The Evolution of Warfare: From Heavy Infantry to Heavy Cavalry #ancienthistory #documentary

Welcome to Iberia, I am Wolf. Warfare in Europe has gone through many changes over the centuries, but for me the most fascinating is the transformation from the heavy infantry-based Roman legions to the heavy cavalry-based armies of the medieval period. There are two fundamentally different ways of fighting, and here we will discuss the main reasons behind this paradigm shift. For centuries, the Roman legions were the most powerful military force in Europe. They were mostly known for their discipline, organization and formations. The legions relied on well-trained soldiers equipped with swords, shields and javelins, and they were able to defeat enemy armies through a combination of skill and superior tactics. But despite their strength, the Roman legions began to decline during the 4th and 5th centuries. They were weakened by internal conflicts, invasions by barbarian tribes and the decline in military spending. The empire faced rampant inflation, its borders were overextended and there was civil unrest and constant civil wars. The size of the army shrunk and now it couldn't get to hold critical situations in time. Their equipment became lighter so that the legions could march further, but this simply wasn't enough. The reliance on foreign soldiers also increased to try and protect the borders, but this wasn't without its issues and relied on the loyalty of barbarian tribes. The cohesion of the army suffered and as a result, the legions were unable to maintain their dominance on the battlefield. A solution was needed. Marking the decline of the traditional order of battle was the Battle of Adrianople in 378. The Roman army, which had relied heavily on heavy infantry, suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Gothic army. The battle highlighted the shortcomings of the Roman army's traditional heavy infantry formations against the more mobile and flexible Gothic cavalry and when this cavalry force hit the Roman flank, it just steamrolled the infantry through the battlefield ensuring the Goths an astonishing victory. In the aftermath of the Battle of Adrianople, the Roman Empire realized the need to restructure their army to meet the changing demands of warfare. The Romans then began to incorporate cavalry units into their army which allowed them to be more mobile and flexible on the battlefield and the first mounted warriors to enroll were the Goths themselves, who were skilled in cavalry warfare. Soon, their numbers had swollen to 40,000 in the Eastern Empire becoming more important than the foot soldiers themselves. Soon, the empire was relying on the allegiance of many barbarian leaders in order to build their armies and the imperial infantry just got relegated into a secondary role. This change also came to the Western Empire. The presence of mounted warriors rose significantly. The heavy infantry became more and more just supplied by the allies while the imperial forces saw gradual shifts to mounted warfare counting with armored horsemen or cataphracts and mounted archers. The cavalry army had its advantages. It could march longer distances in a short period of time and was also proving to be more effective on the battlefield with its high maneuverability. It was the future of warfare. The Battle of the Catalonian Plains in 451 was a significant battle that showcased how the Western Roman coalition used the Visigothic heavy cavalry to break Attila's flank and the Roman elite cavalry to stop the Hunnic charge that created a gap in the coalition's center. The Hunnic army, mainly composed of light cavalry and Gothic infantry was not able to hold against the Visigothic charge causing Attila to order a retreat. It's a great example of how cavalry was now taking the role of those who secure a victory. Despite the victory, Western Rome would come under Germanic rule in 476. Their armies would never see the full transformation that beset the Eastern army where the cataphracts and other mounted cavalry would come to be the primary units in their forces. But the rest of Central Europe would continue transforming their armies with the onset of the early medieval period. An age where the local populations no longer had the protection of the states saw them turn into local prominent families for protection. The local nobles in turn then needed fast response units to deal with raids coming from external forces which were common after the power vacuum left by the Empire. The new emerging kingdoms post-Western Rome were not nearly as economically developed and had a limited capacity for military organization. What remained of tactical and strategical thinking from the Romans slowly faded as European armies more and more relied on levied and trained undisciplined troops and impetuous eager noble troops. Standing armies became a thing of the past. Levies were only called to war when needed and as a consequence had little training and limited equipment. The less disciplined levies were no match for heavy cavalry assaults resulting in a gradual increase to the prominence and importance of the latter. By the 10th century in Europe a knightly class had emerged and many battles were being decided by their heavy cavalry especially against infantry. The Battle of Pavia in 773 where the Frankish cavalry led by Charlemagne defeated the Lombard army. The Battle of the Trevia River in 888 where the Frankish cavalry defeated a Viking army. The Battle of Belgrade in 896 where the Bulgar heavy cavalry was able to charge and rout the East Frankish infantry. The Battle of Chedinia in 972 where the knights of the Holy Roman Empire defeated the Polish forces. And there are many more battles during this period that little by little will establish that the nobles of Europe will fight mounted and armoured to make one of the most formidable warriors the world has ever seen. The medieval knight. So what do you think of this change? Does it fascinate you as much as it does me? Let me know in the comments below. I've been Will, stay wonderful and I'll see you all on the next one. Peace!