Heavy infantry
Encyclopedia
Heavy infantry refers to heavily armed and armoured ground troops, as opposed to medium or light infantry
, in which the warriors are relatively lightly armoured. As modern infantry troops usually define their subgroups differently (such as by weapon or type of attack), 'heavy infantry' almost always is used to describe pre-gunpowder age troops.
the Hoplite
was a common form of heavy infantry
. All hoplites had a shield and spear, and perhaps a helmet as well. Wealthier hoplites were able to afford bronze breastplate or linothorax
armor, while poorer hoplites wore little to no armor. The hoplite armor and shield were designed to block arrows and blows from spear points and swords. Hoplites would act as both a city watch and as an army in the field. Hoplites were thought of as a force to be reckoned with because they would form a phalanx
, a tight band of spearmen, which aided them against lighter infantry and cavalry.
phalanx. Alexander also had a flexible heavy infantry force known as the Argyraspides
, or silver shields, who also acted as his elite infantry. Post-Alexander Hellenistic States such as the Macedonians, Seleucids, Ptolemies, etc would employ more heavily armored phalangites, as well as their own variation of elite units such as the silver shields.
, heavy infantry made up most of the Roman army. The heavy infantry of the pre-Marian
Roman republic
included the Hastati
, Principes
, and Triarii
. (although depending how the hastati was armed and armored, it could also be considered light infantry) The hastati, the youngest men in the line, were armed with a sword, or gladius
, and two javelins, or pila
. The pila (singular pilum) were usually thrown at a charging enemy before they engaged in hand-to-hand combat. They were also armed with a helmet, a bronze breast plate or a set of chainmail, and a shield - if they could afford it. The Principes were armed just like the hastati, but they were older, more experienced, and, because they had more money, better quality of arms. Principes were typically armed with pila, a gladius, chainmail, shield, and helmet. The other heavy infantry were the Triarii. These were armed and armored just like the hastati except for the fact that instead of holding pila to throw at the enemy, they used a large spear known as the hasta. The triarii were usually called in to end the battle and break the lines of the enemy. Rome's use of heavy infantry and a general lack of major cavalry forces meant they were stronger in pitched battle but more vulnerable to ambushes. After the Marian reforms of the late 2nd century BCE, the three lined maniples were replaced in favor a single type of heavy infantry - essentially an all principes force, the legionnary
.
army developed an infantry force that would help it conquer the other states. Soldiers fulfilling the role of heavy infantry usually wore lacquered leather (and sometimes bronze) coat of plates or lamellar , and were equipped with spears and wooden shields, dagger-axes and large bronze shields, or swords and smaller bronze shields. Some soldiers were also equipped with very long spears or pikes, and fought in a formation akin to swiss pikemen. The Han Dynasty
that succeeded the Qin era would equip their soldiers with iron armor, which they were able to mass produce due to state standardized metallurgical improvements. Unlike their contemporaries such as the post-Marian Romans, the Han military did not rely primarily on their heavy infantry, but emphasized a more balanced force of infantry, missile troops, and cavalry.
, Battle of Hastings
). With the proliferation and consolidation of the concept of chivalry, much focus was given to the knight as the central figure in warfare, nevertheless it's a false assumption that heavy infantry became obsolete during the period, as evidenced by the Scottish and Irish wars against the English, by the Flemish and Italian citizen-militias, and by the Byzantine methods of war (which was based on the Roman Legionnary and Greek Hoplite models, see Skoutatoi
). While the trend in Eastern Europe beyond the Dnieper among the nomadic peoples like the Pechenegs and Kypchaks was essentially based on the archer cavalry, the peoples of modern Ukrayne and western Russia, descended from Scandinavian settlers, favored a mix of heavy infantry and asian-style cavalry warfare. Peoples like the Hungarians, Poles and Bulgarians gradually abandoned their native ways of warfare in favor of imitating the Western European Knights or Byzantine Heavy Cavalry.
All of this would change with the introduction of gunpowder in Europe in the late 14th century, and the highly successful and innovating pikemen tactics pioneered by the Swiss mercenaries
led to the increased preference for mostly infantry professional armies. Gunpowder and the skillful use of the pike would give birth to the Middle Age heavy infantry and would push heavy cavalry into an equal part of the army. Heavy infantry would usually be armored like a knight, with mail armor and maybe an iron helmet and would carry a pike (which was a very long thrusting spear, used extensively by the infantry both for attacks on other infantry and as a counter-measure against cavalry assaults). Other heavy infantry would probably be armed with little armor and maybe a gunpowder weapon, which were capable of penetrating armor. The introduction of such weapons as gunpowder and the pike resulted in the reintroduction of the infantry into armies and shifted dominance of the battlefield away from the knights.
Light infantry
Traditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. Light infantry was distinct from medium, heavy or line infantry. Heavy infantry were dedicated primarily to fighting in tight...
, in which the warriors are relatively lightly armoured. As modern infantry troops usually define their subgroups differently (such as by weapon or type of attack), 'heavy infantry' almost always is used to describe pre-gunpowder age troops.
Ancient Greece
In ancient GreeceAncient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
the Hoplite
Hoplite
A hoplite was a citizen-soldier of the Ancient Greek city-states. Hoplites were primarily armed as spearmen and fought in a phalanx formation. The word "hoplite" derives from "hoplon" , the type of the shield used by the soldiers, although, as a word, "hopla" could also denote weapons held or even...
was a common form of heavy infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
. All hoplites had a shield and spear, and perhaps a helmet as well. Wealthier hoplites were able to afford bronze breastplate or linothorax
Linothorax
The linothorax was a type of upper body armor used by the Ancient Greeks, as well as other civilizations, from the Mycenaean Period through the Hellenistic Period. The earliest attested account of a linothorax used for battle is recorded in Book 2 of Homer's Iliad . It is worn by Ajax the lesser...
armor, while poorer hoplites wore little to no armor. The hoplite armor and shield were designed to block arrows and blows from spear points and swords. Hoplites would act as both a city watch and as an army in the field. Hoplites were thought of as a force to be reckoned with because they would form a phalanx
Phalanx formation
The phalanx is a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar weapons...
, a tight band of spearmen, which aided them against lighter infantry and cavalry.
Hellenistic Successor States
Alexander's army employed infantry known as the phalangite - soldiers equipped with a small shield and long pike, and employed in a formation known as the sarissaSarissa
The sarissa or sarisa was a 4 to 7 meter long spear used in the ancient Greek and Hellenistic warfare. It was introduced by Philip II of Macedon and was used in the traditional Greek phalanx formation as a replacement for the earlier dory, which was considerably shorter. The phalanxes of Philip...
phalanx. Alexander also had a flexible heavy infantry force known as the Argyraspides
Argyraspides
The Argyraspides , were a division of the Macedonian army of Alexander the Great, who were so called because they carried silver-plated shields. They were picked men, were commanded by Nicanor, the son of Parmenion, and were held in high honour by Alexander. They were hypaspists, having changed...
, or silver shields, who also acted as his elite infantry. Post-Alexander Hellenistic States such as the Macedonians, Seleucids, Ptolemies, etc would employ more heavily armored phalangites, as well as their own variation of elite units such as the silver shields.
Celts
The Celts were a diverse group of people that through migration, lived in an area stretching from what is now Britain to what is now Turkey. The Celts were a diverse people and warrior group that varied greatly in battle and equipment. Some of the heavier armed Celts wore chainmail, "galea" type helmets, and threw javelins in battle - all of these elements were later adopted by the Romans. Celts were respected for their battle prowess and often served as mercenaries for settled agrarian civilizations.Rome
In the Military of ancient RomeMilitary of ancient Rome
The Roman military was intertwined with the Roman state much more closely than in a modern European nation. Josephus describes the Roman people being as if they were "born ready armed." and the Romans were for long periods prepared to engage in almost continuous warfare, absorbing massive losses...
, heavy infantry made up most of the Roman army. The heavy infantry of the pre-Marian
Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius was a Roman general and statesman. He was elected consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. He was also noted for his dramatic reforms of Roman armies, authorizing recruitment of landless citizens, eliminating the manipular military formations, and reorganizing the...
Roman republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
included the Hastati
Hastati
Hastatii were a class of infantry in the armies of the early Roman Republic who originally fought as spearmen, and later as swordsmen. They were originally some of the poorest men in the legion, and could afford only modest equipment — light armour and a large shield, in their service as the...
, Principes
Principes
Principes were spearmen, and later swordsmen, in the armies of the early Roman Republic. They were men in the prime of their lives who were fairly wealthy, and could afford decent equipment. They were the heavier infantry of the legion who carried large shields and wore good quality armour. Their...
, and Triarii
Triarii
Triarii were one of the elements of the early Roman military Manipular legions of the early Roman Republic . They were the oldest and among the wealthiest men in the army, and could afford good quality equipment. They wore heavy metal armour and carried large shields, their usual position being...
. (although depending how the hastati was armed and armored, it could also be considered light infantry) The hastati, the youngest men in the line, were armed with a sword, or gladius
Gladius
Gladius was the Latin word for sword, and is used to represent the primary sword of Ancient Roman soldiers. Early ancient Roman swords were similar to those used by the Greeks. From the 3rd century BC, the Romans adopted swords similar to those used by the Celtiberians and others during the early...
, and two javelins, or pila
Pilum
The pilum was a javelin commonly used by the Roman army in ancient times. It was generally about two metres long overall, consisting of an iron shank about 7 mm in diameter and 60 cm long with pyramidal head...
. The pila (singular pilum) were usually thrown at a charging enemy before they engaged in hand-to-hand combat. They were also armed with a helmet, a bronze breast plate or a set of chainmail, and a shield - if they could afford it. The Principes were armed just like the hastati, but they were older, more experienced, and, because they had more money, better quality of arms. Principes were typically armed with pila, a gladius, chainmail, shield, and helmet. The other heavy infantry were the Triarii. These were armed and armored just like the hastati except for the fact that instead of holding pila to throw at the enemy, they used a large spear known as the hasta. The triarii were usually called in to end the battle and break the lines of the enemy. Rome's use of heavy infantry and a general lack of major cavalry forces meant they were stronger in pitched battle but more vulnerable to ambushes. After the Marian reforms of the late 2nd century BCE, the three lined maniples were replaced in favor a single type of heavy infantry - essentially an all principes force, the legionnary
Roman legion
A Roman legion normally indicates the basic ancient Roman army unit recruited specifically from Roman citizens. The organization of legions varied greatly over time but they were typically composed of perhaps 5,000 soldiers, divided into maniples and later into "cohorts"...
.
Early Imperial East Asia
Following the introduction of infantry tactics during the Warring States period, the QinQin
-Chinese dynasties and states:*Qin , a state of China during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty*Qin Dynasty , which followed Qin's unification of China in 221 BC and ended in 206 BC*Da Qin , Roman Empire, 202 BC to AD 220...
army developed an infantry force that would help it conquer the other states. Soldiers fulfilling the role of heavy infantry usually wore lacquered leather (and sometimes bronze) coat of plates or lamellar , and were equipped with spears and wooden shields, dagger-axes and large bronze shields, or swords and smaller bronze shields. Some soldiers were also equipped with very long spears or pikes, and fought in a formation akin to swiss pikemen. The Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
that succeeded the Qin era would equip their soldiers with iron armor, which they were able to mass produce due to state standardized metallurgical improvements. Unlike their contemporaries such as the post-Marian Romans, the Han military did not rely primarily on their heavy infantry, but emphasized a more balanced force of infantry, missile troops, and cavalry.
Middle Ages
It's a misconception that all of the Medieval Period was dominated by heavy cavalry, as this trend began only after the 10th Century. For centuries after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD, heavy infantry was still favored in Western and Central European warfare, by the Franks, Visigoths, Anglo-Saxons, by the Arabs that invaded Spain and by the Viking raiders. Only after the Carolingian Period and the rise of the Normans in the affairs of Western Europe we see a shifting trend in the course of warfare (i.e. Battle of LechfeldBattle of Lechfeld
The Battle of Lechfeld , often seen as the defining event for holding off the incursions of the Hungarians into Western Europe, was a decisive victory by Otto I the Great, King of the Germans, over the Hungarian leaders, the harka Bulcsú and the chieftains Lél and Súr...
, Battle of Hastings
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
). With the proliferation and consolidation of the concept of chivalry, much focus was given to the knight as the central figure in warfare, nevertheless it's a false assumption that heavy infantry became obsolete during the period, as evidenced by the Scottish and Irish wars against the English, by the Flemish and Italian citizen-militias, and by the Byzantine methods of war (which was based on the Roman Legionnary and Greek Hoplite models, see Skoutatoi
Byzantine battle tactics
The Byzantine army evolved from that of the late Roman Empire. The language of the army was still Latin but it became considerably more sophisticated in terms of strategy, tactics and organization...
). While the trend in Eastern Europe beyond the Dnieper among the nomadic peoples like the Pechenegs and Kypchaks was essentially based on the archer cavalry, the peoples of modern Ukrayne and western Russia, descended from Scandinavian settlers, favored a mix of heavy infantry and asian-style cavalry warfare. Peoples like the Hungarians, Poles and Bulgarians gradually abandoned their native ways of warfare in favor of imitating the Western European Knights or Byzantine Heavy Cavalry.
All of this would change with the introduction of gunpowder in Europe in the late 14th century, and the highly successful and innovating pikemen tactics pioneered by the Swiss mercenaries
Swiss mercenaries
Swiss mercenaries were notable for their service in foreign armies, especially the armies of the Kings of France, throughout the Early Modern period of European history, from the Later Middle Ages into the Age of the European Enlightenment...
led to the increased preference for mostly infantry professional armies. Gunpowder and the skillful use of the pike would give birth to the Middle Age heavy infantry and would push heavy cavalry into an equal part of the army. Heavy infantry would usually be armored like a knight, with mail armor and maybe an iron helmet and would carry a pike (which was a very long thrusting spear, used extensively by the infantry both for attacks on other infantry and as a counter-measure against cavalry assaults). Other heavy infantry would probably be armed with little armor and maybe a gunpowder weapon, which were capable of penetrating armor. The introduction of such weapons as gunpowder and the pike resulted in the reintroduction of the infantry into armies and shifted dominance of the battlefield away from the knights.
See also
- InfantryInfantryInfantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
- Light infantryLight infantryTraditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. Light infantry was distinct from medium, heavy or line infantry. Heavy infantry were dedicated primarily to fighting in tight...
- PhalanxPhalanx formationThe phalanx is a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar weapons...
- Roman infantry tactics, strategy and battle formations
- Military historyMilitary historyMilitary history is a humanities discipline within the scope of general historical recording of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, their cultures, economies and changing intra and international relationships....