Norman cavalry lance charge

Timeline

1. c. 950–1000Western Frankish Kingdom · FranceUnder the Carolingian tradition, noble cavalry were already commonly equipped with lances and swords, fighting mainly by throwing or thrusting by hand, laying the equipment and social foundation for Norman heavy shock tactics.
2. 1051–1060Normandy · NormandyUnder dukes such as Robert and William, Norman knightly corps frequently took part in conflicts in Brittany, Maine, and the English border; the couched lance charge and massed wedge assault matured in combat, becoming the core military force of duchy expansion.
3. 1066–1200England and Western European battlefields · EnglandAt the Battle of Hastings in 1066, Norman cavalry repeatedly made massed charges supported by archer and crossbow fire, demonstrating tactical superiority over shield-wall infantry; thereafter knights across England and France emulated them, and the lance charge became the standard cavalry tactic of the Crusades and feudal warfare.