Medieval Combat (Civ3)/Age of Discovery/Civilopedia

Medieval combat differed from ancient era combat in several ways. First, armies were usually much smaller, since kings depended on unreliable local lords and nobles for military support (as opposed to the vast, centralized Roman army system). With the invention of the stirrup in the late Dark Ages, horsemen could use huge spears and lances or other two-handed weapons; thus cavalry took on a dominant battlefield role, instead of staying on an army's flanks and doing most of its damage after the enemy army broke (as ancient era cavalry did). The invention of the crossbow in the 11th century C.E. allowed a poorly trained peasant to shoot as far and as hard as a professional bowman -- which meant that a wealthy knight could be killed by a soldier paid virtually nothing. (The Catholic Church was so alarmed by the development of crossbows that the Pope forbade their use against fellow Christians). Gunpowder brought the age of medieval combat to an abrupt end, though, but the armies of Europe were quick to adapt.