Watch Weapons That Made Britain online: Episode 3 Lance

From the earliest prehistoric use of the humble basic spear to the height of its medieval development as the powerful lance, this most simple and effective tool of war has been decisive in many important battles. The principle of the lance was to take the simple and effective spear and harness it with the full power and impact of a horse. The long, heavy and tapered shape of the lance made for a devastating weapon that turned the frightening medieval cavalry charge into an even more formidable component of the battlefield. Training in the lance would start in boys as young as seven, charging on foot towards a quintain – a shield and counterweight on opposing ends of a rotating pole. Once they had become accomplished at this, they would move on to the tilting cart (like a wooden horse) and practise aimed blows from a trundling simulated horseback ride. Finally the goal of locking together the lance, rider and a real horse would be achieved, and the well-known 'couched' position – with the lance clamped underarm – was witnessed in charges from tournaments to battlefields across Europe.

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