tedkaw

I have been wondering for a while about the reality of medieval cavalry charges. I have read that horses will not run into something solid (makes sense). So how then did they cope with infantry which stood firm or even an equally armoured cavalry force charging at them. On the later, John Keegan makes the comment that two such forces charging each other would have led to mutual destruction. So how did it work?

Ritocal

I was under the impression that they didn't do head on charges and the the cavalry was for flanking.

And you can train a horse to run over smaller objects. You won't be able to get them to run into a high wall, but a small person, yes.

CelticBard

Well the Macedonians used cavalry as the hammer with their phalanx being the anvil. A line of infantry was held by the phalanx, while the companions rode around to the rear and shattered the enemy formation against the pikes of the phalanx.

The steppe people would train their horses to charge into anything, only veering off at the command of their rider. Cavalry games and shows of this nature were common in the days of the Carolingian Empire, when Charlemagne's empire was broad enough that he needed to rely on mounted troopers for defense.

Horses would run into a mass of people, unless they had prickling spears and pikes sticking out, a horse will stop or shy away from running itself into a point.

Victor Davis Hanson describes cavalry as the jet fighters of their day. Imagine being a pilot, a world above the soldiers on the ground, a highly manuverable vehicle and weapons system at your fingertips. Now imagine being a cavalry trooper, a whole body above the rest of the soldiers on the ground, a large beast which can make you move faster than your enemies, and the added leverage which comes with being a whole man's length higher.

The main role of cavalry in the vast majority of classical and medieval battles was to ride down fleeing infantry. Not very Hollywood or very sportsman like, but very real.

old_abe

well he spelled it right in the post :?

CelticBard

I know, I know, I'm just a stickler for spelling.

old_abe

I remember in the famous thread here about cavalry vs infantry vs archers .. it was suggested that and infantry would dominate a cavalry because they would have a long wall of soldiers with spears ... but you are suggesting that horses would stop or shy away from running into the spears.

CelticBard

Correct, a horse wont willingly impale itself.

Cavalry was used for flanking, defending flanks, scouting, driving off skirmishers, and hitting an exposed enemy rear. It would be unheard of, and suicide, for cavalry to charge a Hellenic phalanx, a Germanic shieldwall with exposed spears, or a later pike formation. Cavalry has always been made up of the men in the top of the social pyramid, so their role is often that of breaking an enemy and winning the glory.

I've simplified much so any questions one has are best answered independently.

Professor Phantom

I agree but cavalry was also used to flood out the remains of fighters for ruthless leaders of battles.

Kharn the Betrayer

Thread Necromancy time!

There are several battles where horses charged home against what they percieved to be solid objects.

Omdurman

Dresden

Elyau

Ceresole

Ravenna

Dreux

Kilchusny

Marignano

Just to name a few. There are also the ones where the Polish Husaria did awful things to the enemy foot in frontal charges and won.

John Keegan is simply wrong and he has nothing to prove his theory

oshron

actually, you forgot two:

the Hornburg
the Pelennor Fields

okay, those ones are from LOTR :P lol