--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The dominance of the man on horseback was…" description: "\"“The dominance of the man on horseback was challenged during the fourteenth century in what some historians call the infantry revolution. English longb..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35a/max-boot-4274_history_the-dominance-of-the-man-on-horseback-wa_504545.jpg" --- # The dominance of the man on horseback was challenged… ![“The dominance of the man on horseback was challenged during the fourteenth century in what some historians call the infantry revolution. English longbowmen and Swiss pikeman proved to be more than a match for cumbersome heavy cavalry, the pikemen winning their first notable victory at Laupen in…” quote by Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35a/max-boot-4274_history_the-dominance-of-the-man-on-horseback-wa_504545.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35a/max-boot-4274_history_the-dominance-of-the-man-on-horseback-wa_504545.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35a/max-boot-4274_history_the-dominance-of-the-man-on-horseback-wa_504545.jpg) > ““The dominance of the man on horseback was challenged during the fourteenth century in what some historians call the infantry revolution. English longbowmen and Swiss pikeman proved to be more than a match for cumbersome heavy cavalry, the pikemen winning their first notable victory at Laupen in 1339, the longbowmen at Crécy seven years later. Firing longbows or holding pikes were not activities deemed worthy of a gentleman in medieval Europe, but warfare was beginning to be democratized. Politics and society would soon follow.”” [Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage describes how infantry weapons like longbows and pikes democratized warfare, challenging the dominance of heavy cavalry and foreshadowing broader social changes. **In simple terms:** Infantry weapons broke cavalry’s dominance, leading to social shifts. Key Takeaway Embrace innovation that levels the playing field. Themes military history technology social change Mood analytical historical Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - battlefields - political reforms - class mobility - modern warfare Key Concepts democratization tactical evolution power structures Questions to Reflect On - How did infantry success reshape medieval societies? - What modern parallels exist for disruptive technology? A Different Perspective Technological advances can be limited by entrenched elites. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cavalry Pikemen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cavalry-pikemen-4289388/) [English Longbowmen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-longbowmen-4289389/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Longbowmen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longbowmen-4289391/) [Longbowmen Crécy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longbowmen-cr-cy-4289387/) [Medieval europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medieval-europe/) [Pikemen Winning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pikemen-winning-4289390/) ## Related quotes > [“Memory of the elderly monk survived in the accounts of some of the greatest leaders in medieval Europe, along with lengthy accounts in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rank/memory-of-the-elderly-monk-survived-in-the-accounts-of-some-of-the/) [Michael Rank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rank/) > [“In popular modern usage, the word grimoire refers specifically to a set of medieval European magickal texts (notebooks, journals, and teaching aids) that record…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-leitch/in-popular-modern-usage-the-word-grimoire-refers-specifically-to-a/) [Aaron Leitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-leitch/) > [“Blessed with riches and possibilities far beyond anything imagined by ancestors who tilled the unpredictable soil of medieval Europe, modern populations have nonetheless shown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/blessed-with-riches-and-possibilities-far-beyond-anything-imagined-by/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“Slavery ended in medieval Europe only because the church extended its sacraments to all slaves and then managed to impose a ban on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-stark/slavery-ended-in-medieval-europe-only-because-the-church-extended-its/) [Rodney Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-stark/) > [“I was suicidal for two solid centuries once. That was during the early part of what they now call the Dark Ages, in medieval…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-doucette/i-was-suicidal-for-two-solid-centuries-once-that-was-during-the-early/) [Gene Doucette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-doucette/) > [A fantasy novel set in something other than medieval Europe, featuring an almost entirely black cast, is considered risky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin-2/a-fantasy-novel-set-in-something-other-than-medieval-europe-featuring/) [N. K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin-2/) > [“SCIENCE AROSE ONLY IN Europe because only medieval Europeans believed that science was possible and desirable. And the basis of their belief was their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-stark/science-arose-only-in-europe-because-only-medieval-europeans-believed/) [Rodney Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-stark/) > [I love the standard fantasy setting of Medieval England and Medieval Europe, but I wanted to go somewhere different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-bardugo/i-love-the-standard-fantasy-setting-of-medieval-england-and-medieval/) [Leigh Bardugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-bardugo/) > [“The technologies which have had the most profound effects on human life are usually simple. A good example of a simple technology with profound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/the-technologies-which-have-had-the-most-profound-effects-on-human-2/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [“Beneath the pseudo-scientific terminology one can in each case recognize a phantasy of which almost every element is to be found in phantasies which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cohn/beneath-the-pseudo-scientific-terminology-one-can-in-each-case/) [Norman Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cohn/) > [“Trickster foxes appear in old stories gathered from countries and cultures all over the world -- including Aesop's Fables from ancient Greece, the "Reynard"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/trickster-foxes-appear-in-old-stories-gathered-from-countries-and/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [The technologies which have had the most profound effects on human life are usually simple. A good example of a simple technology with profound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/the-technologies-which-have-had-the-most-profound-effects-on-human/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [America did not need to be discovered because quite simply America had the American-Indians. There were whole groups of people that already lived there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/america-did-not-need-to-be-discovered-because-quite-simply-america/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) > [“n medieval Europe, a new slave would place his head under his master’s arm, and have a strap placed around his neck, in imitation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-livingstone-smith/n-medieval-europe-a-new-slave-would-place-his-head-under-his-master-s/) [David Livingstone Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-livingstone-smith/) > [“Many real-world Northwestern endonyms have European origins, such as “Portland,” “Victoria,” “Bellingham,” and “Richland.” To address this phenomenon while also contributing a sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-olson/many-real-world-northwestern-endonyms-have-european-origins-such-as/) [Sylvester Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-olson/) ## More by Max Boot > [The history of the modern Republican Party is the story of moderates being driven out and conservatives taking over - and then of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/the-history-of-the-modern-republican-party-is-the-story-of-moderates/) [Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/) > [“There were few more unlikely candidates in 1611 for Great Power status than Sweden. Even with its satrapy of Finland, the total population numbered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/there-were-few-more-unlikely-candidates-in-1611-for-great-power/) [Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/) > [The John F. Kennedy presidency, with its glittering court of Camelot, cemented the impression that it was the Democrats who represented the thinking men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/the-john-f-kennedy-presidency-with-its-glittering-court-of-camelot/) [Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/) > [There are two kinds of people: Those who like active vacations and those who like sedentary vacations. I'm one of the weird hybrids who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-those-who-like-active-vacations-and/) [Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/) > [Silence is complicity. All Republicans who stand mute in the face of Trump's latest racism are telling you who they really are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/silence-is-complicity-all-republicans-who-stand-mute-in-the-face-of/) [Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/) > [Joe Biden stands out from other Democratic candidates not just by taking on President Trump directly but also by seeking to separate Trump from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/joe-biden-stands-out-from-other-democratic-candidates-not-just-by/) [Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/) > [What would I do now, at age 48, if I were deported to a country that I have not seen in more than 40…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/what-would-i-do-now-at-age-48-if-i-were-deported-to-a-country-that-i/) [Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/) > [Neoconservatism' once had a real meaning - back in the 1970s. But the label has now become meaningless. With many of those who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/neoconservatism-once-had-a-real-meaning-back-in-the-1970s-but-the/) [Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/) > [To win in 2020, a Democratic nominee will need to win back voters in key Midwestern states who supported Trump in 2016.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/to-win-in-2020-a-democratic-nominee-will-need-to-win-back-voters-in/) [Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/) > [Olga E. Kagan was the strongest woman I knew - and probably the reason I've spent my life with other strong women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/olga-e-kagan-was-the-strongest-woman-i-knew-and-probably-the-reason-i/) [Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/) > [“But in the military sphere, just as in science, economics, art, or culture, change is not evenly distributed across space and time. Sometimes innovations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/but-in-the-military-sphere-just-as-in-science-economics-art-or/) [Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/) > [Thirty years on, I am no longer as certain about anything as I was at age 20. I now regret my support for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/thirty-years-on-i-am-no-longer-as-certain-about-anything-as-i-was-at/) [Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/) > [The 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, has not so far provoked the kind of anguished debate that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/the-60th-anniversary-of-the-atomic-bombing-of-hiroshima-on-aug-6-1945/) [Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/) > [“a crucial element of English success was their commanders’ ability to learn on the fly, make adjustments, and attempt new tactics. The Spanish paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/a-crucial-element-of-english-success-was-their-commanders-ability-to/) [Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/) > [I have not given up my faith in democracy - it remains the worst form of government except for all the others - but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/i-have-not-given-up-my-faith-in-democracy-it-remains-the-worst-form/) [Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/) [Explore all 113 Max Boot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/) ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) [C-DASH](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-dash/) > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The dominance of the man on horseback was challenged during the fourteenth century in what some historians call the infantry revolution. English longbowmen and Swiss pikeman proved to be more than a match for cumbersome heavy cavalry, the pikemen winning their first notable victory at Laupen in 1339, the longbowmen at Crécy seven years later. Firing longbows or holding pikes were not activities deemed worthy of a gentleman in medieval Europe, but warfare was beginning to be democratized. Politics and society would soon follow.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Max Boot" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/the-dominance-of-the-man-on-horseback-was-challenged-during-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "History" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/the-dominance-of-the-man-on-horseback-was-challenged-during-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35a/max-boot-4274_history_the-dominance-of-the-man-on-horseback-wa_504545.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35a/max-boot-4274_history_the-dominance-of-the-man-on-horseback-wa_504545.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35a/max-boot-4274_history_the-dominance-of-the-man-on-horseback-wa_504545.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The dominance of the man on horseback was challenged during the fourteenth century in what some historians…” — Max Boot", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Max Boot", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The dominance of the man on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/the-dominance-of-the-man-on-horseback-was-challenged-during-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/the-dominance-of-the-man-on-horseback-was-challenged-during-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```