Why Knights Stopped Fighting on Horseback

Imagine you're a knight, the best cavalry in Europe is about to charge up the hill at you, and your horse is parked behind a ring of wagons. You sent it there on purpose. Why would the most expensive soldier in Europe get off the most expensive thing he owns? From the Norman couched lance and a Byzantine princess's warning to the goedendag at Courtrai, the Scottish porcupine at Bannockburn, the dismounted English at Crécy, a king's ransom and the very first franc, the stakes at Agincourt, the cannons of Formigny and Marignano, Richard III's last charge and the Australian Light Horse at Beersheba, this is the story of why knights got off their horses, and why the horse never really went away. 0:00 The horse behind the wagons 0:52 The charge 2:00 The weavers of Courtrai 2:51 The porcupine at Bannockburn 3:47 The copycat 4:20 Crécy 5:29 Why it works 6:17 France tries it 7:11 It works backwards 8:12 My kingdom for a horse 9:07 Ride in, get off Related Videos: "Why Knights Stopped Using Shields"    • Why Knights Stopped Using Shields   "Why Breaking the Roman Front Line Was a Death Trap"    • Why Breaking the Roman Front Line Was a De...   Sources: Anna Komnene, The Alexiad (trans. Elizabeth A. Dawes); Annals of Ghent; John Barbour, The Brus; Francis I's letter to Louise of Savoy after Marignano; LBMA, "How the Franc Got Its Name"; Australian War Memorial on the charge at Beersheba; University of Leicester on the discovery of Richard III; Encyclopaedia Britannica: Battle of Dupplin Moor; Wikipedia: Knight, Battle of the Golden Spurs, Henry de Bohun, Battle of Crécy, Battle of Poitiers, Battle of Agincourt, Battle of Formigny, Battle of Marignano, William Brandon (standard-bearer). Medieval numbers come from chroniclers and may be inflated. #history #knights #medievalhistory