Sub-Roman Britain (Cavalry etc)

[Matthew Amt]

What was the Cavalry of Britain like before the Romans pulled out? Was it Roman in design or was it more like everywhere else and drew from the locals tactics and traditions. This would be a good point to consider when thinking about Roman Cavalry. Also something I consider is the practicality of a unit type in certain environments. Horse Archers for example work better in open areas while Lancers would usually take up less room for maneuvers and choose a small point to attack.

Well, practically *all* Roman cavalry from the late Republic was at least based on non-Roman cultures. So it's mostly a matter of deciding what you want to call "Roman". And most ancient battles were fought in open areas, so I'm not sure what you mean about horse archers and lancers.

I would think things would have gone very differently if after the Battle at Stamford bridge the defenders jumped on horses and rode south instead of marching on foot all the way to get beaten by William of Normandy. A lack of horses in England at that time was costly. Going into battle tired isn't the best strategy. (I would have tried to capture Hardradda's ships to transport everyone I could to bear down the assault)

Not to be dragging the thread off-topic, but much of Godwinson's force *was* mounted, riding to battle but fighting on foot. (Though it should be pointed out that on a *long* forced march, infantry can out-march cavalry!) And while Harold's army (men who lived tough lives and were used to walking) arrived at Senlac at least a day or two before the Normans, and had a good night's sleep, William's troops all had to march to the battlefield from Hastings that morning. So who was more tired? Using captured ships to move the English army south from York sounds like a good way to drown them all, if you don't have enough experienced sailors... Plus you are reliant on favorable winds and weather, and sailing straight towards a huge Norman invasion fleet. And seasick. Go infantry!

One last point I have is an Island nation (unless Australia) doesn't really need much Cavalry due to size. Mainland Europe is alot bigger and I take that into consideration. You could march across England within a couple of days and you also have naval transport to a degree which is much more likely as water surrounds islands.

Sorry, I think you may be a victim of looking at too many large modern maps, here. Most ancient armies considered cavalry to be an advantage in battle. The Romans certainly did, and went to great pains to maintain a good cavalry force even in Britain. It didn't matter to them that they were on an island, since a battlefield is only a mile or so wide. Most warfare in Britain would have been based on the road network, since that was the only practical way to move an army and its wagons. Even if you had enough ships, they would only be useful if you were moving along the coast, and like I said, the weather can make the timing dicey. If you think maintaining a few cavalry horses is expensive, try building and manning a fleet of ships!

Vale,

Matthew