Mounted Turcopoles 1 (2)

The first ‘Turcopoles’ (literally “sons of Turks”) were found in Byzantine armies, where they seem to have been of ethnic Turkish origin. The crusader states quickly saw the value of such light cavalry, but applied the term loosely to native cavalry from a wide range of origins, including Christianised Turks, Arabs, Syrians and Greeks. In the twelfth century, ‘Turcopole’ seems to have been synonymous with lightly armoured cavalry archers in the armies of Outremer. They routinely formed a large proportion of the cavalry of Outremer, with an even split of ‘Turcopoles’ and knights or melee cavalry being common. In battle, ‘Turcopoles’ seem to have ridden after the knightly charge, protecting the flanks and exploiting any breakthrough. On campaign, ‘Turcopoles’ fulfilled the wide range of roles demanded of light cavalry – scouting, raiding, harassing the enemy and hunting down fugitives.