King Edward I placed special emphasis on nurturing and honing the skills of these highly accomplished warriors. By the time Edward I's grandson Edward III was king, the longbow archers had become a considerable military weapon as demonstrated at the Battle of Crecy in 1346. Other victories followed for the archers of England including the Battle of Poitiers in 1356.

Longbow archers' finest hour came with the extraordinary victory of the English over the vastly superior in numbers French at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.

The emergence of gunpowder armies in the late 15th and 16th centuries brought an end to the military dominance of the longbow archers.