02-01-2011, 03:09 AM
Quote:The clibanarii would slowly ride up to the enemy until at bow range. They would then loose off a couple of volleys of arrows, which would hopefully cause the enemy to waver, before switching to the contus and then moving in at a speed no higher than an easy canter. They could not charge at the rate seen in movies as the armour was so heavy that the horses would have become 'blown' on contact and if they did not punch through the enemy they would not have had the stamina to get away.
Its almost certain that clibanarii were an anti-infantry weapon as its impossible to see how they could engage normal heavy cavalry or light cavalry who could easily ride away from their much heavier opponents. Having said that, we have this curious statement in Vegetius Book 3, 23 'Armoured cavalry ('cataphracti equites') are safefrom being wounded on account of the armour they wear, but because they are hampered by the weight of their arms are easily taken prisoner and often velnerable to lassos. They are better in battle againt loos-order infanry than against cavalry, but posted in front of legionaries or mixed with legionaries they often break the enemy line when it comes to comminus, that is, hand-to-hand, fighting.' (Milner 2001).
Do we have any evidence for the weight of their armour and the armour of their mounts?
I read that thread you put up, very nice! Some of the accounts that you mentioned say the clibanarii charged and spurred their horses on which would indicate to me that they were very capable of engaging at a gallop I do agree that most cavalry (especially heavil armoured ones) prefer to start slow (that would fit with shooting the enemy as they advanced) and then go into a full gallop within the last fifty yards from the enemy, that way you avoid blowing the horses, intimidate the enemy, build-up speed and then nail at a gallop and your horses still have energy to do it again.
@ Vortigern. Well heavily armoured cavalry throughout history have been armed with maces, after all cavarly's primary purpose on the field is to sweep the enemy cavalry off the field and then flank the infantry which are now helpless. For that kind of job you need something to get through a heavily armoured enemy horseman's gear. I agree that heavy cavalry's job is not to run around and shoot the enemy, in the case of clibanarii they carried bows to soften up the enemy as they advanced to charge and drive off enemy horse archers. I agree that they were intended to be in the thick of things as evidenced by their gear. That doesn't mean they were intended to go at from a canter that robs charging cavalry of it's biggest advantage, the shock from the weight and speed of a charging horse if you need someone to engage the enemy at a slow pace for a long time you've got late roman heavy infantry for that.
Pliny (It was Pliny who chronicled Carrhae, right?) writes of the Parthian Cataphracts impaling up to two men at the same time in places and hitting the roman legionaries so hard that the legionaries were pressed together so tightly they couldn't raise their arms something that could only have been done at a gallop. It also shows that horses can be trained to charge head on into solid infantry.
I think that right before the impact the clibanarius would rise in the saddle and lean forward just a little and then come down and slam his forward into the target thus combining his weight and strength with the speed and weight of his horse (The horse after all is the one that does most of the work) this would agree with the depictions of the two-handed lance technique we see depicted in contemporary art.
It would also serve to disrupt the enemy formation, even a frontal charge against solid infantry can be successful if the infantry line has been disrupted sufficienctly for the horse to crash through.
Note that I'm not saying it was a very common occurence or that it was a good idea, the purpose of cavalry has always been to sweep the other guys cavalry from the field and then engage his infantry preferably from the flanks or the rear.
Ben.
