Can Arrows REALLY Defeat Plate Armour?
Why does a bodkin arrow from a 150 pound warbow crumple against a breastplate while carrying over 100 joules of energy, and what does this reveal about how armor actually performed against the most feared projectile weapons of the medieval period? In this video, we break down the physics, modern testing, and historical sources that prove arrows couldn't penetrate quality plate armor at combat distances.
This isn't about whether armor made you invulnerable. It's about understanding what actually happens when engineered steel protection meets projectile weapons—and why every movie armor scene is wrong.
You'll learn:
Why 15th century plate armor used curved geometry to multiply effective thickness from 2mm to 4-5mm
How bodkin arrows from 150 pound longbows fail to penetrate breastplates at 30 meters
Where arrows actually killed armored knights: gaps at armpits, elbows, knees, and visor slits
Why crossbows with 1000 pound draw weights still couldn't reliably punch through quality plate
How modern testing with reproduction armor proves penetration only occurs under 10 meters against thinner plates
Why armor declined in the 16th century (firearms, cost, changing tactics) but not because arrows defeated it
What historical chronicles actually say: arrows "rattling off French knights at Agincourt like hail on rooftops"
How probability and mass archery killed armored men by finding gaps, not penetrating breastplates
By the end, you'll understand that plate armor wasn't invulnerable, but it worked far better than any movie has ever shown. Knights died from arrows finding gaps, from blunt trauma, from being overwhelmed by numbers—but not because arrows pierced their breastplates. The physics doesn't allow it.
If you enjoy breaking down medieval combat with testing and physics instead of Hollywood fiction, subscribe for more deep dives into how armor and weapons actually performed.
Which threat would you trust 15th century plate armor against more: 1000 longbow arrows at 50 meters or 10 crossbow bolts at 10 meters? Let me know in the comments.