Lance – Facts and Information
Lance is a medieval pole weapon or spear specially made to be used by mounted combatants. The lance facilitated the knight to take advantage of his position on horseback, keeping his distance from his enemy while striking a lethal blow.
The Medieval lance was made of wood with metal tips attached to the end. The medieval lance was 9 to 14 feet long. Lances have more might than swords and a higher hit than battle axes. The lance is used entirely by the cavalry.
Types of Lance
There are generally two types of a lance; heavy and light. The heavy type of lance is usually between 10 to 12 feet long with 1.5 to 2.0 inches in diameter. The main purpose of a heavy lance is to unhorse a rider in single combat such as jousting.
The light type of lance ranges from 6 to 10 feet long with 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter. It is technically used as a spear and may be used as a projectile from horseback.
Lance History
Historically, The Sarmatian and Parthian were said to have used lance. Also, the long-thrusting spear gained popularity among the Hellenistic armies’ agema and line cavalry. Contus, a long thrusting spear, was typically 3 to 4 m long. It was usually grasped with both hands. It was carried by equites contariorum and equites catafractarii, fully armed and armored cataphracts.
The Byzantine troops used lances both over arm and underarm. In jousting tournaments, lance usually was designed to be less violent. Lance was also used by the British troops during the Second Boer War.
However, the decline in lance use was recorded because of its unsuccessful result in The Crimean War. At the outbreak of World War I, British, French, Russian, Belgian, Turkish, Italian, and German armies used lance. But contrary to the popular belief, it was not carried out in World War 2. United States Cavalry and Canadian North-West Mounted Police used a fine lance as a flagstaff.
Lance Training
Various methods of training were performed in order to achieve the skills in using the lance effectively. The quintain was used in the lance training. This idea of using quintain was borrowed from the Romans.
Another type of lance practice was called running at the ring. The motive of this training is to enhance the accuracy in striking the target. This consisted of attempting to spear a small target, such as a ring, or while riding at a fast gallop.
Medieval Weapons - Facts and Information
Lance is one of the type of weapons that was used by feudal armies during the Middle Ages. All men in The Middle Ages were expected to know how to fight. They were expected to be readily available when called to fight for the king. Their lives were organized and structured to have military training incorporated in their daily lives.
Expertise in the use of medieval weapon such as Lance and understanding the strategy of Middle Age warfare was crucial and played an important part in Medieval Life. Lance training include practicing new moves, accuracy, defending, and managing battles including close contact fights using Lance .