Editing Reconquista (section)

=== Christian cavalry and infantry ===
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Medieval Christian armies mainly comprised two types of forces: the cavalry (mostly nobles, but including commoner knights from the 10th century on) and the infantry, or ''peones'' (peasants). Infantry only went to war if needed, which was not frequent. In an atmosphere of constant conflict, warfare and daily life were strongly intertwined during this period. These armies reflected the need for society to be on constant alert during the first chapters of the Reconquista. These forces were capable of moving long distances in short times.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}
[[File:Escudo de Alcanadre-La Rioja.svg|thumb|160px|Coat of arms of [[Alcanadre]]. [[La Rioja (Spain)|La Rioja]], Spain, depicting heads of slain Moors]]
[[Cavalry tactics]] in Hispania involved knights approaching the enemy, throwing [[javelin]]s, then withdrawing to a safe distance before commencing another assault. Once the enemy formation was sufficiently weakened, the knights charged with thrusting [[spear]]s ([[lance]]s did not arrive in Hispania until the 11th century). There were three types of knights (''caballeros''): royal knights, noble knights (''caballeros [[Hidalgo (nobility)|hidalgos]]''), and commoner knights ([[Caballero villano|''caballeros villanos'']], or "mounted soldier from a [[Villa#Post-Roman era|villa]]"). Royal knights were mainly nobles with a close relationship with the king, and thus claimed a direct Gothic inheritance.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}

Royal knights in the early stages of the Reconquista were equipped with mail [[hauberk]], kite shield, a long [[sword]] (designed to fight from the horse), javelins, spears and an [[francisca|axe]]. Noble knights came from the ranks of the ''infanzones'' or lower nobles, whereas the commoner knights were not noble but were wealthy enough to afford a horse. Uniquely in Europe, these horsemen comprised a militia cavalry force with no feudal links, being under the sole control of the king or the count of [[Kingdom of Castile|Castile]] because of ''[[fueros]]'' (charters) with the crown. Both noble and common knights wore padded armour and carried javelins, spears and round-tasselled shield (influenced by Moorish shields), as well as a sword.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}

The ''peones'' were [[peasants]] who went to battle in service of their [[feudal]] lord. Poorly equipped, with bows and arrows, spears and short swords, they were mainly used as auxiliary troops. Their function in battle was to contain the enemy troops until the cavalry arrived and to block the enemy infantry from charging the knights. The [[longbow]], the [[composite bow]], and the [[crossbow]] were the basic types of bows and were especially popular in the infantry.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}