A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used for mounted warfare in Assyria as early as 700 BC and subsequently by India, Persia, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome. The weapon was widely used throughout Europe and Asia during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance by heavy cavalry, before being adopted later on by light cavalry. In a modern context, a lancer regiment usually denotes an armoured unit.
