Armed Forces and Units
Companion Cavalry
Ancient
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The Companion Cavalry was the elite heavy cavalry arm of the Macedonian army, developed under Philip II and brought to its height under his son Alexander the Great. Riding without stirrups but wielding the long xyston lance in a wedge formation, the Companions delivered the decisive shock charge in Alexander's set-piece victories at the Granicus, Issus and Gaugamela, typically led personally by Alexander at the head of the royal ile. The corps drew its name from the aristocratic Companions of the king who furnished their own horses and served as his closest officers and friends.
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Force TypeElite heavy shock cavalry recruited from Macedonian nobility, armed with the xyston lance and organized into squadrons (ilai) around the king's own royal squadron 1 Founded Year Cross-Tradition Connections
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