Spanish archery

[JW_Halverson]

Recently I attended a Raptor Conference in Albuquerque (and ate all the green chili in every form I could find).  While there one of the people hosting the conference stated she is looking for a bow she can shoot at Society For Creative Anachronism events (medievel re-enactors).  Her persona is a Spanish Gypsy and wanted to know what they might have carried.  As far as I know the Romni or Gypsies were a nationless people and generally avoided military activity, but then that leaves the Spanish.

Spain picked up guns pretty darn early, and their passion for blades was unequaled unless by the Italians.  Any idea what Spain used for archery? 

[makenzie71]

The Spanish used whatever bows the English, French, and Turks were using...because that's what they could steal/buy.  To my knowledge they had no bows all their own.

Gypsies were much the same, but I know that small and easily concealed weapons were the order of the day.  A country-less nomad wouldn't be looked upon kindly if caught traveling with a longbow (which would be a very expensive weapon at the time).  Hunting would be the primary use so it would be simple and practical.  A very basic horsebow.  A well-to-do "gypsie" might have a short horn bow, but I'd be it'd be a rarity.

I could be wrong on all of it, though...kind of made it up on the fly.

[M-P]

I have the idea that the Spanish really took to crossbows in a big way.  I also remember reading about a medieval battle in Spain that featured the sling in a big way.  All of which gets us back to makenzie's suggestions.  Something generic...not too long or very powerful and perhaps short enough to be easily hidden.
Ron

[Prarie Bowyer]

Bow making, like Armoring was an industry.  They were no dummies.  They may not have had assembly lines, I think they may have in some respects.  Maybee not interchangeable gun parts, but money was to be made and that is a great motivator to seek efficiency.  The big military arms centers were Italy and Germany.  From there small regional differences in style may be seen in some of the stuff such as armor.  When it comes to Medieval bows you are looking at Longbows.  The English longbows were most famous after the battles of Crecy.  England has lots of Yew wood but some historians suggest that the better quality wood was shipped in from abroad (Italy?).  There is evidence to suggest that some bow makers were allowing eastern designs to influence their work. 

An SCA bow can be anything.  If you are seeking authenticity then you're looking at a Yew long bow or static re-curve longish bow.  That can run as high as $1800 today.  Bows were certainly made with other woods.  My guess is that great bows were made with all sorts of native woods.  Oak makes good bows and probably grows in Spain.  I don't know if the flat bow design is that old.  If the Holemgard bow design is so effective I would think so.  We know the "D" type bow was quite common and highly effective.   A self bow would be ideal but then again a laminated bow would be fine also for SCA.

Just my 1/2 educated sense.