Crossbowman (Civ4)/Civilopedia

Crossbows were actively being used in European warfare from 800 to 1500 A.D. They supplanted bows in many European armies for a number of reasons. While an expertly handled longbow had greater range, better accuracy, and a much faster rate of fire than an average crossbow, the value of the crossbow came in its simplicity: a crossbow could be used effectively after a week of training, while a comparable single-shot skill with a longbow could take years. The use of winches allowed soldiers to use and fire weapons with a draw weight far in excess of what they could have handled with a bow. In the later years of its use, the crossbow had enough power to penetrate the armor of a knight with ease. Moreover, crossbows could be kept cocked and ready to shoot for some time with little effort, allowing crossbowmen to aim better and to "cover" a target area, while archers could not keep their powerful bows pulled for long periods of time.