man-at-arms
thumb|upright|1498 illustration of a German man-at-arms by Albrecht Dürer. The man-at-arms is equipped as a [[demi-lancer.]]
Article
20 sectionsContents
- Terminology
- Military function
- Arms and armour
- Horses
- Horse armour
- In England
- Social status
- Conditions of service
- Military role
- In France
- The 16th century
- Later history
- Evolution into a paramilitary police force
- In Spain
- In Italy
- Notes
- References
- Citations
- Bibliography
- Attribution
thumb|upright|1498 illustration of a German man-at-arms by Albrecht Dürer. The man-at-arms is equipped as a [[demi-lancer.]]
A man-at-arms was a soldier of the High Medieval to Renaissance periods who was typically well-versed in the use of arms and served as a fully-armoured heavy cavalryman. A man-at-arms could be a knight, or nobleman, a member of a knight's or nobleman's retinue, or a mercenary in a company serving under a captain. Such men could serve for pay or through a feudal obligation. The terms knight and man-at-arms are often used interchangeably, but while all knights equipped for war were men-at-arms, not all men-at-arms were knights.