Jinete

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jinete is a Spanish word meaning "horseman", but in some cases this is applied to the horse, the rider or both.

As a military term of art, jinete (also spelled ginete or genitour) means a Spanish light horseman armed with a javelin, sword and a shield, a troop type developed in the Middle Ages in response to the massed light cavalry of the Moors. Often fielded in significant numbers by the Spanish, and at times the most numerous of the Spanish mounted troops, they were proficient at skirmishing and rapid maneuver, and played an important role in Spanish mounted warfare throughout the Reconquista until the sixteenth century.

Contemporary usage, at least in Mexico, means "rodeo rider", hence "cowboy".

[edit] Appearances in popular culture

Genitour was originally planned as a horse skirmisher, a Spanish unique unit in Ensemble Studio's Age of Empires II: The Conquerors, but they're replaced by gunpowder Conquistadors. Now it's a hidden (in unpatched AoC) unit with Militia sprite and Cavarly Archer icon.

Jinetes appear in Ensemble Studio's Age of Empires III. The game portrays Jinetes somewhat incorrectly as special Portuguese dragoon units armed with rifles.

They also appear in Medieval II Total War as Spanish and Portuguese mounted skirmishers.