Editing Middle Ages (section)

=== Military and technological developments ===
During the later Roman Empire, the principal military developments were attempts to create an effective cavalry force and the continued development of highly specialised types of troops. The creation of heavily armoured [[cataphract]]-type soldiers as cavalry was an important feature of the 5th-century Roman military. The various invading tribes had differing emphases on types of soldiers—ranging from the primarily infantry Anglo-Saxon invaders of Britain to the Vandals and Visigoths, who had a high proportion of cavalry in their armies.<ref name=NicolleWestern28>Nicolle ''Medieval Warfare Source Book: Warfare in Western Christendom'' pp. 28–29</ref> During the early invasion period, the [[stirrup]] had not been introduced into warfare, which limited the usefulness of cavalry as [[shock troops]] because it was not possible to put the full force of the horse and rider behind blows struck by the rider.<ref name=NicolleWestern30>Nicolle ''Medieval Warfare Source Book: Warfare in Western Christendom'' p. 30</ref> The greatest change in military affairs during the invasion period was the adoption of the Hunnic [[composite bow]] in place of the earlier, and weaker, [[Scythia]]n composite bow.<ref name=NicolleWestern31>Nicolle ''Medieval Warfare Source Book: Warfare in Western Christendom'' pp. 30–31</ref> Another development was the increasing use of [[longsword]]s<ref name=NicolleWestern34>Nicolle ''Medieval Warfare Source Book: Warfare in Western Christendom'' p. 34</ref> and the progressive replacement of [[scale armour]] by [[mail armour]] and [[lamellar armour]].<ref name=NicolleWestern39>Nicolle ''Medieval Warfare Source Book: Warfare in Western Christendom'' p. 39</ref>

The importance of infantry and light cavalry declined during the early Carolingian period, with a growing dominance of elite heavy cavalry. The use of [[Conscription|militia-type levies]] of the free population declined over the Carolingian period.<ref name=NicolleWestern58>Nicolle ''Medieval Warfare Source Book: Warfare in Western Christendom'' pp. 58–59</ref> Although much of the Carolingian armies were mounted, a large proportion during the early period appear to have been [[mounted infantry]], rather than true cavalry.<ref name=NicolleWestern76>Nicolle ''Medieval Warfare Source Book: Warfare in Western Christendom'' p. 76</ref> One exception was Anglo-Saxon England, where the armies were still composed of regional levies, known as the ''[[fyrd]]'', which were led by the local elites.<ref name=NicolleWestern67>Nicolle ''Medieval Warfare Source Book: Warfare in Western Christendom'' p. 67</ref> In military technology, one of the main changes was the return of the [[crossbow]], which had been known in Roman times and reappeared as a military weapon during the last part of the Early Middle Ages.<ref name=NicolleWestern80>Nicolle ''Medieval Warfare Source Book: Warfare in Western Christendom'' p. 80</ref> Another change was the introduction of the stirrup, which increased the effectiveness of cavalry as shock troops. A technological advance that had implications beyond the military was the [[horseshoe]], which allowed horses to be used in rocky terrain.<ref name=NicolleWestern88>Nicolle ''Medieval Warfare Source Book: Warfare in Western Christendom'' pp. 88–91</ref>