If the words medieval warfare call to mind any single image
Roman Empire and early modern Europe were dominated by
foot soldiers, the corresponding role in those of the Middle Ages
was played by men on horseback. h e armored knight, mounted
on a colorfully caparisoned [decorated] warhorse, is an indelible
symbol of medieval Western Europe.”12
Yet that mounted, armored i ghter did not exist at the start
of the medieval period. Although there were cavalry units in the
early Middle Ages (from the 500s through the 900s CE), their
members wore minimal armor, so they are frequently called
“light cavalry.” Also, in part because of that general lack of effective
protection, they rarely, if ever, took part in direct charges
against enemy infantry or horsemen, a tactic military experts call
shock action. h e reality is that it took several centuries for wellarmored
knights, or “heavy cavalry,” to evolve.