Heavy Cavalry Stirrup Tactics

Timeline

1. c. 600–1000East and Central Asia · Central AsiaStirrups were invented in East Asia and spread west, letting riders stably bear heavy armor and long weapons, spurring the separate evolution across Eurasia of cataphract cavalry and Frankish-style knightly shock tactics.
2. 1300–1380Eurasia · EurasiaIn the 14th century Western European knights were marked by the couched lance charge, Eastern Europe and remnants of the Golden Horde still maintained heavy mounted archery, and Mamluk cavalry in the Middle East also relied on stirrup stability for mounted combat, forming parallel peaks of heavy cavalry warfare across Eurasia.
3. 1381–1390Battlefields across Eurasia · EurasiaIn the 1380s heavy cavalry remained the decisive mobile force, but had begun coordinating with early firearms and crossbowmen in position. Early Ming frontier cavalry handled flanking and pursuit, Western European knights still sought decisive charges in set-piece battles, and tactical reliance on stirrup stability was undiminished.