A few gaps in my knowledge of cavalry charges (from various periods, though some of the principles would apply across them) have been bugging me for a while.
What did it mean to couch a lance? What was the difference between a couched lance and an un-couched one?
Say that two knights are riding at each other joust-style, and Knight "A" strikes and knocks Knight "B" off his horse with a lance. My understanding of physics might just be bad, but wouldn't the impact force be equal for both knights, and therefore have a good chance at unseating the Knight A as well?
When two formations of cavalry charged each other and fought, what would happen during and after the initial impact? Would they generally pass through each other, or would the formations have a solid impact but stay mostly cohesive?
As I understand it, knightly-style heavy cavalry avoided charging straight into infantry, preferring to flank or charge weakened or routing units. But, what would happen in battles like Legnano (1176), where an all-cavalry force unsuccessfully charged an infantry line? Would they just repeatedly charge, turn around, and pull back?
Sorry for the massive dump of questions, but any help is appreciated.
To couch a lance is to tuck it under the arm against the body, as opposed to holding it overhand - as in tent pegging
You are assuming that the contact by each is equal - in practice combat armor was designed to deflect lance thrusts away from the center of mass - so whoever had the most solid hit on a flat portion of armor would exert more force