Riding on a powerful warhorse, gripping a lance tightly, dressed in heavy plate armor, and charging boldly into a sea of enemies—the classic image of a knight is truly legendary. With a fearsome battle cry, the thunder of hooves echoes across the battlefield, cutting through enemy lines effortlessly.
Historically, the lance has been the main weapon of heavy cavalry. Before the 12th century, lances were relatively short, measuring about 2 to 3.5 meters, made from solid hardwood. By the 13th century, a new design came into play: a tapered lance with a thicker back and a thinner front. The grip area was often notched for better handling. This design shifted the weight toward the back, making it easier for knights to control and balance. The notch helped ensure that the lance wouldn’t slip from the knight’s hand during a charge. By the time of the mercenary era, lances were extended to 5–6 meters to counter the growing strength of infantry formations. However, the increased length made them harder to stabilize, which negatively impacted their effectiveness in a charge. The solution was straightforward—crafting the shaft into a conical shape, which reduced weight while keeping balance. If necessary, knights could shorten the lance to use it as a spear for foot combat.
The lance’s spearhead was often slotted and secured with nails. To prevent it from becoming lodged in an enemy’s body, a pair of lugs (small wings) was added behind the tip.
Structure of a Mercenary Era Lance
A typical lance from this period was composed of the following parts:
Head: The spear tip, designed for piercing.
Lugs: Small wings behind the spear tip, preventing deep penetration.
Socket: The connection point between the tip and the shaft.
Shaft: The main body of the lance, often tapered for balance.
Butt (Buff): The rear end of the lance, sometimes used for striking in close combat.
When an infantry soldier was struck by a charging knight’s lance, they would be sent flying into the air like a massive projectile, knocking over several comrades and creating gaps in the formation—an impact far greater than that of a bullet, which would merely cause a soldier to stagger or collapse.
To achieve such a devastating effect, knights didn’t need to be galloping at full speed; even a short charge of two or three meters from a stationary position could generate sufficient force.
Challenges in the Mercenary Era
As armor technology progressed, the effectiveness of lances, much like that of the hand-and-a-half sword, came into question. By the late medieval period, even a well-aimed lance thrust often struggled to penetrate high-quality plate armor. Frequently, the lance would simply slide off the smooth surface, or the shaft would break upon impact, failing to inflict a fatal wound. Consequently, knights devised various combat techniques to deal with plate armor.
Thanks to the momentum from their warhorses, knights didn’t require extra force for penetration—striking the right spot was crucial. A highly skilled knight could accurately target an opponent’s throat while charging at full speed.
However, not every knight had such precise abilities. A more straightforward technique involved using the lance in reverse, similar to striking with the pommel of a hand-and-a-half sword. The thick and heavy rear of the lance functioned much like a war hammer. While this strike might not be deadly, it could effectively incapacitate an enemy for a time.
Another effective yet less honorable tactic was to target the enemy’s horse. Although often looked down upon in chivalric traditions, this approach proved to be practical on both Eastern and Western battlefields.
The Decline of the Lance
In the early mercenary era, the power of a heavy cavalry charge was undeniably impressive, as seen in battles like the Battle of Ravenna on April 11, 1512.
However, with the rise of the German Reiters (the black-clad cavalry) in the 1540s, a heated debate emerged over the effectiveness of lances compared to firearms, which dominated military discussions in the latter half of the 16th century. One of the key military theorists of this time, Bernardino de Mendoza, was a strong proponent of maintaining the use of lances. Mendoza, a seasoned general and a Knight of the Order of Santiago, fought under the Duke of Alba against the Dutch. He contended that a well-trained unit of 100–120 lancers, when organized into multiple squads and attacking from different angles, could overpower a force of 400–500 cavalrymen armed with pistols—especially if they had support from gun-wielding riders on the flanks.
Despite his strong advocacy for lances, Mendoza recognized that firearms were becoming more popular due to their lower training requirements, the ability to use less expensive horses, and their affordability, making them easier for armies to deploy. Regarding cavalry formations, he recommended that the depth-to-width ratio should not exceed 1:3, which would allow for greater flexibility during combat.
In the end, it was not just battlefield performance or theoretical discussions that determined the fate of the lance; socioeconomic changes had a much larger impact. Heavy lancers mainly came from the knightly class. While not every lancer was a knight, the truth was that warfare was an expensive endeavor, best suited for the affluent. Knights, typically of noble birth, had both the means and the time to train from a young age. By the late medieval period, even a squire's equipment could rival that of a fully-fledged knight, lacking only the title.
The knightly class has its roots in the feudal system established by Charles Martel, where kings allocated land to nobles in return for military service. However, the Renaissance brought significant changes to the feudal economy, leading many knights to face financial difficulties. This situation compelled some to forsake their noble status and resort to banditry. As the knightly class diminished, nobles began to seek roles as military officers, while the traditional lance-wielding knight slowly vanished from the landscape of Western European warfare.
The Last Stand of the Lance: The Polish Winged Hussars
Unlike Western Europe, Poland retained its lance traditions for much longer. The Polish Winged Hussars, famed as the most powerful cavalry of the 17th century, preserved these traditions due to Poland’s more stable feudal system, which continued to produce high-quality lancers.
Jerzy Teodorczak described the Winged Hussars’ tactics: they formed two or three ranks, with the front line consisting of noble-born hussars wielding lances, while the supporting ranks carried firearms.
The lance was the hallmark of the Winged Hussars. Their lances blended Eastern and Western designs—some featured a thickened shaft similar to Western styles, while others retained a more slender profile.
A Winged Hussar’s lance typically weighed around 4.5 kg, making it relatively light. However, carrying it on horseback was cumbersome, so they used a special saddle-mounted holder with a long leather strap to store it when not in use.
During slow movement, the lance was carried upright or rested on the shoulder. When trotting, it was angled forward. At full charge, it was leveled horizontally, either tucked under the arm or aligned with the body.
Despite their legendary charges at battles such as Warsaw (1656) and Vienna (1683), the Winged Hussars’ glory was short-lived. Poland’s declining power and the inevitability of military evolution ultimately rendered the lance obsolete.
Though lancers reappeared in Napoleonic-era cavalry, they were far removed from their medieval predecessors. The era of the lance-wielding knight had come to an end.
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