In some circumstances they were expected to bring and maintain their own equipment. They were often unarmoured or lightly armoured and fought either with simple agricultural or hunting tools such as axes and long knives, or with a spear and shield. The most common infantry throughout the early medieval period were peasants and commoners who were obliged to fight for the local lord, due to their place in the feudal system. The relative inexpensiveness of the infantryman, and shortages of manpower provided incentives for expanding their use. Such expeditions were part of the growing number of sieges, disputes and campaigns throughout the 13th and 14th centuries that greatly increased the cost of warfare for medieval regimes. The Crusade era also saw a rise in the importance of infantry, and required large numbers of men and material to be organized for distant battlefields. This encouraged more economical use of available manpower, and the infantry man was much cheaper to outfit and maintain than the aristocratic knight. The Black Death in the 14th century swept through Europe creating devastating losses but also causing manpower shortages.

As the period progressed however, the dominance of the cavalry elite began to slowly break down. Since only the noble classes could afford the expense of knightly warfare, the supremacy of the mounted cavalryman was associated with the hierarchical structure of Medieval times, particularly feudalism. Typically heavily armoured, well motivated and mounted on powerful, specially bred horses, the mounted knight represented a formidable force, which was used to effect against more lightly armoured troops. In the medieval period, the mounted warrior held sway for an extended time.

5 Infantry and the Medieval military revolutionĬost and recruitment: the growth of infantryĬatalan infantry of the 14th.

4.3.1 The widespread use of the crossbow.1 Cost and recruitment: the growth of infantry.

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