Medieval Cavalry Tactics - Europe AD 450-1250 (Nicolle David)(Paperback)

Osprey's elite title on the rise and fall of European medieval cavalry during an 800 year period. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire there was a decline in professional cavalry forces, and infantry dominated in the Germanic successor barbarian kingdoms. In the Carolingian and Norman periods from the 9th to the 11th centuries, under the impact of Viking, Saracen and Magyar advances, the cavalry arm gradually expanded from the small remaining aristocratic elite. Even so, the supposedly complete dominance of the knight in the 12th and 13th centuries is grossly exaggerated, as integrated cavalry and infantry tactics were nearly always the key to success. This is the first in a two-part treatment of medieval tactics, covering developments in both cavalry and infantry tactics. Throughout the period there was a steady evolution of training in both individual and unit skills,
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