The "javelin throwing light cavalry" of Castile has a name

Age of Empires IV IV - Discussion
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Hello everyone,
Well, I’m very excited about the new Spanish unit and would like to talk about it and clarify a few things.

First of all, I want to clarify the misnomer being given to this unit. In all the platform posts, forums, and photos, I see that it’s been called “el jinete” (horseman), “jabalinero” (javelin-fighter), among others. “Jinete” is simply the name given to a person riding a horse. The reality is that on the Christian side of the Reconquista, there was no specialized javelin unit because the riders were of noble origin, the only ones who could afford horses and their equipment. In contrast, the Muslims had many horses, even establishing stud farms on the peninsula, eventually raising 46,000 horses. That’s why the Christians created a “hybrid” unit that would cover melee and ranged combat, called the “cavalry villana” (villano knight), or “pardo” (the latter due to the color of their clothing). This is the name that the new Castile unit should have in the game and I hope the developers do it that way, but let’s go back to “Spain” in the early 10th century to put it into context and help you understand why.

By the 10th century, the need for cavalry increased sharply due to the constant wars with the Muslims. The Christians were gaining territory and the land they gained from the Muslims and the resulting socioeconomic changes made possible the emergence of a new class of “non-noble” knights. The settlers became owners of rural lands, with which they could afford to own a horse and weapons, which they used to defend these lands as mounted warriors.

In every document, “villano” refers to a resident of a village.They were armed with a lanza jineta that attacked from top to bottom; they could also carry several azagayas or javelins.

Lanza jineta

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Azagaya

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Note: “jineta” comes from the equine style of riding a horse, with the stirrups raised and legs bent to enhance agility when attacking with a short lance.
Note: “azagaya” are ancient javelins tipped with deer antler.

Therefore, a villano knight was an inhabitant of a village who owned a horse and weapons. Villano knights gained privileges and became legally equated with infanzones, the lower nobility, although of course without a title. Villano knights in the border areas were responsible for organizing the council militias when necessary.

To make this status attractive, villano knights were granted certain privileges; neither their horses nor their weapons could be seized for debt, and they were exempt from some taxes, specifically the stud tax. Even after the death of their horse, if it occurred in a war event, they were allowed a period of time to acquire another animal. They enjoyed a special legal status that reduced the penalties for knights compared to peons for certain crimes, and in trials they could demand the presence of the warden. Furthermore, the status of knight-villano extended to children and was retained by the widow as long as she did not remarry.

Regarding the helmet, chain mail with a hood began to be worn due to European influence, later evolving into a conical helmet. In the game, it is a combination of a conical helmet and a morión (a helmet worn by the Tercios from the 15th century onwards). I like that they’ve given it that distinctive touch to show that it’s Spanish.

The shield was initially used in the shape of a small kite, eventually growing in size until it became a round shield. In the game, the shield is an adarga, a shield originally from North Africa and used by the Spanish from the 14th to the 16th century due to its light weight and resistance to swords, spears, and arrows. It was made of leather and shaped like a heart.

Adarga

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I’ve only found two sources confirming that Villain Knights threw javelins, but what is clear is that in one form or another, they sometimes threw the short lance and then used the sword. In the game, they could do both: use the short lance at range or in melee; that would be fun.
I hope you enjoyed the information and that the developers give the unit the name it deserves.

Forgive me for my written English and the corrections.

Greetings

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Interesting analysis, but I have to disagree.

There are many aspects that simply conflate information about the “Caballeros villanos” and “Jinetes”, as if everything about the latter were attributed to the former, which is not the case. On the other hand, “Jinetes” were officially recognized in the Kingdom of Castile, and there are historical documents that formalize the troop’s name:

1).- Regarding the javelin throwers in the first part of the Reconquista

During the first part of the Reconquista (712-1212), the “jinetes” didn’t “exist” on the Spanish side, and the villano knight (caballero villano) was not a unit that threw javelins either. The tradition of javelin throwing was a practice of the Berber Zeneta light cavalry, who fought as allies, mercenaries, or fanatics recruited by the Islamic kingdoms of Hispania. In fact, this makes sense given the image they presented: The Jinete appears as a unit from the Castle Age, which means it is not the basic light cavalry unit of Spain, and therefore not from the first phase of the Reconquista.

2) The Spanish cavalry in the first part of the Reconquista.

The Christians fought with melee cavalry, both heavy and light, but preferably heavy. In fact, to increase the number of available troops, it was established that anyone who knew how to ride a horse and had armor and weapons could fight as cavalry, under certain concessions. This created several types of knight, but more due to their equipment and the status they came from:

  • Village knights. These were former peasants who had been recruited by a council militia to serve as cavalry soldiers, usually for previous merits while fighting as a militia. In exchange for fighting for the kingdom and always being ready when called upon, they were granted exemption from paying certain taxes. They also had the right to “seize” a portion of the lands obtained from a successful military campaign against the Muslims; this was the most attractive part of the venture.

  • Hidalgos.- “Son of somebody” was a term for middle- or lower-ranking nobles, who were still allowed to fight as knights in exchange for not paying certain taxes.

  • Infanzón.- Nobles by blood, but poor in pocket, often worked for other, wealthier nobles. They were allowed to serve as heavy cavalry in exchange for… you know, not paying certain taxes. In the beginning, even “peasants” who knew how to ride horses could be part of this category, but by the 12th century, it was banned, and to be an infanzón, you had to be the son of another infanzón.

  • Ricohombres - Translated into English, it would be “Wealthy Mans.” They were that, rich nobles, the highest class of nobles. Well, at least they were the richest, and with the most land. They were the closest thing to barons or counts of other kingdoms. Many fought as commanders in armies, or within military religious orders.

  • Knights of the Religious Orders - In Spain, several orders of chivalry were created to protect pilgrims on the Route of Santiago, and later to fight the Muslims. These orders accumulated a great deal of power in Spain, to the point that the Spanish kings always tried to recruit a large part of the nobility or rich men into their ranks, so that they would never lose their patriotic spirit. In fact, they succeeded, and that is why these orders are still under the control of the Spanish crown.

If you’re wondering why there was such a difference in defining nobles, it’s because nobles themselves compared each other by status, descent, or economic level, and it was important to determine whether they were exempt from certain taxes or various responsibilities, so it made sense for their time.

The villein knights / village knights / Caballeros villanos, being literally peasants, perhaps fought as light cavalry without much barding, or as intermediate cavalry, with a lance for “charge attacks,” but without much armor. However, they were not javelin throwers. Maybe they can supply the role of unique “light cavalry” in feudal age.

3) Cavalry tactics in the early stages of the Reconquista

It was very simple: they gathered all the heavy cavalry in a line and rode to charge. Then they turned around and turned around to charge again. Again and again.

The problem with this strategy is that the Moors had a way to counter it: the Torna Fuye. The Moors would send light cavalry to counterattack and meet the heavy cavalry charge, but then “flee” and wait for the cavalry to pursue them. Then, when they were far from the battlefield or in strategic positions, they would surround them in a circle and then overpower them in hand-to-hand combat with their own swords.

Here are some videos showing the shameful defeats of the Christian side against the Torna Fuye.

4) And when does the Jinete/Ginete appear?

The date or the actual event is unknown.
Ino invented it first, but from 1300 AD onward, soldiers copying the Berber Zenata cavalry began to appear on the Spanish side, both in their riding style and their javelin-throwing technique.

It is believed that this was because when the Crown of Castile managed to seize all areas of the Almohad Empire, many Moorish Zenata soldiers, now converted to Christianity, inherited their ancient fighting style and used it for the Christian side.

About the reasons: After defeating the Moors at Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212, the remaining Christian kingdoms had to administer all the territory won from the Almohads.

However, the remaining disputed area was the Kingdom of Granada, whose mountainous environment makes the use of heavy cavalry or cavalry charges very difficult. Although the Kingdom of Granada was a tributary state of the Crown of Castile, there were times when they refused to pay tribute or allied themselves with the Islamic Benimerines of Morocco to invade Spain.

By 1431, at the Battle of Higuereta, Castilian troops had created the “Ginete” (Rider) to counter the Zenata of the Almoravides.

In fact, it could be said that the Rider became “the standard” for how Spanish light cavalry should fight. In fact, they played a greater role in periods after the Reconquista, such as the Italian War or the Spanish Conquest of America.

5).- Jinete Practices: Cane Games

The Cane Game was a game widely celebrated in Spain from the Reconquista period (722-1492) by Arabs and Christians, generally as a sport in bullrings, until its officialization from the 16th to the 18th century in many of its main squares. The origins of the practice of running canes, as it was commonly called, date back to the ancient Romans and it was introduced to Spain by the Muslims. In America, it was introduced by the Spanish.

The spirit of the game revolved around simulating a war or combat action. It consisted of lines of men mounted on horseback (usually nobles) throwing canes at each other like lances or darts and stopping them with their shields. They made combat charges, escaping in circles or semicircles in groups of lines.

6).- Official documents:

In fact, there are official documents that differentiate the same “Juniors” from heavy cavalry.

As a matter of interest, in Old Spanish, many words that now use a “J” used a “G” in the past, which is why, in its early years, the term “Ginete” was used.

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  • Old Guard of Castile.- Reorganization of the Spanish cavalry from 1493 onwards, to compete with the French cavalry, which at the time was recognized as the best in Western Europe. This decree divides the cavalry into three-quarters of Men-at-Arms and one-quarter of Jinetes.
  • El Cid and the Reconquista 1050–1492, David Nicolle, Angus McBride (Illustrator), Men-at-Arms 200 1988, 07, 28, Osprey.
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I didn’t know the origin of the word jinete. Before creating this post, I quickly searched for information about the term but barely found nothing. I focused on the villana cavalry, which I was already familiar with. In any case, calling it both ways in the game would be fine if it’s not ranged. We’ll see when the DLC is released.

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Confirmed Jinete, let’s hope they call him that.

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