On Tue, 28 Feb 2006 22:26:33 GMT, Nick Hull
wrote:

In article ,
D Murphy wrote:

I believe it was the crossbow that ended feudal times not the firearm. Once
the average Joe could make an armour piercing weapon in his hovel, it was
all over for the knights.

I think a longbow could do as well as a crossbow. The weal link for the
knights was the horse, it's not hard to take a horse down.
==============
The problem is practicing/training. Both crossbows and esp. long
bows require both skill and considerable strength. With a
firearm a serf, with no particular practice, skill or strength
could take out Sir BigB***s after a few minutes practice, esp. if
he was standing sholder to sholder with 20 other serfs.

Perfect case of asymetric warfare. Base citizens with almost no
skill or training took out the equivilant of an Abrams M1 tank
manned by a knight with years of training and with equipment
costing hundres or possibly thousands of times what even a bunch
of serfs had. Horses and esp. armor was worth a king's ransom.

Unka George