Security Trade-offs in the Longbow vs. Crossbow Decision
Interesting research: Douglas W. Allen and Peter T. Leeson, “Institutionally Constrained Technology Adoption: Resolving the Longbow Puzzle,” Journal of Law and Economics, v. 58, Aug 2015.
Abstract: For over a century the longbow reigned as undisputed king of medieval European missile weapons. Yet only England used the longbow as a mainstay in its military arsenal; France and Scotland clung to the technologically inferior crossbow. This longbow puzzle has perplexed historians for decades. We resolve it by developing a theory of institutionally constrained technology adoption. Unlike the crossbow, the longbow was cheap and easy to make and required rulers who adopted the weapon to train large numbers of citizens in its use. These features enabled usurping nobles whose rulers adopted the longbow to potentially organize effective rebellions against them. Rulers choosing between missile technologies thus confronted a trade-off with respect to internal and external security. England alone in late medieval Europe was sufficiently politically stable to allow its rulers the first-best technology option. In France and Scotland political instability prevailed, constraining rulers in these nations to the crossbow.
It’s nice to see my security interests intersect with my D&D interests.
Thoth • January 22, 2016 7:09 AM
“France and Scotland clung to the technologically inferior crossbow”
I remembered that crossbows are more technologically advanced and it was the new weapon of European and a sought after one at that time.
“longbow was cheap and easy to make and required rulers who adopted the weapon to train large numbers of citizens in its use”
This is likely to be untrue. Crossbows are easier to train for the peasants since all you need is get them a couple of days training on how to wind the winch and point and shoot. The longbow requires much more dedicated training and efforts for marksmanship whereas for a crossbow, you are expected to just aim and shoot with suppressive fire in mind.
You can think of the longbow as the sniper rifle and the crossbow as the machine gun of that era.
Crossbows are typically deployed in formation for suppressive fire (although the longbow could also achieve that) but the rate of fire, ease of equipping the peasants, short training needed, cheap peasant labour are more advantageous for massive deployment. The quality of a crossbow may not need to be of good quality since you need to mass produce but a crossbow as a fine weapon might need to be carefully crafted to fit it’s user.