Bodkin point

Bodkin point arrows were invented in the Middle Ages, as an improvement of the earlier broadhead arrow. Broadhead arrows were used for hunting, as the sharp, wide cutting surface caused large wounds, that even if they did not kill the animal outright, would most likely make it quickly bleed to death.

Related Topics:
Middle Ages - Arrow - Hunt - Wound

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With the increasing number of armored soldiers in the battlefield, the broadhead arrow showed a fatal weakness: the large head would distribute the impact force over a (relatively) large area, and in most cases, bounce off or break against armor, causing no damage at all. Even when shot from the famous English longbow, the broadhead arrow was not effective against footmen in mail armor and Knights in plate armor.

Related Topics:
Soldier - English longbow - Knight

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To circumvent this, metalsmiths devised a needle-pointed square-section arrowhead, up to 4 1/2" long and 3/8" thick at its widest point. The objective of this new arrow head was to put a hole through the armor just large enough to allow the arrow shaft to enter freely.

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Concentrating all the energy of the shot in the needle-sharp point, a bodkin arrow could punch through 1/16" of hardened steel armour, pin a man to a tree or wall, slice through chain mail as though it was not there and penetrate a 5" thick oak door. Chain mail was especially vulnerable to bodkin arrows, since the thin point pushed the links out of the way, and the full force of the shot was delivered to the flesh of the soldier. The Bodkin point was also more aerodynamic, and under ideal conditions, the range of the new arrow was an outstanding 275 yards.

Related Topics:
Steel - Oak - Chain mail - Aerodynamic - Range - Yard

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The power of the bodkin arrow was clearly demonstrated at the Battle of Agincourt, where 6,000 English Longbowmen, supporting 1,200 Men-at-Arms and Footmen, all under the command of King Henry V, defeated a force made up mostly of French Knights and crossbowmen numbering between 25,000 and 30,000. The relentless volleys of bodkin arrows broke the front line of the Knights, killing men and horses, and throwing the French lines into disarray. About 6,000 French Knights were killed, another 1,000 were captured, and there was an unknown number of casualities among the support troops. Covered in their advance by the rain of bodkin arrows, the English lost only 13 Men-at-Arms and a little more than 100 Footmen.

Related Topics:
Battle of Agincourt - Men-at-Arms - Footmen - King Henry V

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The bodkin arrow would gradually lose its place in the battle fields to the increasing popularity of early firearms, even though it was much more precise and lethal than those, a precision that would be recovered only with the advent of the rifle centuries later. By the middle of the 17th Century, the bow was considered totally obsolete in battle, and the days of the bodkin point arrow became history.

Related Topics:
Firearms - Rifle - 17th Century

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