The introduction of the stirrup not only made the mounted warrior supreme in medieval warfare, but may have initiated complex and far-reaching social and cultural changes in Europe. Some scholars credit the birth of feudalism and its subsequent spread into Northern Italy, Spain, Germany and into the Slavic territories to this use of the stirrup. It is argued that the rising feudal class structure of the European Middle Ages derived ultimately from the use of stirrups
The stirrup allowed the creation of heavy cavalry and the development of shock tactics.
Explanation:
A stirrup is a frame that supports the foot of a rider. Stirrups give riders better balance when mounting and bigger control over their animals.
Despite its simplicity, the creation of the stirrup is thought by some to have represented a major technological advance. According to historian Lynn Townsend White Jr. in his <em>Medieval Technology and Social Change</em> (1962), <u>the stirrup allowed the creation of heavy cavalry and the development of shock tactics</u>: riders could carry heavier armor and charge at maximum speed against enemy lines thanks to the better balance and control enabled by the stirrup. Thanks to the stirrup, mounted cavalry cemented its place as the elite military forces. Even further, the stirrup theory argues that feudalism in Europe developed thanks to the stirrup, as the feudal classes emerged from expert horsemen.
