Description
While the Germans relied primarily on the strength of their infantry, some tribes built reputations as skilled horsemen. Notoriously aggressive in their cavalry tactics, they often seized the initiative when faced with greater numbers. Their confidence as riders was also unshakable; turning their backs on new technologies and techniques, the Germans notably refused to use the four-horned saddle that had revolutionised the cavalry of their Celtic neighbours. Despite this disadvantage, they were brave enough to face all comers, as Julius Caesar himself described: “In their eyes it is the height of effeminacy and shame to use a saddle, and they do not hesitate to engage the largest force of cavalry riding saddled horses, however small their own numbers may be”.
