Cavalry

:This article is about cavalry, mounted soldiers. Cavalry is also a common misspelling of the biblical hill Calvary.

Light and heavy cavalry

Historically, cavalry was divided into light and heavy cavalry. The difference was mainly how much armor was worn by the soldiers, and thus how powerful their mounts had to be in order to sustain the burden.

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Early light cavalry (like the auxiliaries of the Roman army) were typically used to scout and skirmish and to cut down retreating infantry. Heavy cavalry like the Byzantine Cataphract were used as shock troops - they would charge the main body of the enemy and in many cases, their actions decided the outcome of the battle.

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During the Gunpowder Age, armored cavalry became obsolete and the main difference between light and heavy cavalry was their training—either for harassment and reconnaissance or for close-order charges.

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Since the development of armored warfare the distinction between light and heavy armor has persisted basically along the same lines. Armored cars and light tanks have adopted the reconnaissance role while medium and heavy tanks are regarded as the decisive shock troops.

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