Sub-Roman Britain (Cavalry etc)

[Agraes]

Searching for a power able to field cavalry in sub-roman Britain I would look in the south west. The Dumnonii and Durotriges build some of the most impressive fortress of the era, namely Tintagel and South Cadbury. They had trade (and probably diplomatic) relations with Gaul, Africa and the Eastern Roman Empire. The Dumnonii were likely the most involved in the settlement of Brittany, so we see here a form of political expansion. They were not deeply romanised and probably kept a kind of autonomy and had to fight off irish raids for centuries. Eventually they may have been much less affected by the 5th century crisis than the rest of roman Britain.

But here aswell there seems to be no firm evidence of cavalry use. Except if we look on the other side of the ocean, in what will became Brittany.

The Excerpta de Libris Romanorum et Francorum are an extract of the early breton laws. They have been dated by Léon Fleuriot to the 6th century. David Dumville did argue that the laws can't be dated that precisely and proposed a date between the 6th and 8th century for the text, but he did accepted those laws may have been applied earlier on. Fleuriot then came with new arguments an proposed the 5th century, and since this Soazick Kerneis proposed the same period.
The laws made quite a lot of references about buying horses, horses beeing stolen, some breeds are even mentionned, saxon horses and apparently taifali horses.
We have an extract of a 7th century poem in the 11th century life of Judicael by Ingomar. Judicael is often presented as the king of Domnonée, but he may had power in the rest of Brittany. He is praised here for "having allowed many spearmen who went after him on foot, bringing home many spoils, to came back home as horsemen".

And of course we got the 9th century accounts of the terrible defeats the light breton cavalry inflicted on Carl the Bald's armies, even if it's a bit late for the subjet, it seems that the Bretons had a very early tradition of cavalry armies, likely inherited from their celtic and roman past. Knowing that most of the migrants likely came from south-western Britain in the 4th to 7th centuries, it's probably from there they bring this cavalry tradition.