The English termlance is derived, viaMiddle Englishlaunce andOld Frenchlance, from the Latinlancea, a generic term meaning aspear orjavelin employed by bothinfantry andcavalry, with English initially keeping these generic meanings. It developed later into a term for spear-like weapons specially designed and modified to be part of a "weapon system" for use couched under the arm during acharge, being equipped with special features such asgrappers to engage withlance rests attached tobreastplates, andvamplates, small circular plates designed to prevent the hand sliding up the shaft upon impact. These specific features were in use by the beginning of the late14th century.[1]
Though best known as a military and sporting weapon carried byEuropeanknights andmen-at-arms, the use of lances was widespread throughoutEast Asia, theMiddle East, andNorth Africa wherever suitable mounts were available. Lances were the main weapon of lancers of the medieval period and beyond, and these troops also carried secondary weapons such asswords,battle axes,war hammers,maces, anddaggers for use inhand-to-hand combat, since the lance was often a one-use-per-engagement weapon, becoming embedded in their targets or being broken on impact. Assuming the lance survived the initial impact without breaking, it could also prove inappropriate for more static, closer engagements where its length became a hindrance.[2]
The name is derived from the wordlancea, theRoman auxiliaries'javelin or throwing spear; although according to theOED, the word may be ofIberian origin. Also compareλόγχη (lónkhē), a Greek term for "spear" or "lance".
A lance in the original sense is a light throwing spear or javelin. The English verbto launch "fling, hurl, throw" is derived from the term (viaOld Frenchlancier), as well as the rarer or poeticto lance. The term from the 17th century came to refer specifically to spears not thrown, used for thrusting byheavy cavalry, and especially injousting. The longer types of thrusting spear used by infantry are usually referred to simply asspears or later aspikes, though many other terms existed.
During the late 3rd century the weapons of the cavalry attached to eachRoman legion evolved fromjavelins and swords to sometimes include long reaching lances (contus). These required the use of both hands to thrust.[3]
TheByzantine cavalry used lances (kontos orkontarion) almost exclusively, often in mixed formations ofmounted archers andlancers (cursores et defensores). The Byzantines used lances in both overarm and underarm grips, as well as being couched under the arm (held horizontally). The length of the standardkontarion is estimated at 2.5 meters (8.2 ft), which is shorter than that of the medieval knight ofWestern Europe.[4]
Formations of knights were known to use underarm-couched military lances in full-gallop closed-ranks charges against lines of opposing infantry or cavalry. Two variants on the couched lance charge developed, the French method,en haie, with lancers in a double line, and the German method, with lancers drawn up in a deeper formation which was often wedge-shaped. It is commonly believed that this became the dominant European cavalry tactic in the 11th century after the development of the cantled saddle and stirrups (theGreat Stirrup Controversy), and of rowelspurs (which enabled better control of the mount). Cavalry thus outfitted and deployed had a tremendous collective force in their charge, and could shatter most contemporary infantry lines.
Because of the extreme stopping power of a thrusting spear, it quickly became a popular weapon of infantry in theLate Middle Ages. These eventually led to the rise of the longest type of spears, thepike. This adaptation of the cavalry lance to infantry use was largely tasked with stopping lance-armed cavalry charges. During the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries, these weapons, both mounted and unmounted, were so effective that lancers and pikemen not only became a staple of every Western army, but also became highly sought-after mercenaries. (However, the pike had already been used byPhilip II of Macedon in antiquity to great effect, in the form of thesarissa.)
In Europe, ajousting lance was a variation of the knight's lance which was modified from its original war design. In jousting, the lance tips would usually be blunt, often spread out like a cup or furniture foot, to provide a wider impact surface designed to unseat the opposing rider without spearing him through. The centre of the shaft of such lances could be designed to be hollow, in order for it to break on impact, as a further safeguard against impalement. They were on average 3 meters (9.8 ft) long, and had hand guards built into the lance, often tapering for a considerable portion of the weapon's length. These are the versions that can most often be seen atmedieval reenactment festivals. In war, lances were much more like stout spears, long and balanced for one-handed use, and with sharpened tips.
As a small unit that surrounded a knight when he went into battle during the 14th and 15th centuries, a lance might have consisted of one or twosquires, the knight himself, one to threemen-at-arms, and possibly anarcher. Lances were often combined under the banner of a higher-ranking nobleman to form companies of knights that would act as an ad hoc unit.
The advent ofwheellock technology spelled the end of the lance in Western Europe, with newer types of heavy cavalry such asreiters andcuirassiers spurning the old one-use weapon and increasingly supplanting the oldergendarme type Medieval cavalry. While manyRenaissance captains such as SirRoger Williams continued to espouse the virtues of the lance, many such asFrançois de la Noue openly encouraged its abandonment in the face of the pistol's greater armor piercing power, handiness and greater general utility. At the same time the adoption ofpike and shot tactic by most infantry forces would neuter much of the power of the lancer's breakneck charge, making them a non-cost effective type of military unit due to their expensive horses in comparison to cuirassiers and reiters, who usually charging only at a trot could make do with lower quality mounts. After the success of pistol-armedHuguenot heavy horse against their Royalist counterparts during theFrench Wars of Religion, mostWestern European powers started rearming their lancers with pistols, initially as an adjunct weapon and eventually as a replacement, with the Spanish retaining the lance the longest.[5]
Only thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth with its far greater emphasis on cavalry warfare, large population ofSzlachta nobility and general lower military technology level among its foes retained the lance to a considerable degree, with the famously wingedPolish hussars having their glory period during the 17th and 18th centuries against a wide variety of enemy forces.[5]
After theWestern introduction of thehorse toNative Americans, thePlains Indians used thebow and lance, probably independently, as American cavalry of the time were armed with thepistol andsabre, firing forward at full gallop.
The mounted lancer experienced a renaissance in the 19th century. This followed on the demise of thepike and of body armor during the early 18th century, with the reintroduction of lances coming fromHungary andPoland, having retained large formations of lance-armed cavalry when they had become more or less obsolescent elsewhere in Europe. Lancers became especially prevalent during and after theNapoleonic Wars: a period when almost all the major European powers reintroduced the lance into their respective cavalry arsenals. Formations ofuhlans and other types of cavalry used lances between 2 and 3 meters (6.6 and 9.8 ft) in length as their primary weapons. The lance was usually employed in initialcharges in close formation, with sabers being used in themelee that followed.
TheCrimean War saw the use of the lance in theCharge of the Light Brigade. One of the four British regiments involved in the charge, plus the RussianCossacks who counter-attacked, were armed with this weapon.
During theWar of the Triple Alliance (1864–1870), the Paraguayan cavalry made effective use of locally manufactured lances, both of conventional design and of an antique pattern used by gauchos for cattle herding.[6]
The 1860s and 1870s saw the increasing common usage ofash,bamboo,beech, orpine wood for lance shafts of varying lengths, each with steel points and butts, adopted by the uhlan regiments of the Saxon, Württemberg, Bavarian, and Prussian armies.
In theAmerican Civil War, the6th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment was equipped with lances modeled afterNapoleon Bonaparte's forces in France.[7] American troops had never previously used the lance in combat.[8] The lances proved ineffective in battle and were replaced with carbine rifles in 1863.[9]
TheFranco-Prussian War of 1870 saw the extensive deployment of cavalry armed with lances on both sides. While the opportunities for decisive use of this weapon proved infrequent during the actual conflict, the entire cavalry corps (93 regiments ofhussars,dragoons,cuirassiers, anduhlans) of the post-warImperial German Army subsequently adopted the lance as a primary weapon. After 1893 the standard German cavalry lance was made of drawn tubular steel, covered with clear lacquer and with a hemp hand-grip.[10] At 3.58 meters (11.7 ft) it was the longest version then in use.[11]
The Austrian cavalry had included regiments armed with lances since 1784. In 1884, the lance ceased to be carried either as an active service or parade weapon. However the elevenUhlan regiments continued in existence until 1918, armed with the standard cavalry sabre.[12]
During theSecond Boer War, British troops successfully used the lance on one occasion - against retreatingBoers at theBattle of Elandslaagte (21 October 1899).[13] However, the Boers made effective use oftrench warfare, rapid-firefield artillery, continuous-firemachine guns, and accurate long-rangerepeating rifles from the beginning of the war. The combined effect was devastating, so much of the British cavalry was deployed as mounted infantry, dismounting to fight on foot. For some years after the Boer War, the six British lancer regiments officially carried the lance only for parades and other ceremonial duties. At the regimental level, training in the use of the lance continued, ostensibly to improve recruit riding skills. In 1909,[14] the 2.7-meter (8.9 ft) bamboo or ash lance with a steel head was reauthorized for general use on active service.[11]
The Russian cavalry (except for theCossacks) discarded the lance in the late 19th century, but in 1907, it was reissued for use by the front line of each squadron when charging in open formation. In its final form, the Russian lance was a long metal tube with a steel head and leather arm strap. It was intended as a shock weapon in the charge, to be dropped after impact and replaced by the sword for close combat in amelee. While demoralizing to an opponent, the lance was recognized as being an awkward encumbrance in forested regions.[15]
The relative value of the lance and the sword as a principal weapon for mounted troops was an issue of dispute in the years immediately preceding World War I. Opponents of the lance argued that the weapon was clumsy, conspicuous, easily deflected, and inefficient in a melee. Arguments favoring the retention of the lance focused on the impact on morale of having charging cavalry preceded by "a hedge of steel" and on the effectiveness of the weapon against fleeing opponents.[11]
Lances were still in use by theBritish,Turkish,Italian,Spanish,French,Belgian,Indian,German, andRussian armies at the outbreak ofWorld War I. In initial cavalry skirmishes in France this antique weapon proved ineffective,[16] Germanuhlans being "hampered by their long lances and a good many threw them away".[17] A major action involving repeated charges by four regiments of German cavalry, all armed with lances, atHalen on 12 August 1914 was unsuccessful.[18] Amongst the Belgian defenders was one regiment of lancers who fought dismounted.
With the advent of trench warfare, lances and the cavalry that carried them ceased to play a significant role.[19] A Russian cavalry officer whose regiment carried lances throughout the war recorded only one instance where an opponent was killed by this weapon.[citation needed]
TheGreco-Turkish War (1919–1922), saw an unexpected revival of lances amongst the cavalry of the Turkish National Army. During the successful Turkish offensives of the final stages of the war across the open plains ofAsia Minor, Turkish mounted troops were armed with bamboo shafted-lances taken from military storage and inflicted heavy losses on the retreating Greek Army.[20]
The cavalry branches of most armies which still retained lances as a service weapon at the end of World War I generally discarded them for all but ceremonial occasions during the 1920s and 1930s. There were exceptions during this era, such as thePolish cavalry, which retained the lance for combat use until either 1934[21] or 1937,[22] but contrary to popular legend did not make use of it inWorld War II. The German cavalry retained the lance (Stahlrohrlanze) as a service weapon until 1927,[23] as did the British cavalry until 1928.[24] The Argentine cavalry were documented as carrying lances until the 1940s,[25] but this appears to have been used as part of recruit riding school training, rather than serious preparation for use in active service.
TheUnited States Cavalry used a lance-like shaft as aflagstaff.
When the CanadianNorth-West Mounted Police was established, it was modeled after certain British cavalry units that used lances. It made limited use of this weapon in small detachments during the 1870s, intended to impress indigenous peoples.[26]
The modernRoyal Canadian Mounted Police, the North-West Mounted Police's descendant, employs ceremonial, though functional, lances made ofmale bamboo. They feature a crimped swallowtailpennant, red above and white below.
TheNew South Wales Mounted Police, based at Redfern Barracks,Sydney, Australia, carry a lance with a navy blue and white pennant on ceremonial occasions.
"Lance" is also the name given by some anthropologists to the light flexiblejavelins (technicallydarts) thrown byatlatls (spear-throwing sticks), but these are usually called "atlatl javelins". Some were not much larger than arrows, and were typically feather-fletched like an arrow and unlike the vast majority of spears and javelins (one exception would be several instances of the many types ofballista bolt, a mechanically thrown spear).
A "tilting-spear" is aheraldric term for a lance.[27]
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