Harquebusier Cavalry

Timeline

1. 1600–1618Major Western European states · Western EuropeFrom the late 16th to early 17th century, European armies generally lightened cavalry armor and replaced the lance with the carbine or matchlock as the primary weapon. The harquebusier gradually became a standard cavalry type between heavy and light cavalry, and military regulations in England, France, and the Netherlands began formally specifying its equipment.
2. 1621–1630Battlefields of Germany and the Low Countries · GermanyDuring the Thirty Years' War, harquebusiers became the main cavalry of the belligerents. English volunteers joined the Protestant cause with this formation, and Swedish and Dutch forces also fielded large harquebusier regiments. Standard equipment was breastplate, backplate, closed helmet, carbine, and pistols; they were noted for mounted reconnaissance, flank charges, and battlefield pursuit.
3. 1642–1651England · EnglandIn the English Civil War, both Parliamentarian and Royalist armies made the harquebusier the core of their cavalry. When Cromwell formed the New Model Army he reformed harquebusier training, emphasizing disciplined shock rather than caracole tactics; the Battle of Marston Moor (1644) demonstrated their breakthrough capability and further advanced shock cavalry tactics.