Harold's fyrdmen predominantly used which weapons?

• A. Agricultural tools as weapons; few archers
• B. Longbows exclusively
• C. Swords and mail only
• D. Spears with shields only

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is how the fyrd was equipped. The fyrd was a part‑time militia drawn from freemen across the shire, not a professional army. Because they weren’t uniformly supplied with standardized weapons, most men brought whatever they had at hand, often farming implements, and they relied on local resources rather than trained troops with specialized gear. While there were some archers among them, they were not a large, dedicated archer corps, and professional arms like swords and mail or a uniform spear-and-shield setup were not the norm for the fyrd. That’s why the description of agricultural tools as weapons, with only a few archers, best matches how Harold’s fyrdmen fought.