Demi-lancer

"Demi-lancer" was a term used in 16th-century military parlance, especially in England, to designate cavalrymen mounted on unarmoured horses, armed with a slightly lighter version of the heavy lance of a man-at-arms and wearing three-quarter or half-armour, in contrast to the full plate armour of the man-at-arms or gendarme, who rode barded mounts.

)[1] Demi-lancers were representative of the early modern trend of reducing the coverage of armour, while increasing its thickness to provide protection for the vital areas against the projectiles of gunpowder-based firearms of the time, such as the arquebus and, later, the musket.

This abbreviated armour was also meant to increase the mobility of the men and horses, as well as reducing the expense of equipping and maintaining them throughout a long campaign.

Demi-lancers were prominent in the English troops who fought in the Dutch War of Independence, and were mobilised as part of the defences of England against the invasion threat posed by the Spanish Armada.

In addition, harquebusiers - cavalry with lighter armour using longer firearms, such as doglock carbines - began to appear on the battlefield.