Mobile Guards - how was it organized and deployed??

[hellheaven1987]

Currently I am reading a book regarding the life of Khalid ibn al-Walid, which a military unit called Mobile Guards is constantly mentioned. Out of interest, I did a quick search on Internet about this unit and find out its nearly legenary operation records, which makes me even more interesting about this unit since the articles mention this unit could move quick enough and yet still heavy enough to confront Byzantium cavalries. Hence, I am curious how this units were equiped and organized, and what tactic they were used against Byzantium.

[garudamon11]

they were light cavalry used as scouts in the head of the army , but im unsure about the rest .... its really sad that my history book in school doesnt even mention them ( though im arabic )

[hellheaven1987]

they were light cavalry used as scouts in the head of the army , but im unsure about the rest .... its really sad that my history book in school doesnt even mention them ( though im arabic )

That is some confusion kick in - if they were light cavalry, then how could them achieve high effeciency when direct confron Byzantium cavalries and infantries?? My view is that, they were somehow mobile enough, but still heavy enough to launch a direct confrontation. To put it short, it is more possible that Mobile Guards were close to Frankish knights during First Crusade.

[Herakleios]

Cavalry

The Rashidun cavalry was a one of the most successful light cavalry. It was armed with lances, up to five and a half meter long, and swords. Both short Arabian swords and Sassanid long swords were used by the horsemen. Often they were armed with both of them at a time. The cavalry used to be a reserve, with the main role to attack the enemy once they were weakened by the repeated charges of the infantry. They would then make flanking or encircling movements against the enemy army, either from the flanks or straight from the center. The cavalry probably used to attack in a wedge-shaped formation. Some of the best examples of the use of the cavalry force were commanded by Khalid ibn Walid in the Battle of Walaja against the Sassanid Persians and in the Battle of Yarmouk against the Byzantines. In both cases the cavalry regimets were initially stationed behind the flanks and center.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashidun_army#Cavalry

I'm not sure they are talking specifically about the mobile guards every time they discuss cavalry, however, their description of a reserve force used at the key moments of battle seems concurrent to the function the mobile guards are usually accorded. It’s pretty hard to find information on these guys.

Here's something on equipment:
http://www.questia.com/reader/action...ocId/102802943

The standard form of protective body armour was the coat of mail (dir‘, pl. durū ‘). In addition sard or zard are used for mail in general or a coat of mail with the verbal forms sarada and zarada being used for the making of mail. In the classical Roman period, body armour seems to have been mostly lamellar, that is using small plates of metal sewn on to a cloth or leather garment to provide protection. Mail was certainly known in the Roman army from the third century and by the time of the Muslim conquests it was probably the main form of body armour for both Byzantine and Sasanian soldiers. In the Qur’ān, the making of coats of mail is one of the blessings conferred by God on David. The early Islamic sources treat the coat of mail as a standard piece of military equipment. It could be worn under a cloak (qabā’) to disguise it, as Ibn al-Ashtar and his followers did in Kūfa when they were taking over the city in the name of al-Mukhtār in 66/685. In 145/762 the ‘Alid rebel, Ibrāhīm b.‘Abd Allāh was killed when he loosened his mail coat (qabā’ zarad) because of the heat and was caught by a stray arrow. There are also references to the practice of wearing two coats of mail (dir’ayn), the under one being shorter or even made of fabric or leather.

They probably wore mail hauberks and charged with a lance, much like the Persian and Roman elite cavalrymen. It is possible that they also could fight with a bow, since the practice of combining shock and archery tactics was also common amongst the Romans and Persians, and the Arabs themselves had a prominent archery tradition. Some Arabian idiosyncracies in costume such as turbans probably defined their appearance as well.

The concept of heavy cavalrymen that could also act as highly mobile, light cavalry was also present in Sassanian military doctrine, the Savaran knights could be employed as much for skirmishing and raiding as for shock tactics in open field. The Arabs got much of their martial tradition from Persia and Rome, and so did the European knights, as a matter of fact. Much of this influence came from the Lakhmid and Ghassanids, but probably also from Sassanian military presence in Yemen and Oman.

A better way of understanding their actual function in battle would be to watch their use at Walaja and Yarmouk. What seems to define them as particularly mobile in the tactical area is their ability to launch fast strikes and then retreat quickly, this is an art Sassanian, and even Parthian cavalrymen had long mastered. There are,hoever, some factors which may have made Arabian cavalry faster: the Arabs' use of the Arabian breed of horse, which may have been faster and more resistant than the Nisean breed, the fact that they and their horses were probably not as heavily armoured as the Sassanians, who combined mail with lamellar and other armour and made wide use of horse armour. However, I'm nonetheless skeptical of how much more 'mobile' were these units in comparison to Sassanian elite cavalrymen in reality, I do think more data is needed on them if one is to argue that they were somehow an innovative unit in any way.

[Herakleios]

To put it short, it is more possible that Mobile Guards were close to Frankish knights during First Crusade.

If this is what the thread is really about, you'd be better served by reading up about the Sarmatian, Parthian, and Sassanian cavalry traditions, their, and those of their Roman/Byzantine imitators were much more seminal in the development of the medieval knight than the Rashidun's. The stirrup was also a key influence, since it allowed the knight to hold the lance with both hands while embedding it below his armpit, as became classic.