The later Medieval period also saw the expansion of mercenary forces, unbound to any medieval lord. Peasants were also used for the role of archers and skirmishers, providing missile cover for the heavy infantry and cavalry. Recruitment īy the 11th century, much of the infantry fighting was conducted by high-ranking nobles, middle-class freemen and peasants, who were expected to have a certain standard of equipment, often including helmet, spear, shield and secondary weapons in the form of an axe, long knife or sword. The relative inexpensiveness of the infantryman, combined with a shortage of manpower, provided incentives for expanding their use.
Such expeditions were part of the growing number of sieges, disputes and campaigns throughout the 13th and 14th centuries that greatly increased the cost of warfare for medieval regimes. The Crusade era also saw a rise in the importance of infantry and required large numbers of men and material to be organized for distant battlefields. This encouraged more economical use of available manpower, and the infantryman was much cheaper to outfit and maintain than the aristocratic knight. The Black Death in the 14th century swept through Europe, devastating the population and resulting in serious manpower shortages. As the period progressed, however, the dominance of the cavalry elite began to slowly break down. Since only the noble classes could afford the expense of knightly warfare, the supremacy of the mounted cavalryman was associated with the hierarchical structure of medieval times, particularly feudalism.
Typically heavily armoured, well-motivated and mounted on powerful, specially bred horses, the mounted knight represented a formidable force, which was used to effect against more lightly armoured troops. In the medieval period, the mounted warrior held sway for an extended time.
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