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THAP. IV.] FEUDAL CAVALRY. 189 



discharge by the equal and rapid career of your lances."' 

 Here we see the spirit of Alexander the Great and of 

 Hannibal again showing itself. Again we see the idea 

 of the impetuous rush of the charging horsemen being 

 used to crush by the mere momentum the irregular and 

 indecisive tactics of the skirmishing Hungarians. With 

 equal speed and endurance Henry's tactics could not fail 

 of success. 



Although Henry adopted this plan with his main body 

 of cavalry, he did not disdain to fight his foes with their 

 own weapons, for he had also carefully prepared a force 

 of light horsemen armed with crossbows, who distracted 

 the enemy's attention during the whole day by skirmish- 

 ing with his cavalry.^ Nor did the emperor neglect to 

 secure every tactical advantage in the battle, for turning 

 their line with the flower of his cavalry, he headed a 

 decisive charge in the crisis of the action full upon their 

 flank, and put them to complete rout. His conduct after 

 the battle proves his great capacity as a cavalry general, 

 for the pursuit was prompt and vigorous.^ There was no 

 rest given to the fugitives, who were cut down as they 

 were overtaken. The carnage was excessive, there being 

 no cessation until the scattered remnants of the routed 

 barbarians were driven across the Bohemian frontier. 



The victory was decisive, so much so that the balance 

 of morale between the two nations was reversed, and the 

 Hungarians from that time had as great a terror of the 

 Germans as the Germans formerly had of them. Twenty 

 years later a new generation of Turks had grown up, who, 

 to the number of 100,000 horse, invaded the territory of 

 King Henry's son. Otto the First, who handled with great 

 ability the cavalry which his father had organised. The 

 barbarians, confiding in their great numerical strength, 

 boasted that their horses should drain every river in 

 Germany. They besieged Augsburg, which was bravely 

 defended. Otto called out the arriere-ban of the empire, 

 and the Bohemians joined him.^ The two armies met 

 near Augsburg on the 10th August, 952.* The Hun- 

 garians crossed the Lech secretly, and fell upon the rear 



1 Nolan, n. 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid. 4 Menzel, i. 334. 



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