The Cataphract

A cataphract was a form of armored heavy cavalryman fielded in ancient warfare throughout Eurasia and Northern Africa.

The English word derives from the Greek kataphraktos, literally meaning "armored" or "completely enclosed". Historically, the cataphract was a very heavily armored horseman, with both the rider and mount almost completely covered in scale armor, and typically wielding a kontos or lance as his primary weapon.

Peoples and states deploying cataphracts at some point in their history included: the Scythians, Sarmatians, Alans, Parthians, Achaemenids, Sakas, Armenians, Seleucids, Pergamenes, Kingdom of Pontus, Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, Sassanids, Romans, Goths, Byzantines, Georgians, Chinese, Koreans, Jurchens, and Mongols.

In Europe, the fashion for heavily armored Roman cavalry seems to have been a response to the Eastern campaigns of the Parthians and Sassanids in the region referred to as Asia Minor, as well as numerous defeats at the hands of Iranian cataphracts across the steppes of Eurasia, most notably in the Battle of Carrhae in upper Mesopotamia (53 BC).

In this recreation of the Byzantine-Arab war the Arab lines were destroyed by the Byzantine heavy charge of the Cataphrats, after first releasing repeated arrow volleys.
The Byzantine-Arab war lasted 420 years but ended 1071 AD when the Byzantine Empire, with the help of Western Crusaders, re-established its position in the Middle East as a major power.

[Shagthegoat]

I have to say that using the Imperial Cataphracts from Mount and blade 2 was a great choice to show what they looked like

[ziggytheassassin]

Cataphracts always just looked so cool to me. Like fuck it, give the horse a suit of armor aswell.

[jorgezamora]

My main goal is to become a modern day Byzantine Cataphract and then act like I don't know nobody.

[rtwmoder]

The Byzantine cavalry is derived from the Sassanid and Parthian armored cavalry

[VHSMikey]

Excellent video! Came for the Bannerlord and stayed for the excellent narration.

[TrulyTom]

The Parthian Cataphract was the precursor to the Medieval Knight. A heavily armored cavalier
riding a gigantic charger able to handle the weight of an armored warrior in chainmail carrying a lance, shield and sword. They were along with the famed Parthian horse archers 🏹 the type of army which the Romans weren't able to readily cope with.
The Horse Archers at the Battle of Carrhae unleashed a storm of arrows upon the Roman legions of Marcus Licinius Crassus and they were constantly replenished by camel 🐫 caravans 🚐 of arrows 🏹. The Roman Cavalry was overwhelmed by the Cataphracts of the Parthian army. Marcus Licinius Crassus son Publius was in command of the Roman calvary and died with the rest of the Roman horse 🐎. His father died on the field later.

[Samo-rkus]

What a nice bonus against infantry the cataphracts have

[agape_]

Footmen! Shield wall! Archers! Move! Cavalry! After me!

[persianimmortal]

The first cataphracts made by Achaemenid king artaxerxes i
Then Parthians
Also Sassanid named them as shahaswar
Pushtigban Aswaran
And Gyan Aswaran

[abrarmurshed]

Byzantine empire ended when Constantinople was captured. Arabs do fast paced cavalry based desert warfare using deep flanking maneuvers to surprise the enemy. They were light and fast. armours slow you down in the desert and it becomes very hot .You made a wonderful video no doubt. You do have the skills to grow big. So I would recommend you to research deeply about Byzantine Arab wars starting from the battle of Yarmouk to the fall of Constantinople.

[arditehrani]

The whole concept of cataphract comes from Iranians (Firstly Parthians continued by Persians). Then Romans and other Europeans adopted this concept. Even, small recurved bow is not a European bow. Europeans used long bow for a long time.

[yesmam]

the asmr voice with a smooth background music was soothing but sht hit the fan at 1:39 sht jumped scared me.

[responseu]

It is interesting to see how everything Persian in origin gets appropriated and attributed to the Romans!

Cataphracts were a Persian invention and remained a Persian invention during the Parthian and Sassanid eras.

[eduard]

Matt Easton has passed on his hatred of the back lances to me

[db.sarvestani]

Iranian knights basically-the first of their kind which influenced European notions of cheverly

[mauricefrost]

While war gaming many years ago I put a unit of Parthian cataphracts in against some British light chariots and got completely slaughtered by them
So shocked by the experience that I went back to Napoleonics after that!

[luis.m.yrisson]

A sacrifice for the algorithm. Nice channel.

[uncleaungzayyafromburma]

truly remarkable is the war horse that carry everything and charges with great speed.I think they have gone extinct.

[rafalongo]

Thanks bannerlord for reviving the cataphract

[panchao]

NICE BUT INACCURATE
This short video is pleasant to watch, but gives a wrong idea of how cataphracts were used.
- First, they are much too heavy to sustain speeds as shown here ; the horses would get blown quickly. In his military treatise, Byzantine emperor Nikephoros Phocas clearly states that they should move at a canter, in a very tight formation and never take part in pursuing the enemy.
- Second, their heavy armor severly limits their vision and ability to turn and face an opponent not in front of them. They moved forward and charged in a wedge formation (if Byzantines) or in a straight line, very close to each other. Also, their flanks and rear need to be protected. The Byzantines had several light and heavy cavalry units all around them to cover them until they could smash into the opposing command (at the time, Byzantines, Arabs and Avars disbanded when their leader was killed). Armenians and Parthians who failed to do so got decimated with slingshots or attacked from the flanks or rear by the Romans and scattered !
-Third, the main weapon of the Byzantine Kataphractos was the mace ; the manual mentions some spears and even bows, but not lances. Still, non-byzantine cataphracts (Seleucid, Parthian, Roman, Sassanian, Bulgar, Mongol, Tibetan, Chinese ...) did use a one or two handed lance.
I hope I didn't spoil anyone's fun, but I like accuracy.