Quote: |
“The major change in english tactics that allowed them to postpone defeat for a century was not the use of longbows, which had been around for hundreds of years allread, but the use of dismounted elite warriors. |
The Anglo Saxon Huscarls were elite dismounted units as well. Interestingly enough, the "viking" types were thought to be some of the better archers of the time, and the only evidence we have for their bows shows about 6' D shaped bows, pretty much the same as longbows.
The Norwegian Hird was not exactly the same as Saxon Huscarls, though the idea of some of your best warriors fighting as armoured foot was the same in both situations.
A Norwegian raiding party in I think 1125 raided in northern England. They sucessfully turned back the English attacks, archery was mentioned as playing a big role.
Perhaps the English saw these tactics with quality armoured foot and the use of archery, and expanded on these tactics during the hundred years war? :D