Harquebusier

In England, harquebusier was the technical name for this type of cavalry, though in everyday usage they were usually simply called 'cavalry' or 'horse'.

This change was initially made from necessity; Sweden was a relatively poor nation and could not afford to equip many expensive cuirassiers, therefore more lightly-equipped cavalry had to be employed in the shock role.

The success of Swedish cavalry in battle during the Thirty Years War led to other nations adopting their methods.

[5] The later harquebusier was also used in a shock role by cavalry leaders of the English Civil War, such as Prince Rupert of the Rhine and Oliver Cromwell.

By the time of the English Civil War all cavalry not equipped as cuirassiers or carrying a lance (the Scots fielded light lancers as late as the 1650s) were called harquebusiers.

[7][8] The harquebusier would usually be armed with a wheellock, snaphaunce or doglock flintlock carbine hung from a swivel attached to a baldric, pistols in saddle holsters, and a stout, straight-bladed sword.

Records also indicate that some harquebusiers were also armed with a horseman's poleaxe or pick, which were hafted weapons with axe or hammer heads and armour-piercing spikes.

[13] Munition-quality (mass-produced) armour at this time was usually of iron, sometimes containing small amounts of phosphorus; this addition gave a minimal increase in hardness.

The French tended to retain greater use of firearms, with their harquebusiers often giving a volley of carbine or pistol fire before closing with the sword.