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ARAGONESE JINETE, 13th CENTURY

An extract from Armies of Feudal Europe 1066-1300
by Ian Heath

[Based on a ceiling panel from the Palau del Marquès de Llió in Carrer Montcada, Barcelona.]

69.      ARAGONESE JINETE, 13th CENTURY

This figure, from a painting on wood of c. 1200 from Barcelona, is fairly typical of the Berber light cavalry employed by Aragon in the 13th century. The term jinete itself derives from the tribal name Zanata, the principal source of such troops, as explained on page 21. Somewhat later jinetes depicted in the 'Cántigas' mss. are identical to the figures described under 77 and 78. Although the kings of Castile too employed such mercenary Berber cavalry they also made much use of native Spanish light horse equipped and trained to fight in jinete fashion. These were usually armed with 2-3 long javelins for thrusting or throwing, a sword or long knife, and the heart-shaped adarga shield. A reconstruction of a later Castilian jinete can be found under figure 88 in Armies of the Middle Ages, volume 1.