Cavalry

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

Social status

From the beginning of civilization to the 20th century, ownership of heavy cavalry horses has been a mark of wealth amongst settled peoples. A cavalry horse involves considerable expense in breeding, training, feeding, and equipment, and has very little productive use except as a mode of transport.

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For this reason, and because of their often decisive military role, the cavalry has typically been associated with high social status. This was most clearly seen in the feudal system, where a lord was expected to enter combat armored and on horseback and bring with him an entourage of peasants on foot. If landlords and peasants came into conflict, the peasants would be ill-equipped to defeat armored knights.

Related Topics:
Social status - Feudal system - Peasants

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In later national armies the cavalry often remained a badge of social status, with the typical exception of "frontier" units like Cossacks. For instance, an officer of the (British) Household Cavalry was (and still is) relatively likely to have attended elite schools and to come from a socially privileged background.

Related Topics:
Cossacks - Household Cavalry

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