kill someone most of the time.
answered yesterday
John
30.9k842109
This is the right answer, though I wish for more detail. The quality of the metal (both for the arrow and the armor), the density of the rings (which might be what you're talking about with 4-ring and 6-ring mail). As well the cushioning under the mail, if any (allowing the mail to flex), etc. This answer would be better with a couple more paragraphs.
– JBH
yesterday
@John Thanks for your answer. The idea here is that the opposing force is not using bodkins, just standard broadheads. As far as the quality of the metal in the armor, I must confess that I have not reached that point in my research yet, I still need to learn more about different qualities of metal.
– LoganP98
6 hours ago
add a comment |
If the pikeman was 20 yards farther than the maximum range of the bow he would be safe from that shot since it wouldn't even reach him.
In the US Civil War bullets would slow down as they traveled farther and father and would eventually be what was called "spent rounds" shortly before falling to the ground. Many soldiers survived being hit by spent rounds without serious injury.
If the same thing happened to arrows then there would be distances where arrows from even the strongest bows couldn't reach, closer distances where unarmored men wouldn't be seriously injured by arrows, closer distances where men in mail were safe but unarmored men would be seriously wounded, closer distances where arrows penetrated mail and inflicted serious wounds but couldn't penetrate plate armor, and perhaps closer distances where arrows might penetrate even plate armor.
And perhaps someone who is more of an expert on medieval archery will be able to tell you what those ranges would be.
answered yesterday
M. A. Golding
7,746424
add a comment |
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2 Answers
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2 Answers
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This depends a lot on the arrow and type of chainmail. the draw of the bow (english longbows do not have a standardized draw) also matters. A broadhead hitting a six ring mail wouldn't yield much more than a scratch, a spike bodkin will go right through 4 ring mail and barely notice the armor.
If the archers know there will be armored targets they will be using bodkins which are very good at penetrating chainmail (and armor in general) of course the downside of these arrowheads is they don't cause all that much bleeding meaning they take time to kill someone most of the time.
answered yesterday
John
30.9k842109
This is the right answer, though I wish for more detail. The quality of the metal (both for the arrow and the armor), the density of the rings (which might be what you're talking about with 4-ring and 6-ring mail). As well the cushioning under the mail, if any (allowing the mail to flex), etc. This answer would be better with a couple more paragraphs.
– JBH
yesterday
@John Thanks for your answer. The idea here is that the opposing force is not using bodkins, just standard broadheads. As far as the quality of the metal in the armor, I must confess that I have not reached that point in my research yet, I still need to learn more about different qualities of metal.
– LoganP98
6 hours ago
add a comment |
This depends a lot on the arrow and type of chainmail. the draw of the bow (english longbows do not have a standardized draw) also matters. A broadhead hitting a six ring mail wouldn't yield much more than a scratch, a spike bodkin will go right through 4 ring mail and barely notice the armor.
If the archers know there will be armored targets they will be using bodkins which are very good at penetrating chainmail (and armor in general) of course the downside of these arrowheads is they don't cause all that much bleeding meaning they take time to kill someone most of the time.
answered yesterday
John
30.9k842109
This is the right answer, though I wish for more detail. The quality of the metal (both for the arrow and the armor), the density of the rings (which might be what you're talking about with 4-ring and 6-ring mail). As well the cushioning under the mail, if any (allowing the mail to flex), etc. This answer would be better with a couple more paragraphs.
– JBH
yesterday
@John Thanks for your answer. The idea here is that the opposing force is not using bodkins, just standard broadheads. As far as the quality of the metal in the armor, I must confess that I have not reached that point in my research yet, I still need to learn more about different qualities of metal.
– LoganP98
6 hours ago
add a comment |
This depends a lot on the arrow and type of chainmail. the draw of the bow (english longbows do not have a standardized draw) also matters. A broadhead hitting a six ring mail wouldn't yield much more than a scratch, a spike bodkin will go right through 4 ring mail and barely notice the armor.
If the archers know there will be armored targets they will be using bodkins which are very good at penetrating chainmail (and armor in general) of course the downside of these arrowheads is they don't cause all that much bleeding meaning they take time to kill someone most of the time.
answered yesterday
John
30.9k842109
This depends a lot on the arrow and type of chainmail. the draw of the bow (english longbows do not have a standardized draw) also matters. A broadhead hitting a six ring mail wouldn't yield much more than a scratch, a spike bodkin will go right through 4 ring mail and barely notice the armor.
If the archers know there will be armored targets they will be using bodkins which are very good at penetrating chainmail (and armor in general) of course the downside of these arrowheads is they don't cause all that much bleeding meaning they take time to kill someone most of the time.
answered yesterday
John
30.9k842109
edited yesterday
answered yesterday
John
30.9k842109
answered yesterday
John
30.9k842109
answered yesterday
John
30.9k842109
30.9k842109
This is the right answer, though I wish for more detail. The quality of the metal (both for the arrow and the armor), the density of the rings (which might be what you're talking about with 4-ring and 6-ring mail). As well the cushioning under the mail, if any (allowing the mail to flex), etc. This answer would be better with a couple more paragraphs.
– JBH
yesterday
@John Thanks for your answer. The idea here is that the opposing force is not using bodkins, just standard broadheads. As far as the quality of the metal in the armor, I must confess that I have not reached that point in my research yet, I still need to learn more about different qualities of metal.
– LoganP98
6 hours ago
add a comment |
This is the right answer, though I wish for more detail. The quality of the metal (both for the arrow and the armor), the density of the rings (which might be what you're talking about with 4-ring and 6-ring mail). As well the cushioning under the mail, if any (allowing the mail to flex), etc. This answer would be better with a couple more paragraphs.
– JBH
yesterday
@John Thanks for your answer. The idea here is that the opposing force is not using bodkins, just standard broadheads. As far as the quality of the metal in the armor, I must confess that I have not reached that point in my research yet, I still need to learn more about different qualities of metal.
– LoganP98
6 hours ago
This is the right answer, though I wish for more detail. The quality of the metal (both for the arrow and the armor), the density of the rings (which might be what you're talking about with 4-ring and 6-ring mail). As well the cushioning under the mail, if any (allowing the mail to flex), etc. This answer would be better with a couple more paragraphs.
– JBH
yesterday
This is the right answer, though I wish for more detail. The quality of the metal (both for the arrow and the armor), the density of the rings (which might be what you're talking about with 4-ring and 6-ring mail). As well the cushioning under the mail, if any (allowing the mail to flex), etc. This answer would be better with a couple more paragraphs.
– JBH
yesterday
@John Thanks for your answer. The idea here is that the opposing force is not using bodkins, just standard broadheads. As far as the quality of the metal in the armor, I must confess that I have not reached that point in my research yet, I still need to learn more about different qualities of metal.
– LoganP98
6 hours ago
@John Thanks for your answer. The idea here is that the opposing force is not using bodkins, just standard broadheads. As far as the quality of the metal in the armor, I must confess that I have not reached that point in my research yet, I still need to learn more about different qualities of metal.
– LoganP98
6 hours ago
add a comment |
If the pikeman was 20 yards farther than the maximum range of the bow he would be safe from that shot since it wouldn't even reach him.
In the US Civil War bullets would slow down as they traveled farther and father and would eventually be what was called "spent rounds" shortly before falling to the ground. Many soldiers survived being hit by spent rounds without serious injury.
If the same thing happened to arrows then there would be distances where arrows from even the strongest bows couldn't reach, closer distances where unarmored men wouldn't be seriously injured by arrows, closer distances where men in mail were safe but unarmored men would be seriously wounded, closer distances where arrows penetrated mail and inflicted serious wounds but couldn't penetrate plate armor, and perhaps closer distances where arrows might penetrate even plate armor.
And perhaps someone who is more of an expert on medieval archery will be able to tell you what those ranges would be.
answered yesterday
M. A. Golding
7,746424
add a comment |
If the pikeman was 20 yards farther than the maximum range of the bow he would be safe from that shot since it wouldn't even reach him.
In the US Civil War bullets would slow down as they traveled farther and father and would eventually be what was called "spent rounds" shortly before falling to the ground. Many soldiers survived being hit by spent rounds without serious injury.
If the same thing happened to arrows then there would be distances where arrows from even the strongest bows couldn't reach, closer distances where unarmored men wouldn't be seriously injured by arrows, closer distances where men in mail were safe but unarmored men would be seriously wounded, closer distances where arrows penetrated mail and inflicted serious wounds but couldn't penetrate plate armor, and perhaps closer distances where arrows might penetrate even plate armor.
And perhaps someone who is more of an expert on medieval archery will be able to tell you what those ranges would be.
answered yesterday
M. A. Golding
7,746424
add a comment |
If the pikeman was 20 yards farther than the maximum range of the bow he would be safe from that shot since it wouldn't even reach him.
In the US Civil War bullets would slow down as they traveled farther and father and would eventually be what was called "spent rounds" shortly before falling to the ground. Many soldiers survived being hit by spent rounds without serious injury.
If the same thing happened to arrows then there would be distances where arrows from even the strongest bows couldn't reach, closer distances where unarmored men wouldn't be seriously injured by arrows, closer distances where men in mail were safe but unarmored men would be seriously wounded, closer distances where arrows penetrated mail and inflicted serious wounds but couldn't penetrate plate armor, and perhaps closer distances where arrows might penetrate even plate armor.
And perhaps someone who is more of an expert on medieval archery will be able to tell you what those ranges would be.
answered yesterday
M. A. Golding
7,746424
If the pikeman was 20 yards farther than the maximum range of the bow he would be safe from that shot since it wouldn't even reach him.
In the US Civil War bullets would slow down as they traveled farther and father and would eventually be what was called "spent rounds" shortly before falling to the ground. Many soldiers survived being hit by spent rounds without serious injury.
If the same thing happened to arrows then there would be distances where arrows from even the strongest bows couldn't reach, closer distances where unarmored men wouldn't be seriously injured by arrows, closer distances where men in mail were safe but unarmored men would be seriously wounded, closer distances where arrows penetrated mail and inflicted serious wounds but couldn't penetrate plate armor, and perhaps closer distances where arrows might penetrate even plate armor.
And perhaps someone who is more of an expert on medieval archery will be able to tell you what those ranges would be.
answered yesterday
M. A. Golding
7,746424
answered yesterday
M. A. Golding
7,746424
answered yesterday
M. A. Golding
7,746424
answered yesterday
M. A. Golding
7,746424
7,746424
add a comment |
add a comment |
LoganP98 is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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Pikemen and longbow archers seldom met on a field of battle; you may be thinking of spearmen. Pike formations were introduced in the Renaissance, by which time English longbows were already falling out of fashion. One of the few notable battles where pike formations fought against longbow archers was the battle of Flodden in 1513; the (Scottish) pike formations lost against the (English) halberd formations; the English had longbow archers in the field, but contemporary sources say that they did not have much influence on the outcome.
– AlexP
yesterday
1
P.S. Pikemen were very well trained professionals. No self-respecting officer would even think of placing a conscript in a pike formation; he would be a danger to himself and to his comrades.
– AlexP
yesterday
To make a point building on John's answer: plastic rings wouldn't defend against a blunt-tip arrow. Stainless steel would stop almost anything. Can you give us specifics about the arrow attack? Distance? Altitude of the archer vs. the conscript? Approximate time period in Earth's history? Location? No armor was proof against everything.
– JBH
yesterday
@AlexP Thank you for your comment, I think you are right that I meant spearmen. By pikemen, I was thinking more of a situation where a king pulls the farmers from the field, hands them a pike and a (probably poorly made) chainmail hauberk, and says go to war. This would be taking place in a fantasy universe, so the problems with our historical timeline aren't an issue (although they are interesting).
– LoganP98
6 hours ago
@JBH good point. The idea here is that all/most military age males have been conscripted into a larger force, given a pike or spear and a chainmail hauberk made of decent quality steel, and ordered to go to war.
– LoganP98
6 hours ago