Cavalry was a stupid idea

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  • čas přidán 27. 08. 2016
  • The Great Courses Plus free trial: ow.ly/fA12302OFSt
    Riding a horse into battle is not a technique easy to adopt. The first man to suggest it may have been laughed at.
    Support me on Patreon: / lindybeige
    A long ramble by me. Possibly I should have done one video about Celtic/Roman four-pommelled saddles, and a separate one about how cavalry took a long time to develop.
    I wasn't quite at my peak while making this one. I came back from abroad with a virus, and had spent the previous day coughing.
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Komentáře • 9K

  • @kevincrady2831
    @kevincrady2831 Před 4 lety +4201

    Hannibal: "Yeah, you're right. Riding horses into battle is silly."
    Equip: Elephants

  • @henrybuchanan6613
    @henrybuchanan6613 Před 5 lety +7120

    Those are brave words for someone in lancing distance

    • @masonburton7676
      @masonburton7676 Před 5 lety +47

      RAINBOW_REALITY underrated comment man

    • @lefoolish1989
      @lefoolish1989 Před 5 lety +170

      brave words for someone riding towards my spear

    • @redpotato2585
      @redpotato2585 Před 4 lety +28

      @@lefoolish1989 underrated comment man

    • @ikerd7182
      @ikerd7182 Před 4 lety +14

      @Landsturmregiment underrated comment man

    • @Brugar18
      @Brugar18 Před 4 lety +30

      @@lefoolish1989 Brave words for someone who gets charged in by fully plated medieval tank.

  • @JamieDionne
    @JamieDionne Před 3 lety +1483

    Lindybeige: “Cavalry is a stupid idea”
    Mongol Empire: “Am I a joke to you?”

    • @belka8618
      @belka8618 Před 3 lety +197

      Mongolian horse archers
      Sassanid cataphracts
      Parthian horse archers
      Russian cossacks
      Polish hussars
      Ottoman sipahi
      French cuirassiers
      Etc etc
      And these are only some of the notable ones
      For thousands of years all armies needed cavalry

    • @wynnwong4008
      @wynnwong4008 Před 3 lety +33

      Well they're effective mainly due to the archery not the Calvary lol

    • @belka8618
      @belka8618 Před 3 lety +117

      @@wynnwong4008 "Mobile archery" thanks to the horses
      A group of archers couldn't have destroyed an entire roman army with little effort but horse archers did.
      Also the cataphracts and the hussars were amazing. The heavy cavalry charge was absolutely devastating to the infantry and the hussars... Well they saved vienna

    • @WhiteWolfsp93
      @WhiteWolfsp93 Před 3 lety +10

      mongols did use infantry, you know.

    • @JamieDionne
      @JamieDionne Před 3 lety +85

      @@WhiteWolfsp93 No shit Sherlock. Everyone had infantry. I’m not brain dead. It’s just that the Mongols are very well known for their use of horses.

  • @zacharymohammadi
    @zacharymohammadi Před 4 lety +830

    “Cavalry is stupid”
    This video was sponsored by Crassus INC.

  • @curtainpoles3120
    @curtainpoles3120 Před 7 lety +439

    but look at my horse... my horse is amazing

  • @redenabao2358
    @redenabao2358 Před 4 lety +4678

    cavalry is a stupid name i prefer stallion battalion

  • @jimmymac4559
    @jimmymac4559 Před 4 lety +225

    “Let’s invent something to get my old and frail mother-in-law on this unpredictable horse” said the optimistic Chinese man from 400A.D.

    • @banananotebook3331
      @banananotebook3331 Před 2 lety +10

      One has the feeling that said man was optimistic in more than one way.
      "While we're at it, why only limit it to horses? Why, with this invention why don't we get her to ride on an unpredictable bull instead? Or a tiger?"

  • @talesofwendigo1232
    @talesofwendigo1232 Před 3 lety +135

    “Cavalry is a stupid idea”
    *Mongol throat singing stops...*

  • @cyberinfotech8780
    @cyberinfotech8780 Před 5 lety +2650

    To summarise:
    Calvary was stupid when it began.
    Then it became effective.
    Then cars and tanks came along and it went back to useless.

    • @IRMentat
      @IRMentat Před 5 lety +220

      you started well enough but it was massed artillery, mud and machine guns that put an end to horses.
      tanks and tracked vehicles (be it sleds, trains or trucks) took on the roles that 4 legged animals could not.
      Resupply infrastructure, spear-tip, scout and carrier of big guns.

    • @flare9757
      @flare9757 Před 5 lety +1

      Cyber Infotech Hail the Mark 1 AFV!

    • @itssnapshot
      @itssnapshot Před 5 lety +19

      Cavalry

    • @bashkillszombies
      @bashkillszombies Před 5 lety +8

      Don't tell the police that.

    • @FrarmerFrank
      @FrarmerFrank Před 5 lety +19

      Really?
      Google WW2 Charge at Krojanty
      The Polish Calvary had Lances,yes,but the sword was replaced with pistols and Rifles and they were considered light mobile units similar to Jeeps with machine gun turrets
      Of course US Calvary vs Indians where they are shooting at each other on horses (not aiming for Horses which were "valuable spoils") is American History

  • @tyguy6296
    @tyguy6296 Před 7 lety +2324

    i think MOST military tech was at one time considered pretty stupid.
    guns? ''here... hold this. it will explode, but if it holds together it should shoot this tiny bit out the end''
    planes? ''its made of canvas, wood, and paper... hop in and fly it! safe?? oh heavens no... the opposite in fact''
    everything is stupid until someone figures out how to make it ''not stupid'' and it gives them a massive advantage. then it's a game changer and they are brilliant

    • @PopTartNeko
      @PopTartNeko Před 7 lety +154

      it was pretty stupid but man do i want passenger zeppelins to come back

    • @tyguy6296
      @tyguy6296 Před 7 lety +87

      PopTartNeko pretty sure we could get those to work safely now. i would love to take a trip on one

    • @Horvath_Gabor
      @Horvath_Gabor Před 7 lety +54

      We actually cannot get them work, at least not safely. There are only two gases than can reliably lift a big passenger zeppelin that could transport people/cargo across large distances: Hydrogen and Helium. Hydrogen is cheap (you can get it by electrolysing water) but ridiculously flammable, while Helium is much more stable, but since the US kept its reserves artificially cheap and wasted them for decades, so it is slowly becoming scarce enough that filling zeppelins with the stuff would be a waste.

    • @badegg4909
      @badegg4909 Před 7 lety +18

      Well, and if we get some genius coming along making vacuum airships. JS. that would be the "Cheapest" by envelope filler. but I suspect the envelope itself would be space age expensive.

    • @SuperBonobob
      @SuperBonobob Před 7 lety +22

      But when something is stupid in hindsight then you know it really is stupid.

  • @Abrogator91
    @Abrogator91 Před 3 lety +495

    Lindybeige: "Cavalry is a stupid idea."
    King Harlaus: "You wot mate?"
    Swadian knights go brrrrr

    • @oseanvega2199
      @oseanvega2199 Před 3 lety +64

      Calling cavalry stupid might actually get the Swadians to stop feasting.

    • @Nr9Boon
      @Nr9Boon Před 3 lety +37

      Horses can't handle the epic mass of us butter lords

    • @natesprofile2630
      @natesprofile2630 Před 3 lety +7

      Dude what a beta. Sarranid Mamlukes are chad

    • @blacknosugar6836
      @blacknosugar6836 Před 3 lety +26

      Jeremus the Monk was knocked unconscious by Swadian Knight

    • @fadhli179
      @fadhli179 Před 3 lety +5

      Swadian and sarranid was using armored war horse, i think the calvary term in lindy mind was smiliar to khergit lancer (which obviously considered the worst melee cavalry, and the cheapest). Riding fast unarmored horse that was not good for anything except flanking manuver

  • @DomingoDeSantaClara
    @DomingoDeSantaClara Před 4 lety +79

    When the troops run short of food it's very easy to convert cavalry to carvery.

  • @SinaZarin
    @SinaZarin Před 5 lety +1827

    4.6k persians, mongols , turks and poles disliked this

    • @thegreatrainman2336
      @thegreatrainman2336 Před 5 lety +38

      Sina Zarin also everyone that knows anything about history this fool is throwing up all over himself with stupidity cav was a game changer

    • @potatotop9532
      @potatotop9532 Před 4 lety +75

      juan zatarain did u even watch the video

    • @stay10578
      @stay10578 Před 4 lety +96

      @@thegreatrainman2336 Did you just read the title and base your opinion off of that?

    • @tannhasuervonhohenstein3728
      @tannhasuervonhohenstein3728 Před 4 lety +24

      @@thegreatrainman2336 Horses could easily be beaten back by a wall of spears.
      Formations made to scare horses and kill them.
      When muskets came, they took an already used formation to go against horses. Cav were not easy to use.
      Also looking after thousands of men and a few hundred horses is a hard task alone.

    • @mihajlonovkovic3428
      @mihajlonovkovic3428 Před 4 lety +13

      Persians, Mongols/Turkic nomadic horsemen, Winged Hussars, Christian crusader knights, Russian Cossacks, thats just a small list.

  • @Spealder
    @Spealder Před 5 lety +3687

    "Laughs in mongolian"

  • @eriksamuelhennings2704
    @eriksamuelhennings2704 Před 4 lety +448

    Me: Laughs because Horses are scared of the most bizarre things.
    Also Me: Sees a Spider and thinks I am gonna die.

    • @retrodarktrooper6372
      @retrodarktrooper6372 Před 3 lety +28

      Well, my horse, despite not giving a shit about anything normally, almost bucked me off
      Because of a moth

    • @butterskywalker8785
      @butterskywalker8785 Před 3 lety +8

      @@retrodarktrooper6372 people do that too

    • @secretbaguette
      @secretbaguette Před 3 lety +5

      @@butterskywalker8785 Buck you off because of a moth? I have to ask in what sort of human interaction has this happened?

    • @butterskywalker8785
      @butterskywalker8785 Před 3 lety +2

      @@secretbaguette not like that,I mean almost dropping and killing the fucking child because a moth was in a wall at least 3 meters away from me type of stuff

    • @secretbaguette
      @secretbaguette Před 3 lety

      @@butterskywalker8785 Oh

  • @kevinstachovak8842
    @kevinstachovak8842 Před 3 lety +38

    At first I thought you'd lost it- cavalry was extremely useful for commanders, both tactically and as scouts. But then I decided to hear you out, and you are spot-on. It really is kind of amazing that horses were ever domesticated in the first place. The initial domestication must have taken nerves stronger than steel cable!

    • @fakecubed
      @fakecubed Před 10 měsíci +3

      We'd already had experience with domesticating dogs, goats, cattle, pigs, and even llamas, all of which can be difficult and dangerous in their own ways. Heck, two of those actually want to eat us. I imagine horses were fairly easy to domesticate after that, just build paddocks around them, or somehow drive them in. Perhaps first it was to slaughter for meat or use for milk, but having them around we would have come up with new uses over time, and by then the horses would be more used to be around humans and being handled by them in some way. Cavalry is pretty nuts, but it probably started with using them for carrying loads, then riding for travel, then it would've been a natural outgrowth to hunt from horseback, and eventually ride them into battle as commanders, and finally the cavalry charge.

  • @itsnotatoober
    @itsnotatoober Před 5 lety +868

    Mongols: "Hold my fermented horse milk."

    • @RiceMan31
      @RiceMan31 Před 4 lety +12

      Hold my Koumiss

    • @triangulum8869
      @triangulum8869 Před 4 lety +34

      Ahmet Akın Aydoğdu The mongols were actually just entirely horses disguised as humans.

    • @RiceMan31
      @RiceMan31 Před 4 lety +15

      @@triangulum8869 Wait, you weren't supposed to know that.

    • @musab9424
      @musab9424 Před 4 lety +6

      @@triangulum8869 I heard that centaurs are inspired by them because they are in a perfect accordance with horses so they are like a piece of horse

    • @JustScrapHD
      @JustScrapHD Před 3 lety

      didnt use mongols primarily use horses for archers?

  • @unjogratis936
    @unjogratis936 Před 5 lety +1270

    *This Video is Sponsored by the Great Horses Plus*

  • @TheGoldenWarden
    @TheGoldenWarden Před 4 lety +114

    "Tractor goes thundering past"
    As a rancher. That's a phrase I never thought I'd here in my life.

    • @ericolens3
      @ericolens3 Před rokem

      🤣 lol
      I mean, have you tried racing a tractor before?

  • @mangogoat8195
    @mangogoat8195 Před 4 lety +305

    "I have once been bareback riding, and boy do you have to grip with your thighs"
    What a quote

    • @NLTops
      @NLTops Před 3 lety +3

      You ride horses bareback? You must be a Mangolian.

    • @muhamadsayyidabidin3906
      @muhamadsayyidabidin3906 Před 3 lety +1

      @@NLTops *Numidian

    • @NLTops
      @NLTops Před 3 lety +16

      @@muhamadsayyidabidin3906 *it was a joke mixing his name and a nomadic equestrian culture. Go bother someone else.

    • @apandas_am5635
      @apandas_am5635 Před 3 lety +2

      Just watched that part, that’s what he said

    • @bobo0202
      @bobo0202 Před 3 lety +4

      When I ride bareback, I hold her thighs

  • @dafuyoma
    @dafuyoma Před 7 lety +2835

    Cavalry is a stupid name. They should have called it "horse force".

    • @JonJon-dx3up
      @JonJon-dx3up Před 7 lety +14

      bahahaha yes

    • @austin09jj
      @austin09jj Před 7 lety +21

      genius

    • @wbnc66
      @wbnc66 Před 7 lety +80

      Umm cavalry is derived from the word caballus one of the latin words for horse, or mounted on a horse :D chevalier and cavalry mean "horseman"

    • @croisaor2308
      @croisaor2308 Před 7 lety +358

      "Stallion Battalion"

    • @austin09jj
      @austin09jj Před 7 lety +26

      Croí Saor even better

  • @noahhoward2883
    @noahhoward2883 Před 7 lety +2738

    To clarify: this video isn't saying that cavalry was ineffective throughout history; it obviously wasn't. It's about the numerous problems that needed to be solved by ancient cultures in order for cavalry to become effective.

    • @WG55
      @WG55 Před 7 lety +238

      As usual, the commenters are judging the video based on the title.

    • @MrL702
      @MrL702 Před 7 lety +13

      Muh not denying its effectiveness throughout history but its a dumb idea.

    • @worldsfutureleader5952
      @worldsfutureleader5952 Před 7 lety +59

      alot of people need to see this, lindy has made a interesting video and instead people write a comment without watching it, sad really

    • @MrL702
      @MrL702 Před 7 lety +18

      World's Future Leader They have watched the video. Quit being a stuck up fanboy.

    • @worldsfutureleader5952
      @worldsfutureleader5952 Před 7 lety +15

      GetTrumped lol yeah, but they still don't understand

  • @Daniel_Doce275
    @Daniel_Doce275 Před 3 lety +186

    *the mongols are typing*
    *the takeda clan is typing*
    *polish huzzars are typing*

  • @danhall6922
    @danhall6922 Před 4 lety +269

    Roman General crassus invaded Pathia
    "Using calvery is a stupid idea,"
    Ends up drinking melted gold

    • @danhall6922
      @danhall6922 Před 3 lety +14

      @Yeast Yeast
      he was killed during negotiations but as the story goes his the parthians poured melted gold down the throat of his dead corpse...
      May well be a myth...
      May just be the truth...
      Pouring melted gold down the throat has been a recorded method of execution for some civilisations

    • @michaekrynicki8330
      @michaekrynicki8330 Před 3 lety +18

      @@danhall6922 seems wastefull

    • @SkywalkerExpress
      @SkywalkerExpress Před 3 lety +11

      Caesar also has the same experience getting harassed by Numidian cavalry out in the open during the civil war in North Africa. The different is Caesar is not Crassus.

    • @JoeTheBroken
      @JoeTheBroken Před 3 lety +4

      @@michaekrynicki8330 Just wait for the body to decompose, retrieve the gold from the skeleton a year or two later

    • @wowisthatgami8293
      @wowisthatgami8293 Před 3 lety +4

      Title says: "Cavalry WAS a stupid idea" not IS

  • @Bikeadelic
    @Bikeadelic Před 4 lety +469

    If a dog is mans best friend then horses must be his greatest ally. The amount of work the horse has done for mankind over the millennia is phenomenal.

    • @morganpetros9635
      @morganpetros9635 Před 2 lety +13

      Yeah, well, there's a reason it's called "horsepower" and not "dogpower" ...

    • @Bikeadelic
      @Bikeadelic Před 2 lety +24

      @@morganpetros9635 you say it like its common sense but horses are very overlooked in terms of their contribution to humanities history.

    • @Sconni_Pirenjeski
      @Sconni_Pirenjeski Před 2 lety +3

      What about cows?

    • @fredflintlocks9445
      @fredflintlocks9445 Před 2 lety +7

      @@Bikeadelic only because they've been replaced by steam/internal combustion for 3 generations now but even in WW2 successful cavalry charges were performed, and horses were used to carry artillery and baggage carts just like they have been for millennia.

    • @BoleDaPole
      @BoleDaPole Před 2 lety

      It's still animal slavery and ultimate animal abuse.

  • @Weykpotis
    @Weykpotis Před 5 lety +424

    "I have once been bareback riding, and so I can tell you that it's-- it's... _boy_ you have to grip with your thighs."
    -- Lindybeige, 2016.

  • @owenkeller2748
    @owenkeller2748 Před 3 lety +37

    Can we circle back to this “trousers glued on a bull” idea? I think we have some potential here.

  • @kirtash5597
    @kirtash5597 Před 4 lety +84

    -"Cavalry was a stupid idea"
    -Alexander The Great: "now listen here little shit"

    • @keithau8159
      @keithau8159 Před 2 lety +1

      Not agree at all.Rome period,in fact in iron stage,lot of tools regarding to different usage were invented.Stand on ground small,middle and huge size catapult,mechanical powerful spring single and multiple shoots of box were invented and widely make use of them in warfare and that is why Rome empire had huge wide territories in middle east area.but in fact the most trouble zone in ancient time.Well it is and seem logical cavalry are easy triggered,however all horses wearing suitable light weight steel or heavy steel protective armor,all four legs equipped with scythe long at back and short in front while charging in formation or units,together with horse 4-6-8 wheels wagon with small and middle catapult installed in the deck,would be very dangerous and deadly and powerful weapons as modern days using of tanks and howitzers as formation units at all.Agree.😁😂😀

  • @feartheghus
    @feartheghus Před 5 lety +1439

    I can tell you why the first horses were ridden, it was quite probably not done for any advantage like using them for work or travel or combat, I bet it was just some idiots having a hold my beer moment.

    • @Tombombadillo999
      @Tombombadillo999 Před 5 lety +42

      Bob Johnson thought the same, quite logical tbh

    • @GumaroRVillamil
      @GumaroRVillamil Před 5 lety +120

      Not to mention riding a horse is pretty cool. Even if just for getting around, it looks imposing. It could have also begun as a sort of status symbol. A "Look, Im a great chieftain and I can maintain these beautiful beasts", sort of thing

    • @kaizen5023
      @kaizen5023 Před 5 lety +41

      hahahhaha Bob I never thought of it that way but oh man I just know you are right, this exactly how these things happen! "Hold my beer, watch this bro, I can totally jump on that thing and make it carry me around."

    • @novy9032
      @novy9032 Před 5 lety +7

      @Bob Johnson It all probably developed into a rodeo after that.

    • @olenickel6013
      @olenickel6013 Před 5 lety +17

      I'd suspect that riding horses was more of a thing that kids of nomad tribes started doing. Maybe parents put them on horseback with their baggage when they moved to new pastoral grounds and kids growing up with that might grow up to ride around on horseback. As horses grew bigger and probably with some experimentation in the sort of skirmish battlefields that would occur on the steppes and with knowledge of chariot warfare but without the economy to actually produce chariots, cavalry might have slowly evolved and then reached a point that it became efficient enough to produce an "oh shit"-moment when these tribes started raiding the civilized city states in the middle east.

  • @neuralkernel
    @neuralkernel Před 7 lety +123

    Still not as stupid as trying to knife fight from the top of a sandworm...

    • @nicholaswatson2725
      @nicholaswatson2725 Před 7 lety +25

      good sir, revoke that statement, i believe that knife fighting on the top of a sand worm is a very clever way of carrying out your legacy, you sir are incorrect and mistaking the bad-assery of fighting on the top of a sand worm with a knife in your hand with it not being as brilliant as Leonardo Da Vinci himself!

    • @ahoosifoou4211
      @ahoosifoou4211 Před 7 lety +7

      if you have a long as lance then i guess riding sandworms would be worth it.

    • @TimothySnowman
      @TimothySnowman Před 7 lety +5

      mmmmmmm... Shai-Hulud.

  • @SatanicBunny666
    @SatanicBunny666 Před 3 lety +69

    As someone who rode horses for more than 10 years actively I often been thinking about this. Like, I'm not the greatest rider out there, but I'm pretty comfortable on horseback even at high speeds, but that's without all the massive weight and gear required for combat. The idea of efficiently maneuvering the horse while at the same time trying to hit people with a weapon and not dying is just baffling to me. Obviously it can be done as proven by history, but the amount of skill it takes both from the people who need to breed and condition the horses as well as the guys doing the actual riding is massive.
    It does explain why (if my memory serves me correctly) adjusted for inflation the price of a single medieval knight's horse and equipment adjusted for inflation is more than the price of a large modern house.

    • @themcchuck8400
      @themcchuck8400 Před 3 lety +18

      That's why being a knight was a profession. They spent a lifetime in training and practice.

    • @riftvallance2087
      @riftvallance2087 Před 3 lety +10

      I remember the jousting competition history channel ran. As it turned out the people who did the best with it were the professional horse trainers. The people with the most riding experience and the people with the best understanding of horses

    • @Kombatfaountain4
      @Kombatfaountain4 Před 3 lety +6

      @Bold well knights in the most basic of terms were simply soldiers who rode horses. Their social standing really varied depending on time period and country. You’re thinking of lords (which all knights were generally lords or land owners but not all lords were knights) but primarily they were cavalry soldiers above all other things

    • @davidjones332
      @davidjones332 Před 3 lety +1

      The cavalry only survived into modern times because it was beneath the dignity of the landed gentry to walk into battle. The history of warfare shows that cavalry charges were rarely effective against a determined body of infantrymen, and that after one good charge the surviving horses were blown and unfit for further action. Even if they charged successfully, their momentum often carried them straight off the field and they were of no further use to their generals. It was a hopelessly inefficient form of warfare. The successful horsemen were those either used for reconnaissance or the bowmen or mounted infantry used for harassing actions. To quote Punch "The use of cavalry is to give tone to what would otherwise be a mere vulgar brawl".

  • @maipes
    @maipes Před 3 lety +16

    As someone with a degree in horses, your horse knowledge really impressed me. Spot on.

  • @yorkshire_tea_innit8097
    @yorkshire_tea_innit8097 Před 7 lety +422

    Horses naturally run in groups, they form stampedes. That would make it much easier to convince a horse to do a cav charge. Peer pressure.

    • @mistersharpe4375
      @mistersharpe4375 Před 7 lety +96

      And when you are the typical combatant of a pre-industrial army (a farmer who only tagged along for loot), nothing is really going to convince you to stand your ground when facing something like that. First you falter, then you turn, you run, your buddies do the same and the fight is technically over.

    • @BeenSauce
      @BeenSauce Před 7 lety +7

      +Mister Sharpe Isn't that the point?

    • @Yotanido
      @Yotanido Před 7 lety +48

      Yes. He was reinforcing his point, not contradicting it...

    • @GamesFromSpace
      @GamesFromSpace Před 7 lety +14

      Except that the horses would be much more likely to stampede away from the enemy, because they're not stupid.

    • @cynicalpsycho5574
      @cynicalpsycho5574 Před 7 lety +22

      next they'll all be smoking to try and fit in...

  • @Patrick-dj9dd
    @Patrick-dj9dd Před 7 lety +733

    Thesis of the video:
    Cavalry was a laughable idea and something that would have appeared impossible to the cultures that adopted the method of warfare.
    This is not discrediting the efficiency of cavalry. This is not denying the impact that cavalry had in warfare. This is simply a statement about the initial thoughts that people would have when presented with the idea of cavalry.
    What people are (incorrectly) perceiving Lloyd to be saying:
    Cavalry's bad

    • @Nicholas2727
      @Nicholas2727 Před 7 lety +2

      +

    • @MateuszZakowski
      @MateuszZakowski Před 7 lety +25

      For me it was a simple clickbait.

    • @tzenophile
      @tzenophile Před 7 lety +14

      +Patrick Except that this is exactly what he IS saying, in the very first sentence: "Using horses in warfare as cavalry is a stupid idea and that is what I am going to talk about in this video."
      What are YOU perceiving that he is saying in that sentence?

    • @Patrick-dj9dd
      @Patrick-dj9dd Před 7 lety +19

      tzenophile He wasn't saying cavalry was a bad tactic, he was saying the idea of riding around on a horse trying to kill people on foot was likely perceived to be stupid before it became a prevalent military technique. Nobody would know that cavalry would win many battles and that in shock tactics they were supreme when the idea first came along, so it must have just sounded absurd.

    • @tzenophile
      @tzenophile Před 7 lety +3

      He is not using the word "was", he is using the word "is". He is being disingenuous, or, in other words, trolling.

  • @Khorne_of_the_Hill
    @Khorne_of_the_Hill Před 3 lety +11

    I once went horseback riding, and the horse freaked the Fuck out because it saw a peacock

  • @MishaAbr2004
    @MishaAbr2004 Před 4 lety +7

    In my opinion the reason stirrups became more popular than the roman saddle is that you can stand up in them. This not only means that your horse can gallop longer (due to a more even weight distribution than while sitting down), but also provided an advantage in combat as this allowed you to make your strikes more powerful by allowing you to put your whole weight behind it. Also it provided a defensive advantage as standing up made your upper body harder to reach.

  • @raiderfox7229
    @raiderfox7229 Před 5 lety +793

    Cavalry was a stupid idea.
    *THEN THE WINGED HUSSARS ARRIVED*

    • @UkrainianPaulie
      @UkrainianPaulie Před 5 lety +36

      My great great etc. Grandfather was at Vienna in 1683 as a Winged Hussar. I reenact him with full armor and kopia. Europe's best Cavalry!

    • @pwnmeisterage
      @pwnmeisterage Před 5 lety +62

      One day I'd love to meet someone who brags "My great-etc-great ancestor was a Polish brothel prostitute. I reenact him/her in traditional costume ..."

    • @jamesharding3459
      @jamesharding3459 Před 5 lety +2

      Raider Fox Goddamit I literally came here to comment that

    • @Iskandr314
      @Iskandr314 Před 4 lety +2

      Cataphrakts*

    • @jasper677
      @jasper677 Před 4 lety +8

      True Born Son of Liberty lol alone with people claiming on youtube to be sons of polish hussars/napoleonic war heroes/viking descendants you could reenact these events. Funniest thing: theyre all from america, where its the easiest to tell your son whatever you like because yiu fled your homecountry and any evidence

  • @bronkobrumby776
    @bronkobrumby776 Před 5 lety +1088

    Yes and no, at the same time, you made a few good points, but also made some faults. Let's start step by step:
    -Armed riders in Europe started around 800 BC with the East Hallstatt Culture, we have iconography like the beltplate of Vace, Slowenia, which shows mounted warriors, and we have the archaeological pendants like Kleinklein, Steiermark, Austria. Iconography, specially the early ones, are hard to believe or are just not enough detailed to get a good image, but when those illustrations, correspond to actual archaeological findings, it becomes clearer. And those guys rode their horses with no real saddles, at lest non with a wooden tree, like the celtic/roman saddles, so it was more like an riding pad, in best case. And it worked, when your riding skills were good.
    - Horses often get seen as skittish prey creatures, but modern ethology shows significant differences. An example is the gender. In a wild herd, the "leading mare" (leading behaviors is also a very complex topic, and don't work like a pyramid hierarchy as most people think in horses, but this is not relevant for this video) is responsable fr leading the herd to water, food an safety. The "leading stallion" is responsable to keep the herd together and protect the herd from predators, so that the "leading mare" can guide the herd members to a safe place. Do you have an idea how often wild stallions fight and defeat and sometimes (but rare) even kill attacking predators? So in average stallions are braver and more agressive as females, what also explains any kind of historical iconography that the artists and craftsmen showed clearly that the war horses used where stallions. Same for the written sources, at least in best case. So oft curse the people of the past searched and used horses (primarily stallions, but there a few archaeological exceptons, but very rare) who have the necessary braveness and agression. Today those character tread, became less important and it's hard to find such a horse today, because breeding changed, today most horses are working animals or companions in sport and hobby. But even today you find such old bloodlines with very distinctive character trades of the past time, like the Camargue ponies, old Spanish bloodlines, often used for bull fights or robust ponies, who are all less skittish than more modern breeds like the British pure blood. And of course in this very small percentage you find exceptional well conditioned individuals for that kind of job, same as with humans. If you ever meet Zogo, the Murgese stallion of Joram van Essen, and know the destrier of Mike Canfor, or meeting Aragon the old Spanish blood Gelding, who is trained at the moment, by an archaeologist (don't know the name of Aragon's owner, the FB channel don't mentions that) for experiments, you will understand what i mean. Those horses are incredible different from modern breeds, Arne Koets told me (who works with the owner of Aragon for example, that Aragon needed just 5 mins to desensitize from plate armor and being able to do all speeds, without any negative reaction or fear, what is totally different to what you would expect from a horse. So we can tell, that the horses used for combat, where a specific type of character and talent, specialy for the elite, who was usual mounted in most cultures.
    -Stirrup experiments and researches are done atm, but no result published atm, so more will follow, for example by Lisa Kyre from Germany.
    -As far as we can tell, horses even in the late medieval period, where not that large as we may think of. The average stays between 150 and 155cm with some exceptions. Similar sizes we can see in roman cavalierly or other periods for example, Sutton Hoo Burial mound 17, a around 8 year old stallion between 152cm of shoulder height. A well treated horse of that size, weight between 450 and 500 kg. Riders say that a horse can, wen well riden, carry a third of his body weight without any risk. So even for late XV century knights, with a full plate suit, which weights (field suit) around 25kg, plus the rider an tack (no full horse armor) you lay around 95 to 105 kg of additional weight. That's still far away from the critical third of the horses body weight. And we know, how well trained those horses of the XV century were. Similar is it with any kind of armor, no matter what period, the armors used for battle from horseback were never that heavy, of course not. With shield and a full coat of mail, with a closed helmet as Arne, André, Joram, and Milan wears for example, it is maybe 30kg of gear depending of the shield. So weight is not a critical factor.
    There's so much more to say about, but that would be to much, so just here the few most important points.
    Some references:
    facebook.com/RijClinicsArneKoets/
    facebook.com/destrier.lucilinburhuc/
    czcams.com/users/airntvideos
    Some Literature:
    C.Hornig. Das spätsächsische Gräberfeld von Rullstorf (Leihdorf 1993).
    M. Carver, Sutton Hoo, a seventh-century princely burial and its context (2005).
    M. Carver, Sutton Hoo, Burialground of Kings? Britishmuseum (2005).
    W. Gerbers, Auf dem Weg nach Wallhall. Das Pferd der Altsachsen, Begleiter durch Leben und Tod (Lohne 2004).
    M. Rech (Hrsg), Pferdeopfer-Reiterkrieger. Fahren und Reiten durch die Jahrtausende (Bremen 2006).
    A. Hyland, The medieval war horse, from Byzantium to the Crusades (New York 1990).
    H. Müller, Albrecht Dürer. Waffen und Rüstungen (Berlin 2002).
    j. Clark, Medieval horse and it's equipment, c,1150- 1450, Medieval find from excavations in London (London 2011)
    J.C Smith, Dürer. Arts & Ideas (vienna 2012).

  • @oliverminns3368
    @oliverminns3368 Před 4 lety +40

    What about shock cavalry before the romans were a power, like Persian or Thessalian, that Alexander the Great used???

    • @Evili555
      @Evili555 Před 3 lety +2

      I think he’s talking about how Calvary sucks for melee combat which is true.

    • @Bollibompa
      @Bollibompa Před 3 lety +2

      @@Evili555
      No. He explained how it _was_ a bad idea before clever innovations were made.

    • @Evili555
      @Evili555 Před 3 lety +1

      @@Bollibompa which is true

    • @cato3016
      @cato3016 Před 2 lety +1

      @@Evili555 Doesn’t answer the question. Alexander’s heavy cavalry rode their horses bareback but we’re still used to great effect in battle. I would imagine that saddles and stirrups made it a lot easier to fight on horseback, but it was never actually impossible even before they were invented.

  • @JerryEricsson
    @JerryEricsson Před 3 lety +11

    Years back, I served with the 3rd Armored Cavalry, of course the only horses we had were for parade use, and not for battle, they had been replaced by armor, tanks, armored personal carriers and armored command tracks. When I was a young boy living on our farm, I grew up riding bareback on one of our 3 horses, we had Barney, Lady and Babe, Barney was a Shetland/quarter horse cross, Lady was a huge work horse, and Lady was a younger quarter horse that could run like the wind. Barney was a very tame horse, he would do anything for we kids but hated adults. When dad or mom would approach Barney he would nip at them or turn and ready a kick, however we kids could climb all over him, ride him and if we would fall off, he would stop dead and stand there looking at us till we got back up and remounted. Lady was skittish, she would shy away from things like you mentioned, once she was galloping along with me on her back, down the dirt road that ran past our farm. For some reason she went down into the grassy ditch that was beside the road, when she got near the fence, a large post came along, she shyed away from that and threw me right over the fence onto the soft tall grass that was nice enough to break my fall and not my bones. Babe, being a HUGE horse like to prance. Now if you have ever ridden a horse you would know that a trot is a sort of rough near run, a prance is more of a marching by a horse, a sort of trotting walk if you will, and when riding bareback it just beat the hell out of your but, but when she went into a gallop, the way we kids loved to ride, her gate was so smooth you would think you were riding the rocking horse machine outside the grocery store. Lady's gallop was even smoother, Barney could gallop but only a short distance as he was a very old horse.

  • @mokopa
    @mokopa Před 7 lety +1205

    I heard "this video was sponsored by Great Horses Plus"

    • @htf5555
      @htf5555 Před 7 lety +67

      So this was all horse propaganda

    • @oz_jones
      @oz_jones Před 6 lety +16

      Courses are for horses.
      *xfiles.mid*

    • @martinthedrainedsedlak
      @martinthedrainedsedlak Před 6 lety

      Osmorosvo hahahaha

    • @pugilist102
      @pugilist102 Před 6 lety +6

      The Barbarian Empires of the Steppes, from the Great Courses Plus, actually covers the topics discussed in this video.

    • @teaser6089
      @teaser6089 Před 5 lety +2

      Stop horse abuse now! Donate $9,99 a month to stop the abuse of the horse.

  • @adrianglennbionat
    @adrianglennbionat Před 7 lety +105

    riding bareback....I like the sound of that.

    • @Achiles5th
      @Achiles5th Před 7 lety +9

      You will have no thighs (not to mention the non-mentionables) after two hours...................don't ask it was a weird vacation.

    • @emcdavee
      @emcdavee Před 7 lety +38

      +Monark Roy The joke went straight over your head

    • @octemberfury
      @octemberfury Před 7 lety +24

      hmmm.. OR DID IT?

    • @Achiles5th
      @Achiles5th Před 7 lety +9

      Don't pull a Lady Godiva, never pull a lady Godiva.

    • @emcdavee
      @emcdavee Před 7 lety +3

      +octemberfury touché

  • @secretbaguette
    @secretbaguette Před 3 lety +7

    4:02-4:13
    11 straight seconds of Lloyd yelling about crisp packets.

  • @40jwthomas
    @40jwthomas Před 3 lety +11

    It’s pretty crazy that Alexander the Great conquered “the world” without stirrups

  • @Arcsinner
    @Arcsinner Před 7 lety +1485

    You can see that Lindy is now biased, because he has a sponsor. It is well known, that "The Great Courses Plus" hates horses

    • @worldsfutureleader5952
      @worldsfutureleader5952 Před 7 lety +156

      maybe they don't want horses to be smart too?

    • @skellious
      @skellious Před 7 lety +18

      You'd think they'd be in favour of horses considering the expression "horses for courses"

    • @deektedrgg
      @deektedrgg Před 7 lety +7

      Normally dropping a sponsor in the middle of a video would be annoying to me, but for some reason, this method of sponsoring really fits Lindy.

    • @q1w2e3621
      @q1w2e3621 Před 7 lety

      +

    • @eruantien9932
      @eruantien9932 Před 7 lety +5

      Though, many years ago, Lloyd did say that cavalry was, for a long time, a ridiculously stupid idea compared to chariots. Maybe that's why they get along so well!

  • @tomtom7955
    @tomtom7955 Před 5 lety +698

    if horses where a terrible idea i cant wait for the elephant video

    • @walterbell1529
      @walterbell1529 Před 5 lety +55

      Fenrir World-Eater one war animal that that everyone can agree on, that was awful in battle was the rhinoceros

    • @tyson6127
      @tyson6127 Před 5 lety +60

      @@walterbell1529 The chicken was pretty bad as well

    • @kathyhalton8352
      @kathyhalton8352 Před 5 lety +21

      @@tyson6127 Wait till you try a banana

    • @dravenocklost4253
      @dravenocklost4253 Před 5 lety +1

      @@walterbell1529 please give me something to Google to research this

    • @wateriestfire
      @wateriestfire Před 5 lety +1

      czcams.com/video/pu8JB3XX4OI/video.html

  • @Parhelion2
    @Parhelion2 Před 4 lety +10

    I was under the impression that standing up in the saddle was an important part of Calvary. Driving the power of your thrust into your legs rather than your lower back sound like a more powerful move to me.

    • @bradleythebuilder8743
      @bradleythebuilder8743 Před 3 lety +2

      This is the most sexual non-sexual comment that I have ever seen. I need to go deal with something......

  • @AlexRetsam
    @AlexRetsam Před 3 lety +3

    Thoughts as to why stirrups would replace 4 pommelled saddles:
    - Like you mentioned, stirrups are an aid to mounting/dismounting, which would be especially useful as larger horses were bred and put to use
    -There are benefits to having different saddle designs depending on what the rider is doing or wearing i.e long distance comfort or cavalry charges or hugely armoured buttocks. Stirrups help everyone stay in the saddle but change the seat to suit their needs
    -Being able to stand up is an enormous advantage. You can use different weapons, ride different terrain and JUMP your brave steed over obstacles that would otherwise be impossible
    -Stirrups also make controlling the horse with just your knees much more effective, freeing up your hands to smite your enemies more effectively. If pressure on your saddle with your thighs is what's keeping you on the horse, you're not going to be able to train a horse to be steered by your knees and therefore you're a slave to the reigns

  • @exudeku
    @exudeku Před 5 lety +763

    Minutes later...
    *AND THE WINGED HUSSARS ARRIVED!*

    • @Pigen_
      @Pigen_ Před 5 lety +71

      *Polish Christian songs intensifies*

    • @pongangelo2048
      @pongangelo2048 Před 5 lety +26

      Genghis Khan is laughing at the distance.

    • @notatruck2640
      @notatruck2640 Před 5 lety +35

      COMING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN SIDE!

    • @DawidDVD
      @DawidDVD Před 5 lety +17

      The high ground intensifies

    • @tynanroyhiggins
      @tynanroyhiggins Před 5 lety +17

      I literally came here to post this comment myself lol. Ottoman Empire btfo.

  • @typorad
    @typorad Před 7 lety +106

    Drinking milk from a cow was a stupid idea... until it wasn't. Humans couldn't always digest milk.

    • @Mrjohnnymoo1
      @Mrjohnnymoo1 Před 7 lety +1

      Who do you think was the brave man that tried to go grab a 1300-2000lb beast? Also, why don't we drink milk from any other animals? (Hardly anyone drinks goats milk, and I don't know of any other animal we drink milk from.)

    • @mrswan7745
      @mrswan7745 Před 7 lety +50

      +Mrjohnnymoo1 Uhh, lots and lots and lots of people drink goats milk.
      Ever heard of this place called "Not North America"?

    • @Mrjohnnymoo1
      @Mrjohnnymoo1 Před 7 lety +1

      Jaxon Duin I personally grew up with goats, and cannot stand goats milk, or cheese. I was saying is there any animals other than cows and goats that people drink milk from. Granted in the U.S people don't drink it, I acknowledged people still drink it :)

    • @evm7272
      @evm7272 Před 7 lety +3

      +Mrjohnnymoo1 The biggest reason for people not drinking goats milk (excluding south america) is due to its expensive nature. Goats dont produce much milk, and it is therefore in short supply. I personally love goat milk products

    • @Mrjohnnymoo1
      @Mrjohnnymoo1 Před 7 lety

      Evin M I don't think I have met a person in America that enjoy's goat products. Although, I don't know where you are.

  • @didekjozwiak
    @didekjozwiak Před 4 lety +83

    "Random Brit rambles about horses for 17 minutes and 45 seconds"

    • @a.s7902
      @a.s7902 Před 3 lety +11

      Random? This is the Beigeman you're talking about here! Show some respect lad!

    • @katyungodly
      @katyungodly Před 3 lety +1

      Random?! This is LINDYBEIGE!!!

  • @nickscurvy8635
    @nickscurvy8635 Před 3 lety +21

    I can't help but love lindybeige because he harnesses the childlike wonder and excitement of a 9 year old coupled with the expertise and intellect of a professor.

  • @ivan55599
    @ivan55599 Před 7 lety +245

    *Early cavarly was a stupid idea. Fixed. Your welcome.

    • @DrSmokeTrees
      @DrSmokeTrees Před 7 lety +12

      You fixed nothing. STFU you pedantic douche. No one likes you.

    • @spazzmaticus1542
      @spazzmaticus1542 Před 7 lety +72

      *you're

    • @christopherknorr2895
      @christopherknorr2895 Před 7 lety +20

      +Nathan Brinkerhoff You're doing the Lord's work. Bless you sir.

    • @oBCHANo
      @oBCHANo Před 7 lety

      Modern cavalry is a pretty retarded concept too, anything you could do on horseback you could do better on foot, other than running fast.

    • @airborne2767
      @airborne2767 Před 7 lety +1

      oBLACKIECHANoo No middle calavary was the worst.

  • @melihism
    @melihism Před 4 lety +771

    Early cavalry wasn't used to charge on a line of men but rather to chase already routed enemies.

    • @FlameDarkfire
      @FlameDarkfire Před 4 lety +161

      For most of history cavalry’s main purpose was to pursue and cut down retreating enemy forces. Alexander used cavalry as shock troops and in pre-modern and modern era cavalry fought each other, but their main purpose was routing the enemy.

    • @carl-os4603
      @carl-os4603 Před 4 lety +60

      @@FlameDarkfire also covering light infantry/support units (slingers/javelinners/archers/ambushers/horse support units), dont forget about charging from backside or flanks, some types of cavalry even charged in front of heavy infantry (late knights, catafracts), only light support cavalry were supposed to pursue enemies.
      And EVERY type of cavalry was weak in meele combat against ANY infantry (cavalry had advantages only in charging and moving speed).

    • @yimboninja7415
      @yimboninja7415 Před 4 lety +1

      That the hell man! Cant believe I gave you a view for this!

    • @armynurseboy
      @armynurseboy Před 4 lety +68

      It was also used to scout for the enemy pre-battle, harass them while they were moving to and setting up for battle, and to turn their flanks by using the horse's superior speed during the battle. The use of cavalry for warfare IS NOT stupid. Using cavalry INCORRECTLY in warfare is stupid.

    • @revanati222
      @revanati222 Před 4 lety +27

      Speed, scouting, harrassment, and ability to run down or outflank an enemy force at it's weakest.
      You wouldn't use cavalry to smash into the front of a prepared and determined enemy force, thats the job of another infantry unit, to pin that unit into place.
      You would strike a unit from an unprepared flank with cavalry, or to route a wavering or inexperience foe.

  • @andrzejpetrenko852
    @andrzejpetrenko852 Před 4 lety +5

    With stirrups it's easier to lift yourself and lean forward while riding on horse, it helps during charge with a spear or a lance.

  • @johnmccrossan9376
    @johnmccrossan9376 Před 3 lety +8

    "The horses that get to breed are the ones men want"
    Mlp wierdos: CORRECT

  • @MrPanos2000
    @MrPanos2000 Před 7 lety +194

    THEN THE WINGED HUSSARS ARRIVED
    COMING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN SIDE
    THEN THE WINGED HUSSARS ARRIVED
    COME AND TURNED THE TIDE

    • @gururumon916
      @gururumon916 Před 7 lety +6

      Probably listened to that album about thirty times now.

    • @alfsonderslagna8316
      @alfsonderslagna8316 Před 7 lety +6

      Let it spread

    • @germanrifle
      @germanrifle Před 7 lety +4

      i came here for this not disapointed

    • @birddogg62
      @birddogg62 Před 7 lety +1

      This is the best response to this stupid video. Way better then something about those god damn Mongolians, lol.

    • @MrPanos2000
      @MrPanos2000 Před 7 lety +3

      +Gebirgsjäger they did sort of. The real bullshit is that they took down all videos from youtube for copyright reasons

  • @TalonSky
    @TalonSky Před 7 lety +352

    Normally a fan of your work, but this one falls REALLY flat. Yes, undomesticated, untrained horses are a bad idea in battle. Which is why the cultures that utilized them trained them, raised them from birth, practiced with them every day, and invented devices to aid in these endeavors.
    The armies who had cavalry historically had a GREAT advantage over those who didn't.

    • @amysusername1
      @amysusername1 Před 7 lety +84

      The title was inaccurate, probably to get more clicks, but his point wasn't that cavalry was never useful, it's that it was not useful for most of human history, until stirrups and pommels were invented.

    • @garretphegley8796
      @garretphegley8796 Před 7 lety +35

      They didn't know what the outcome would be it just kind of happened. So original cavalry was a stupid idea.

    • @OleSAO
      @OleSAO Před 7 lety +34

      It's like saying flying was a horrible idea... The first airplanes were quite bad and people died.

    • @randalftheblack2572
      @randalftheblack2572 Před 7 lety +48

      You should really watch a video from start to finish before commenting..

    • @johnconstantin4100
      @johnconstantin4100 Před 7 lety

      my friend Rome hadn't cavlary until make the gauls federats so the where fine and after that they didnt liked using cavlay much and thats the longest lasting empire in our world (if we dont count China as an empire)

  • @Godstud
    @Godstud Před 4 lety +7

    5.7K people didn't watch the video, and went by the title. :) Also, cheese and onion go fantastically together.

    • @harryfloros8796
      @harryfloros8796 Před 2 lety

      But they belong in a green packet. Putting them in a blue one, rather than the traditional salt and vinegar is just rude. And unnecessary. Like randomly changing the recipe of Coca Cola.

  • @adrianmedyanik8814
    @adrianmedyanik8814 Před 2 lety +2

    Mounted archer has entered the chat and raided your village

  • @colinbunn6066
    @colinbunn6066 Před 5 lety +457

    I understand this guy's arguments...
    but the Mongol's case is just stronger.

    • @santiagocortez9554
      @santiagocortez9554 Před 4 lety +18

      they used bows gve them two advantages, speed and range. AND that type of army was kinda new to everyone else, and if it were seen today it wouldve kinda looked like when Adolf invaded poland with tanks and modern tactics.

    • @_Muzolf
      @_Muzolf Před 4 lety +40

      @@santiagocortez9554 It really wasn`t new. It was just forgotten by a lot of people, but the Hungarians (Ironically, the last european nation the mongols reached, and almost destroyed. ) used the exact same tactics centuries before and menaced most of europe before going native and adopting christianity and the european feudal system.

    • @midshipman8654
      @midshipman8654 Před 4 lety +6

      Orpheus Program I think the arguement is for the origin of cavalry, not when it was already established

    • @barbatvs8959
      @barbatvs8959 Před 4 lety +3

      @@_Muzolf Mary-worshippers aren't Christian.

    • @_Muzolf
      @_Muzolf Před 4 lety +19

      @@barbatvs8959 Lol "Mary Worshippers" i suppose this is aimed at Catholics? So tell me, what religion should one convert to in the year 1000? You know, before protestants even existed? Oh, btw, Hungary has plenty of Protestants itself these days. If you only consider them "true christians". Of course this kind of exclusion of essentially what is the majority of christianity (Considering if you don't consider Catholics true christians, then i guess you would exlude Eastern Ortohox ones too, since they are closer to Catholicism as to protestants.) is rather dumb.

  • @RoninDave
    @RoninDave Před 7 lety +79

    Horses allowing people to ride them into battle was pretty stupid but horse unions were notoriously ineffective as every motion proposed was shot down with a thunderous nay. I'll get my coat.

  • @luismariomiller5707
    @luismariomiller5707 Před 4 lety +1

    There is this thing on horseback riding where you lift yourself while the horse lifts it's back. It keeps you from bouncing all around the horse making much easier to control yourself and it's also easier on the horse. It also helps a lot if you want to aim a bow or a Lance precisely. Important things in cavalry. None of this can be achieved with a Celtic chair. That's why you use a stirrup.

  • @alecparks8680
    @alecparks8680 Před 4 lety +4

    From the words of corb lund ''I want to be in the calvary If they send me off to war I want a good steed under me like my forefathers before I want a good mount when the bugle sounds"

  • @2adamast
    @2adamast Před 7 lety +301

    Nice try, but battle is a stupid idea too.

    • @thefracturedbutwhole5475
      @thefracturedbutwhole5475 Před 7 lety +57

      Battle and War is what has driven progress, the father of the computer was a WW2 decryption expert and engineer . . . it may be stupid, but it is necessary

    • @Troglodytarum
      @Troglodytarum Před 7 lety +4

      +The Fractured But Whole I don't think you understood what he was saying.

    • @tomharvey2567
      @tomharvey2567 Před 7 lety +2

      +The Fractured But Whole Not necessarily, it speeds up the process but a majority of discoveries have been for war, not civilian use.

    • @2adamast
      @2adamast Před 7 lety +16

      The Fractured But Whole I was thinking of the personal discomfort and hazards of battle. As for progress, the enigma machine is a pre war effort, like the Spitfire, the DC3, the hollow charge, the radar, etc.

    • @thefracturedbutwhole5475
      @thefracturedbutwhole5475 Před 7 lety +5

      Tom Harvey you may want to look into the subject . . . War is the mother of progress both military and civilian

  • @Rickenbacker69
    @Rickenbacker69 Před 6 lety +624

    We Swedes had the stupidest idea, though - moose cavalry! Didn't quite work out, but the trials must have been both impressive and hilarious.

    • @Tombombadillo999
      @Tombombadillo999 Před 5 lety +70

      Mats Nylund sweden is still famous for bogus and illusioned decisions (e.g modern politics are a good example). Very sadly, as its a beautifull country.

    • @analogdistortion
      @analogdistortion Před 5 lety +3

      And painful

    • @Brashnir
      @Brashnir Před 5 lety +13

      didn't you guys also make cannons out of ice?

    • @CraftQueenJr
      @CraftQueenJr Před 5 lety +4

      Mats Nylund thanks for that mental image.

    • @stronggirlsuperheroineonli5094
      @stronggirlsuperheroineonli5094 Před 5 lety

      I thought that was the Soviet army?

  • @robertguttman1487
    @robertguttman1487 Před 3 lety +1

    Something to think about: In The Iliad the Trojans were referred to as being noted for "horse-tamers", but they are depicted as always riding into battle in chariots. Greek Mythological characters are also depicted riding chariots, including in the personification of Apollo transiting the sky every day in the form of the Sun. Ancient Greek references to actually riding on horseback were rare. One of the very few exceptions was Belleraphon, who actually rode on the back of a "winged horse" (Pegasus), which is depicted as a really extraordinary thing to do. In fact, riding horses was regarded by the Greeks as so far from normal that they mythologized Central Asian horse-archers as "Centaurs", i.e., supernatural beings who were "half-man-and-half-horse".

  • @MetoagaYT
    @MetoagaYT Před 4 lety +8

    Lindybeige: Cavalier are stupid.
    Riders of Rohan: Haha horse charge go brrrrr

  • @Adumb_
    @Adumb_ Před 7 lety +198

    Why did they ever change Salt and Vinegar from Blue to Green, and Cheese and Onion from Green to Blue? Whats next? Yellow Ready Salted? It doesn't bear thinking about.

    • @lindybeige
      @lindybeige  Před 7 lety +66

      Bloody Walkers!

    • @iota-09
      @iota-09 Před 7 lety

      i guess because in italy cinegar is commonly deoucted as yellow or green, and there are instances of cheese and onions depicted as blue, but we're talking about the uk here so i dunno.

    • @JOB891
      @JOB891 Před 7 lety +2

      In China, Ready Salted/original flavour Lays (walkers) are yellow.

    • @SonsOfLorgar
      @SonsOfLorgar Před 7 lety +1

      sourcream and onion has been blue, plain salted yellow, dill green, grill/bbq brown, cheese orange and vinegar teal/turqoise in Sweden for as long as I can remember XD

    • @lpsp442
      @lpsp442 Před 7 lety +2

      I dunno, yellow for Ready Salted makes sense to me. It's the neutral crisp flavour, so it gets the neutral crisp colour.

  • @malcolmwright5793
    @malcolmwright5793 Před 7 lety +85

    Guns were a stupid idea, until they wern't. Oh and cities. And agriculture. And language. It's almost like these things evolve slowly over time.

    • @butterlordofpraven6288
      @butterlordofpraven6288 Před 7 lety +2

      100% agree.

    • @butterlordofpraven6288
      @butterlordofpraven6288 Před 7 lety

      DomR1997 Same with the car or the plane.

    • @malcolmwright5793
      @malcolmwright5793 Před 7 lety +12

      The first person to do it wouldn't have looked like a madman. You're falling prey to the same misleading train of thought. These things did not happen all at once, they happened gradually, something that Lindybeigh skirts around the edges of in this and other videos. It didn't start with a man riding a horse, it started with people using horses as domestic farm and pack animals. They carried things, they pulled things. Then, eventually, that transitioned into the use of things like chariots, and with horses being used by messengers and the like. And then, slowly, those horses were bred to be more efficient at these tasks. They became larger, stronger, better able to help farmers work soil, and better able to carry larger loads. *Then* people slowly transitioned towards riding them, and *then* those technologies that made cavalry warfare better were developed. There wasn't a moment where some insane person changed the script, it was a gradual series of changes that were all logical and made perfect sense in the moment.

    • @gunmunz
      @gunmunz Před 7 lety +1

      Malcolm Wright Though I still wonder what was going though the mind of the first person who drank cow/goat milk

    • @resurgent2486
      @resurgent2486 Před 7 lety +1

      "Hmm, this tastes good, and is probably nutritious just like a mother's milk is for a human baby. Weird. No idea how we figured this out."
      It's not that crazy.

  • @ericolens3
    @ericolens3 Před rokem +1

    "Horses dont like treading on dead bodies" 4:25
    But they have no problem treading and trampling me. They are fickle things indeed.

  • @TheVoiceOfReason93
    @TheVoiceOfReason93 Před 3 lety +1

    And suddenly the idea of future militaries using giant robots and mechas don't seem too far-fetched.

  • @Jakers457
    @Jakers457 Před 7 lety +404

    Strap spandaus to them. Instant victory.

    • @botchamaniajeezus
      @botchamaniajeezus Před 7 lety +56

      a weapon to surpass metal gear

    • @ThumpertTheFascistCottontail
      @ThumpertTheFascistCottontail Před 7 lety +29

      But what if the enemy armed themselves with crisp packets??

    • @ledichang9708
      @ledichang9708 Před 7 lety +5

      Carrots and sugar cubes.

    • @RichyArg
      @RichyArg Před 7 lety +6

      and stick a few fire arrows up it's bumhole ears and nose, to fuel it's berserk rage

    • @Dnanidref
      @Dnanidref Před 7 lety +6

      but pommels work only if you unsrew them, so you have to bring lots of swords

  • @fakesummer3942
    @fakesummer3942 Před 7 lety +102

    So many people have failed to comprehend the point of this video...

    • @gunmunz
      @gunmunz Před 7 lety +7

      it's the bren vs mg42 all over again

    • @snakycake4790
      @snakycake4790 Před 7 lety

      The point is, Cavalry was a brilliant idea and essential to any strategic victory

    • @PumpkinHeadJim
      @PumpkinHeadJim Před 7 lety +7

      yeah, the point is blah blah blah I'm smart, look at me everyone I'm smart. fuck this dumb shit. rocks were stupid to use as tools. should have invented tools

    • @jomen112
      @jomen112 Před 7 lety +3

      Half the world is less intelligent than the other half. Considering there is 140k views at the time of writing, I let the reader do the math.

    • @bobuscesar2534
      @bobuscesar2534 Před 7 lety

      +big “Neckass” jim Well that's what he is basically saying but it's more like :"stones are stupid they should have used their hands! ' because you have more control of it'?"

  • @evertondossantos5202
    @evertondossantos5202 Před rokem +1

    Any day, an influencer will say in the internet " the wheel was a stupid idea"...

  • @andrew3203
    @andrew3203 Před 3 lety +2

    Obviously, horses are stupid as a war mount, instead a camel has a built-in organic saddle, and you can also mount gatling guns, for extra flanking power.

  • @TM-ui6wx
    @TM-ui6wx Před 7 lety +106

    Cavalry is more maneuverable and hence has it's advantages.
    Checkmate.
    Now shave your beard.

    • @TM-ui6wx
      @TM-ui6wx Před 7 lety +30

      +Brute127 +Brute127 Care to add anything besides assuming I didn't watch the video? I watched the video. A man with an English accent and one barebacking experience is not somehow an expert. Don't be fooled.
      Calvery was used for a reason. Warfare is more than running into a group and bashing someone.
      This man's thesis is astoundingly stupid.

    • @franciscodanconia3551
      @franciscodanconia3551 Před 7 lety +7

      His beard would defeat any "calvery" with its epic beardiness.

    • @twiliblade
      @twiliblade Před 7 lety +18

      so you didn't watch the video with your ears on....

    • @Tigerheart01
      @Tigerheart01 Před 7 lety +28

      It's spelled "CAVALRY" you moron. That's been pointed out to you in sarcastic statements already that you've obviously missed. If you ACTUALLY WATCHED THE VIDEO he explained WHY it took so long for true cavalry to actually become a fighting unit. It started with Chariots and then eventually EVOLVED into armored knights riding in saddles with well bred and trained warhorses. However, you saw the title, listened to 2 minutes and then decided to post your moronic statements.

    • @origamiscienceguy6658
      @origamiscienceguy6658 Před 7 lety +9

      Yes. The Mountain that Jesus died on is much more maneuverable. That is why you see a bunch of sentient crosses hopping around the battlefield.

  • @linkofvev
    @linkofvev Před 7 lety +606

    The real question is why did we not have cow cavalry?!

    • @modernminded5466
      @modernminded5466 Před 7 lety +245

      Cowalvy

    • @joshuahadams
      @joshuahadams Před 6 lety +70

      Paddy Hugill hell, Bulls have their own handlebars. Stick a saddle and bridle on it, maybe something to extend its horns, and you're good to go.

    • @pyramear5414
      @pyramear5414 Před 6 lety +77

      Experiments were done by a group called CrazyForCows which tried to use steers as cavalry (a bull would be very difficult to train because of their aggresiveness) with specialty saddles and they found they could only coax them into moving 8 miles per hour. They also take more food than a horse. A horse typically will eat 20 pounds of hay per day, a cow will eat 24 pounds. If you were fielding an army of them, the 20% increased food requirements would be very difficult to manage indeed.

    • @mohandasjung
      @mohandasjung Před 6 lety +28

      Paddy Hugill Cows are a meat&milk machine, they are too expensive.

    • @swanbaa
      @swanbaa Před 6 lety +24

      Because for some reason mojang doesnt allow us to put saddles on cows in minecracft.More like mojang was a stupid idea am i right?..........haha.......kill me

  • @crapphone7744
    @crapphone7744 Před 10 měsíci

    Hun: let's ride horses into battle!
    Roman: lets make little 3 pointed metal stars and stick our empty crisp packets on one of the points and scatter them in front of us.
    I think Roman crisp packets have been found at Doura Europa.

  • @kellydalstok8900
    @kellydalstok8900 Před 5 měsíci

    Now that you mention velcro; that’s how barbie dolls stay in the saddle. And boy, did my daughter’s doll need that velcro when my children tied the saddle to our cat’s back. I’ve never seen a cat jump so high.

  • @soundslave
    @soundslave Před 7 lety +99

    Ghengis Khan disagrees a bit Lindy.

    • @LMcAwesome
      @LMcAwesome Před 7 lety +14

      Watch the damn video before commenting.

    • @soundslave
      @soundslave Před 7 lety +7

      LMcAwesome lol you caught me. I got about 5 minutes in before typing that.

    • @hektor-vektor7024
      @hektor-vektor7024 Před 7 lety +7

      most ppls attention span doesnt go beyond 5 minutes, couple that with the title your going to get comments like this and rightly so

    • @LMcAwesome
      @LMcAwesome Před 7 lety

      AKN Concept Wrongly so.

    • @hektor-vektor7024
      @hektor-vektor7024 Před 7 lety +7

      LMcAwesome
      hardly, use click bait at own peril

  • @BanditoBurrito
    @BanditoBurrito Před 7 lety +568

    But cavalry wins me battles in Total War :

    • @toxictoz2042
      @toxictoz2042 Před 7 lety +6

      noo cretan and syrian archers do ;)

    • @matan8074
      @matan8074 Před 7 lety +27

      medieval 2 knight's to rear, goodbye noobs.

    • @NK-ph4ot
      @NK-ph4ot Před 7 lety

      Dragoons are best. infantry+cavalry

    • @yourethatmantis5178
      @yourethatmantis5178 Před 7 lety +80

      cavalry is stupid I don't need them in my armies
      (10 seconds later)
      "this is a black day! our General has fallen my lord!"
      (5 more seconds later)
      "our men are running from the battlefield! a shameful dispray!"

    • @bobuscesar2534
      @bobuscesar2534 Před 7 lety +3

      +You'reThatMantis And than the enemy cavalry kills the rest. They were so useless like firearms useless.

  • @kristianheinonen9890
    @kristianheinonen9890 Před 3 lety +1

    The answer to your stirrup-question is most likely: archery. All cultures using succesful mounted archers tend to stand in the stirrups to compensate for the movement of the horse when aiming.

  • @orionspero560
    @orionspero560 Před rokem +1

    It seems obvious that the chariot would be the predecessor to Calvary. Which is in fact historically correct. I would assume that early Calvary was an attempt to have economy or improvised chariots.

  • @joluoto
    @joluoto Před 7 lety +71

    Probably why chariots were used waay before they did the cavalry thing.

    • @ragimundvonwallat8961
      @ragimundvonwallat8961 Před 7 lety +24

      i think at first they just used roller blades...but you can only figth on pavement lol

  • @tulud
    @tulud Před 7 lety +103

    'Cavalry is a stupid idea'
    you wanna tell that to the huns or the mongols?

    • @SnowHawkX
      @SnowHawkX Před 7 lety +139

      Watch the video before you post stupid comments.

    • @germanvisitor2
      @germanvisitor2 Před 7 lety +4

      The huns usually rode to battle and dismounted for combat.

    • @GeneralZaroDj
      @GeneralZaroDj Před 7 lety +5

      do you understand the passage of time... when where the huns around lol, 3000 BC?

    • @PerfectDeath4
      @PerfectDeath4 Před 7 lety +8

      The video hints about how early cavalry was not some brilliant idea because no one had established or known about better tactics and equipment for it. Saying, "lul, the huns and mongols made it work." is complete hind sight, especially since Lindy is talking about cavalry tactics PRIOR to the huns and mongols! xD
      For another bit of hind sight, Napoleon commented about how stupid of an idea it was to put a steam engine into a wooden ship.

    • @apothneisko
      @apothneisko Před 7 lety +6

      Cavalry is a stupid idea accept for wait for it......the Mongols

  • @strakhovandrri
    @strakhovandrri Před 3 lety +2

    7:54 I love how the camera tries to stabilise his movements.

  • @joaosabino2909
    @joaosabino2909 Před 3 lety

    The horse distracted the infantry man, trying to get the horse down, while the ridder got the infantry man...

  • @ShadowReaper-pu2hx
    @ShadowReaper-pu2hx Před 5 lety +193

    I think they rode horses (properly) before they fought with them.

    • @alessiodebonis2710
      @alessiodebonis2710 Před 4 lety +13

      yeah, that's too basic for him tp admit

    • @nh6900
      @nh6900 Před 4 lety

      i dont think you understand horses.

    • @burgerkiller4438
      @burgerkiller4438 Před 4 lety +1

      That's what he said in the video

    • @alessiodebonis2710
      @alessiodebonis2710 Před 4 lety +1

      I heared PHD mentioning saddles were used few thousands years before cristianity. which make sense because saddles were not so hard to build if you think about it

    • @alessiodebonis2710
      @alessiodebonis2710 Před 4 lety +1

      czcams.com/video/aeWs9fqLbec/video.html

  • @joshuahadams
    @joshuahadams Před 6 lety +227

    I suppose it's like the dude who decided to have cheese or yogurt for the first time. It seemed nuts at the time, but eventually worked out.

  • @jimmifoulkes9072
    @jimmifoulkes9072 Před 4 lety +1

    I've done a bit of horse-combat (just a bit, I've never owned a horse), and I think stirrups are (marginally) more helpful than saddle-pommels, because they allow you to compensate for the vertical motion of the horse, using your legs like birds use their neck. This is SUUUUPER helpful for archery, but also makes aiming a spear or sword easier (you generally wouldn't do this with a couched lance, though)

  • @robertschill2686
    @robertschill2686 Před 3 lety +1

    The references to "cavalry" in Homer may have been references to dragoons. That is, soldiers who traveled on horseback but fought on foot. Swords, shields, and camping equipment were very heavy back then. Far too heavy for a man to carry on a long march. While cavalry needed especially aggressive horses to charge into battle, any old plow horse could carry your gear.

  • @MisterDonPatch
    @MisterDonPatch Před 7 lety +187

    "Lindy, you idiot! I don't need to watch your video to know that you're wrong. Here's a list of everyone who used calvary in history so I can prove that I am an unsung genius and history expert."
    He's not arguing that the cavalry is ineffective, he's saying that the idea of riding a skiddish and unpredictable animal into battle is ridiculous. It's comparable to the grade-school jokes about the man who first discovered cows milk: it is a stupid idea to grab random saggy bits under an animal and drink the discharge, but it turned out okay.

    • @JayOFae
      @JayOFae Před 7 lety +7

      Or more that certain inventions and selective breeding were required before horses were suitable for riding to battle.

    • @MisterDonPatch
      @MisterDonPatch Před 7 lety +1

      Jason Fee
      Oh, absolutely. That would be a more correct explanation.

    • @Nerdarchy
      @Nerdarchy Před 7 lety +4

      Yeah, but on the plus side, all of the comments from the pre-watching the video-armchair historians are beneficial to Lindy's video being seen in the first place (not that he needs that much help). Inflammatory isn't always bad on CZcams and I'm glad to hear his well-researched thoughts on the matter!

    • @GuinessOriginal
      @GuinessOriginal Před 7 lety +3

      Clinegg I wonder how long it took them to work out which discharging dangly bits from a horse were the ones that turned out okay

    • @treyriver5676
      @treyriver5676 Před 7 lety

      well except that it worked.

  • @deepsouthredneck1
    @deepsouthredneck1 Před 7 lety +200

    I want a 4 pommeled horse.

    • @RyanRyzzo
      @RyanRyzzo Před 7 lety +83

      That's some serious firepower once you unscrew 'em.

    • @gabreshaa8234
      @gabreshaa8234 Před 7 lety +9

      that's a bit of an overkill don't you think?

    • @realCevra
      @realCevra Před 7 lety +13

      easily beats a spandau

    • @deepsouthredneck1
      @deepsouthredneck1 Před 7 lety +20

      A 4 pommeled horse with spandaus for legs and brens for eyes.

    • @wesleycaine7832
      @wesleycaine7832 Před 7 lety +8

      But where is the katana?!

  • @glynluff2595
    @glynluff2595 Před 3 lety +2

    A horse! A horse! Half my kingdom for a horse- then I can run away! Apologies to the late Richard III found recently under a car park. He fell off his horse and lost his crown.

  • @oldsteve4291
    @oldsteve4291 Před 3 lety

    The stirrup allows the rider to gallop with their arse elevated above the saddle and allowing the knees to work as suspension. With the Celtic saddle, the faster the horse moves the more the rider is bounced up and down.

  • @thomasmillin2155
    @thomasmillin2155 Před 7 lety +89

    What about lions? That'd be cool, lions

    • @magiguy102
      @magiguy102 Před 7 lety +2

      Lions would probably be more effective to just unleash. They don't move particularly smoothly (in terms of sitting atop one), I doubt they could carry the weight of a person and still be badass, and the whole point of having a lion would be that it could bite and swipe at your enemies, which would be hard to stay on the back of during combat.

    • @Ms10000123
      @Ms10000123 Před 7 lety

      To big and aggressive for domestication, and a build unsuited for riding.

    • @wicho2103
      @wicho2103 Před 7 lety +1

      +Charlie Bronson it's a big cat and cats are jerks, you can domesticate them but I feel they are not 100% safe as dogs (best friend ever)

    • @Ms10000123
      @Ms10000123 Před 7 lety +2

      ***** Even with dogs, their 'loyalty' is mainly pack mentality. They see you as the leader, so the follow you. I think big cats are too strong, and thus will easily take that leadership role.

    • @q1w2e3621
      @q1w2e3621 Před 7 lety +1

      +RS420 XI626s +

  • @Drumsgoon
    @Drumsgoon Před 7 lety +25

    first they laugh at you, then they smear you, then they ignore you, and then you win a battle due to your cavalry.

    • @lednybeeg3474
      @lednybeeg3474 Před 7 lety +51

      Then you nuke them and then you win - Gandhi

    • @MushVPeets
      @MushVPeets Před 7 lety +1

      Then they drop a bunch of packets of crisps in your way.

  • @stevenlowe3026
    @stevenlowe3026 Před 2 lety

    Why stirrups? One reason is the use of the spear. Pre-stirrup pictorial evidence shows the spear held in both hands, post-stirrup it is shown in one hand, usually with a shield in the other. And stirrups enable a spear to be couched, rather than used overarm - though it's possible the saddle shape also contributed (I'm not up with that stuff)

  • @JerryEricsson
    @JerryEricsson Před 3 lety

    I grew up on a farm. Dad took in some horses for a fellow who lived in town but needed a place to keep his horses so they could ride on weekends. We were allowed to "exercise" the horses as much as we wanted (My 2 sisters and I) however they never left the saddles out on the place, so we rode them bare back. They did leave the halters and bridles out on the place so we had control of the horses, but we actually got quite good at riding bare back. The times when I got to ride a saddled horse were memorable, it was sort of like the difference of riding in the back of a deuce and a half truck or the front seat of a Jeep over the same stretch of desert.