Italian cavalry in XIII century

[mitra]

Now we can pass to Italian cavalry during the XIII century:

a part from normal heavy knight, enrolled from the urban or feudal nobility, we can find in the sources the figure of "Berroviere", the word derived from the old french and indicate the "man of Berry" a synonim of "man of valor". The "berrovieri" are a light cavalry but anyway with good protection (laminar o mail armour); they can be armed with various type of weapons: spear, sword, crossbow,etc. Their principal role are the incursions and the razzie, but they can be make good also in battle.

During the century we can see appear also mounted crossbowmen (balestrieri a cavallo), they are necessary to assure to heavy cavalry the protection against the more and more numerous missile units in the armies.

[MARIAN]

mounted crossbowmen shot from the horse or dismounted before it?

[mitra]

The tactical employ is not sure, but on suppose they move on horse to follow the heavy cavalry, and dismount to shot against the enemy (enemy shooters over all) in tactical combat. This don't esclude they could shot also mounted but the nature of crossbow (aimed shot and slow loading), don't permit a good shot in movement and in fixed position the horse is a too big target for crossbowmen at foot.

[MARIAN]

All as I also thought