Medieval Archers

Medieval archers make up a large portion of the medieval warfare history. The medieval archer was part of the middle Ages. The use of the bow and arrow was one of a dual purpose. It was used for warfare and defense and well as a sport for hunting and amusement. The archers of medieval times had to be in great physical condition as many of the bows had a pull that exceeded 120 pounds. Today, only a few archers would be able to pull a bow of that strength comfortably. The medieval archer used a long bow as their archery equipment. The medieval archer was considered a very important part of their daily lives, almost as though they were royalty.

The life of the medieval archer consisted greatly of his assistance during time of warfare. Their entire life consisted of either defending during times of war or use of the bow and arrow for hunting or practice. Life as a medieval archer consisted of almost nothing more than archery. Archery was considered a strong necessity and anyone interested in learning archery was granted special privileges and looked upon favorably by those running the area. Henry I of England proved this by making it a law that anyone that accidentally slayed another during archery practice would not be punished. This is how highly archery practice and skills was encouraged.

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As for clothes of a medieval archer, the shooting glove was probably the most important item worn. There different accounts of what type of shooting glove it was. In some pictures of medieval history, they show only the fingers protected, whereas in others the entire hand is protected. They also used a 'bracer' to protect part of the arm while shooting as well as preventing clothing from being caught in the string. Plate armor for the medieval archer was worn on both arms during some parts of the Middle Ages to offer the maximum protection.

Medieval costumes consisted of long gowns, most of them hooded, similar to what we remember seeing in old Robin Hood movies. Some also wore the wide hats and long jackets. Many of the costumes resembled royalty. High-laced boots were part of the costumes as well. Some of the outfits worn were layered with shirts, vests and long jackets on top with pants that were loose fitting down to the knees where they were then covered by the boots. In fact, the vest worn by the medieval archer was a unisex piece of clothing.