Hello Bernard,

You seem to be knowledgeable about the use of bow and arrow in history.
But at the time Uhtred lived, was the longbow (>100 lbs. warbow) as used in the Hundred Years War already in use?
It seems quite a clumsy weapon to go hunting with; in dense woods I would rather use a more compact bow and no more than 50-60 lbs. (which is what today’s bowhunters use, even for bigger game, with broadhead tips).
I remember a slingshot being used to take out soldiers at close range with amazing accuracy, but hardly mention of bow and arrow in the Uhtred novels (only once in the marshes I recall a longbow being used to harass raiders at long range).
Moreover, elaborate harnasses like used during the Hundred Years war certainly were not used in Uhtred’s time.
Even today there is debate about the penetration value at longer range of bodkin points against curved armour plating. Against lightly clad horses, yes, the arrows are effective. The weight of the harness in combination with muddy ground made medieval knights on foot inferior against the more agile English archers, who would finish them off at close range.
In Uhtred’s time, hunting bows would have been used to harass a shield wall, possibly forcing an opening by taking out warriors with shots in the face or legs.
Or to take out sentries on walls and assassinate or harass during ambushes.
Please regards this as a plea to include more bow and arrow in your Uhtred novels … or any other upcoming novels for that matter ; )

Kindly,
René
The Netherlands

PS: You probably noticed I really like bow and arrow : )