•iiAP. X.] CAVALRY IN THE IGth CENTURY, 



245 



them in the Dimaclii (Btfioxoi), which formed an 

 important portion of his cavahy. 



The French, liowevcr, seem to have been the first 

 to have revived the use of draf]joons, and the other 

 powers seem to have copied from tliom, and to have 

 adopted them in their armies. 



The death of Henry II. at a tournament, and the 

 consequent abolition of these exercises, had a very serious 

 offect upon the use of the lanec in the cavalry service. 

 The difficulty of getting horses suitable for its employ- 

 ment, added to the great weight of armour, and the 

 continual improvement of firearms, soon li d to its entire 

 abandonment, and cavalry began to use firearms almost 

 exclusively. 



From 1550 to 1553, the Marshal de Brissac employed 

 companies of arquebusiers, which he placed on horseback 

 to enable them to move more rapidly upon positions 

 where their presence was required, and where they would 

 be obliged to dismount to fight with advantage, his 

 object being to supply in this way increased mobility to 

 certain portions of his infantry. This was the real idea 

 and object of dragoons, and seems to have been the first 

 systematic use of this type of soldier in modern times.' 

 Afterwards, under the reigns of Charles IX. and Henry 

 III., the dragoons did good service, as well as under 

 Henry IV. 



Prince Alexander of Parma, as early as 1552, wishing 

 to surprise the Duke of Alen9on, mounted several com- 

 panies of infantry upon pack-horses, and moved them 

 rapidly towards the enemy.^ 



The dragoons, in the first place, w^ere simply infantry 

 mounted, and the horse was used solely for the purpose 

 of rapid movement, the fighting being always done on 

 foot. This gradually changed, the men being averse to 

 dismount, so that they soon became accustomed to fight 

 more on their horses than on foot, which after a time led 

 to this arm falling into disfavour. 



Cuirassiers.— The cuirassiers were another type of 

 cavalry, somewhat like the German Reitres. They were 



' Humbert, 81. ' Bcami.sli, 330. 



■r: 



