"All the King's Horsemen": The Equestrian Army of Henri IV, 1585-1598
In 1592 the duke of Parma encountered Henri IV's army near Aumale. Surprised to find the French king riding in the front ranks, the duke remarked: "I expected to see a general; this is only an officer of light cavalry!" What Parma failed to grasp, however, was Henri's appreciatio...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sixteenth Century Journal Publishers, Inc.
1991
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| In: |
The sixteenth century journal
Year: 1991, Volume: 22, Issue: 3, Pages: 511-533 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | In 1592 the duke of Parma encountered Henri IV's army near Aumale. Surprised to find the French king riding in the front ranks, the duke remarked: "I expected to see a general; this is only an officer of light cavalry!" What Parma failed to grasp, however, was Henri's appreciation of the pivotal role in warfare of mounted forces, whose battlefield effectiveness he enhanced more than any other commander of his day. He dispensed with obsolete formations for more efficient ones, adapting his weaponry accordingly; he distinguished between types of military horsemen and their specialized functions; and he made original use of the relatively new dragoons. In short, Henri IV was a "cavalry specialist" whose innovations transformed the mounted branch into a far more mobile and deadly force than was available to his Spanish and League enemies, thus making a unique contribution to the late sixteenth-century military revolution. |
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| ISSN: | 2326-0726 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: The sixteenth century journal
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/2541473 |