A historian friend claims this is bollocks. England was not significantly more stable, and the longbow was not a superweapon on its own. It was part of a system of combat, of combined arms, involving knights fighting on foot and choosing the right terrain.

And when they didn't have the right terrain, those English longbowmen also lost plenty of battles. They had some spectacular victories at Crecy and Agincourt, but they also had their fair share of losses.

Excellent weapon, but no silver bullet.