100 YW English - Continental

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Historical Overview Section

The Hundred Years' War (French: Guerre de Cent Ans) was a conflict between the Medieval French and England lasting 116 years from 1337 to 1453 fought over claims by the English kings to the French throne. It finally ended in the expulsion of the English from France, with the exception of the Calais Pale. Many other European conflicts can be linked to the war. Militarily, it saw the introduction of new weapons and tactics, which eroded the older system of feudal armies dominated by heavy cavalry. The first standing armies in Western Europe since the time of the Western Roman Empire were introduced for the war, thus changing the role of the peasantry.

The most famous weapon was the English longbow of the yeoman archer: while not a new weapon at the time, it played a significant role throughout the war, giving the English tactical advantage in the many battles and skirmishes in which they were used. The English, in their battles with the Medieval Welsh and Later Medieval Scots - Britain had learned through defeat what dismounted bowmen in fixed positions could do to heavy cavalry from a distance. Since the arrows shot from a longbow could kill or incapacitate armoured knights (and particularly their costly horses) a charge could be dissipated before it ever reached an army's lines. The longbow enabled an often-outnumbered English army to pick battle locations, fortify them, and destroy opposing armies. As the Hundred Years' War came to a close, the number of capable longbowmen began to drop off as the casualties taken by the longbowmen at Verneuil (1424) and Patay (1429) were hard to replace. As a result, the longbow became less viable as a weapon since there were not enough men to wield them. In addition, improvements in armour-plating from the 15th century meant that expensive armour was almost arrow-proof. Only the most powerful longbows at close-range could stand a chance of penetrating it - hoorah for the Knights!

Tips on Using Longbow Armies

  • Your aim with this army is to shoot as much as possible. Make sure you get your long range shot and 2 more at short range.
  • Deploy LBw to the front in 8’s, with small 4s of billmen set 4-5" back from the LB line give rear support with limited risk. And can often get back any victorious Kn who do break through. Armoured ones are good enough.
  • Units of 6 LB are slightly more manoeuvrable, but they suffer as only 1 base out of 3 shoots from a rear rank. Never forget that your billmen and men at arms can interpenetrate your LB.
  • Adding a General when charged means for the Longbow men the rerolls on both shooting and melee dice will make the difference. If you are charged by knights and LBw can disrupt them by shooting you should win the impact with 12 dice vs 6. If not, you still have a decent chance to bounce knights even without stakes.
  • Stakes are a beginners safety net, but they makes you immobile. Make sure the longbow men are drilled and have a commander with them when you want to emplace the stakes (Assuming you don't do so until the enemy mounted are in bow - and hence probably charge - range)! Lack of them can lead to some nervous moments if your LB are charged by mounted in the open, but a General with rear support should address that just as well. Stakes are expensive for what you get - remember foot ignore them as well. Stakes make you near invincible vs Knights & mounted - but everyone knows that and so only a knave or a varlet will attack you while on a horse when you are carrying them.
  • The dismounted knights act as bastions of strength between the longbow units, spreading casualties over more units, and even if you lose at impact they can mean that you've got a better chance of winning in melee.
  • If you are disrupted by charging knights after melee they won't bounce, so you'll have a chance to slog it out in a long combat, which is going to be tough.
  • The best way to beat knights is to kill an element so they take (if they're run in 4's) -1 on CT’s for 25% losses, and this stands for every test. With 10-12 dice at Impact (including shooting) and a general in the front rank you'll likely get 3-4 hits, which means even if the knights win, hey lose a base a 1 or maybe a 2, which is a very bad thing for them.
  • At 800 pts use three/4 generals IC/FC, +TCs. For 600 pts use two generals, TC/FC, TC
  • Even though the LB are swordsmen, they don’t want to be in combat – they can win most shooting battles anyway, at far less risk to themselves.
  • Try to get as much Uneven and Rough down as you can, as LB move through it normally but Knights and HF don't like it.

Allied Contingents

  • Flemish - Later Low Countris : 1340 Storm of Arrows 46 6-24 Spears or pikes and an option for 4 knights. Helps fill the table
  • German, Later Medieval : 1339 to 1340 Storm of Arrows 61 Knights and Spears/Pikes are compulsary, as are XB. Almost too big to use, but not enough of anything to give it real bite

User-contributed links about this army:

2008 UK Tournament Placings for this army

3/ 62 100YW English (Continental) Britcon 2008 15mm (open)
40/ 62 100YW English (Continental) Britcon 2008 15mm (open)
54/ 62 100YW English (Continental) Britcon 2008 15mm (open)
3/ 12 100YW English (Continental) Leeds Doubles 2008 (SoA)
9 / 41 HYW English (Continental) BHGS Challenge 2008 (open)
21 / 41 HYW English (Continental) BHGS Challenge 2008 (open)

15mm Manufacturers supplying figures suitable for Late Medieval Armies

You can see some of the figures in the Ancients Photo Gallery also on this site

Image Image Image Image Image Image

Army Lists

Sample army lists for this army
Pete Dalbys successful at Britcon 2010 army 800 ap

  • IC
  • 2 x TC
  • 1 x 4 LF, Avg, Undr, Unpr, Lt Sp , Jav
  • 1 x 4 LH - as above
  • 3 x 4 HF, Sup, Dr, Arm, HW
  • 3 x 6 MF, Avg, Dr, Prot, LB, Sw
  • 4 x 8 MF - as above


800 AP for 2nd place at Roll Call 2009

  • 6 Drilled LB, Sword, Protected
  • 6 Drilled LB, Sword, Protected
  • 6 Drilled LB, Sword, Protected
  • 6 Drilled LB, Sword, Protected
  • 6 Drilled LB, Sword, Protected
  • 4 Men At Arms, Armoured, Drilled, Superior
  • 4 Men At Arms, Armoured, Drilled, Superior
  • 6 Drilled LB, Sword, Protected
  • 6 Drilled LB, Sword, Protected
  • 4 Men At Arms, Armoured, Drilled, Superior
  • 4 Men At Arms, Armoured, Drilled, Superior
  • 4Men At Arms, Armoured, Un-Drilled, Superior


800 AP random army list

  • 1 Irish Kerns LF Unprotected Average Undrilled Javelins Light spear - - 6
  • 2 Heavy Foot HF Armoured Superior Drilled - Heavy weapon Heavy weapon - 6
  • 3 Longbowmen MF Protected Average Drilled Longbow - Swordmen Port Def. 6
  • 4 Longbowmen MF Protected Average Drilled Longbow - Swordmen Port Def. 6
  • 5 Longbowmen MF Protected Average Drilled Longbow - Swordmen Port Def. 6
  • 6 Longbowmen MF Protected Average Drilled Longbow - Swordmen Port Def. 6
  • 7 Longbowmen MF Protected Average Drilled Longbow - Swordmen Port Def. 6
  • 8 Longbowmen MF Protected Average Drilled Longbow - Swordmen Port Def. 6
  • 9 Heavy Foot HF Armoured Superior Drilled - Heavy weapon Heavy weapon - 6
  • 10 Gascon Men-at-Arms Kn Heavily armoured Superior Undrilled - Lancers Swordmen - 4


800 AP As used at Roll Call 2009

  • 1 FC, 3 TCs
  • 8 Longbowmen
  • 8 Longbowmen
  • 4 Average, Armoured Hvy Weapon Men at Arms
  • 8 Longbowmen
  • 8 Longbowmen
  • 4 Average, Armoured Hvy Weapon Men at Arms
  • 6 LF, Jls/spear
  • 8 Longbowmen
  • 4 Average, Armoured Hvy Weapon Men at Arms
  • 8 Longbowmen
  • 4 LH, Unprotected, Average, javelins/Lt Sp
  • 4 Average, Armoured Hvy Weapon Men at Arms




Remember to leave a line before you copy the above section as a template for your own list

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