Editing Medieval Infantry (section)

==Knights==
Now, let us be clear, knights were specifically NOT infantry, but they could dismount and fight on foot with various degrees of success. English knights, in particular, were famous for this tactic during the Hundred Years' War. Having dismounted knights nearby boosted infantry's morale immensely, sending clear message that nobles won't just gallop away on their horses if things go south (as they did all too often). 

Obviously, sometimes knights had to fight on foot. During the Crusades, Arab chronicles sometimes describe "Frank" knights becoming loci of resistance during sieges, with their heavy armor withstanding tremendous punishment. One man in a narrow spot could hold attackers at bay long enough for defenders to regroup and provide backup: often in those cases, it wasn't skill at arms that allowed knights to distinguish themselves (they primarily trained to fight on horseback, after all), but equipment and morale, standing firm where levies fled. 

Similarly, while a sapper's job was generally considered unbecoming of a noble, some knights were all too eager to lead the glorious charge through the freshly-dug hole in the ground. The most famous example, perhaps, is Arnaud Guillaume de Barbazan's duel with Henry V of England in tunnels underneath Melun. Once again, equipment often gave such knights an edge over regular sappers, and their mere presence encouraged lowborn grunts.

And of course, sometimes a knight would have his horse shot from under him and he'd be left footslogging it with the riffraff.