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The Companions were the elite cavalry
Cavalry

The Cavalry is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat, it represents the mobility and offensive power of the armed forces....
 of the Macedonian army from the time of king Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon

Philip II of Macedon,...
, and have been regarded as the best cavalry in the ancient world. The Companions formed the elite guard of the king. In battle they would be used as the hammer, in conjunction with the Macedonian phalanx-based infantry
Infantry

Infantry are soldiers who are primarily trained for the role of fighting on foot. A soldier in the infantry is known as an infantryman. Infantry units have more physically demanding training than other branches of armies, and place a greater emphasis on fitness, physical strength and aggression....
, which acted as the anvil. The phalanx
Phalanx formation

The phalanx is a rectangular mass military tactical formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pike , or similar weapons....
 would "fix" (pin) the enemy in place, and the Companion cavalry would attack the enemy on the flank or from behind.






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The Companions were the elite cavalry
Cavalry

The Cavalry is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat, it represents the mobility and offensive power of the armed forces....
 of the Macedonian army from the time of king Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon

Philip II of Macedon,...
, and have been regarded as the best cavalry in the ancient world. The Companions formed the elite guard of the king. In battle they would be used as the hammer, in conjunction with the Macedonian phalanx-based infantry
Infantry

Infantry are soldiers who are primarily trained for the role of fighting on foot. A soldier in the infantry is known as an infantryman. Infantry units have more physically demanding training than other branches of armies, and place a greater emphasis on fitness, physical strength and aggression....
, which acted as the anvil. The phalanx
Phalanx formation

The phalanx is a rectangular mass military tactical formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pike , or similar weapons....
 would "fix" (pin) the enemy in place, and the Companion cavalry would attack the enemy on the flank or from behind. The Macedonian kings also employed other cavalry types, which were often deployed on the left flank. The companions were a heavier, better armed unit, made up mainly of noblemen. They probably constituted the first real shock cavalry, able to conduct charges against massed infantry. Contemporary cavalry, even when more heavily armored, would most usually be equipped with javelins and would avoid melee.

In the battles of Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great , also known as Alexander III of Macedon was an ancient Greeks King of Macedon . He was one of the most successful military commanders of all time and is presumed undefeated in battle....
, son of Philip II, he would personally lead the charge at the head of the royal squadron of Companion cavalry, usually in a wedge formation. In a pitched battle, the Companions usually fought on the right wing of the Macedonian army, next to the shield bearing guard, the Hypaspists
Hypaspists

Hypaspistai, or hypaspists , were elite foot hoplite guardsmen as used by Alexander the Great's Macedonian army.They often fought on the right of the Foot Companions; the right was the position of honor in most Ancient Greece armies, due to the nature of the phalanx formation; a soldier in a phalanx would rely on the shield of the so...
, normally positioning the phalanx in the center. The various cavalry troops would protect the flanks of the Macedonian line during battle. As heavy cavalry, the Companions were Alexander's decisive arm in battle.

The Companions were organized into territorial squadrons, made of 200 to 300 soldiers. In Alexander's campaign into Persia, there were eight squadrons, commanded by Philotas
Philotas

Philotas was the eldest son of Parmenion, Alexander the Great most experienced and talented general. When Alexander became king of Macedonia with Parmenion's support , Parmenion and his relations were rewarded with offices and commissions....
, with one being the royal squadron. Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon

Philip II of Macedon,...
 enlarged the size of the unit to around 2000 soldiers, as opposed to the 600 used as a mounted bodyguard for the king in battle.

They would ride the best horses, and receive the best weaponry available. In Alexander's day, each carried a xyston
Xyston

The xyston was a type of a long thrusting lance in ancient Greece. It measured about long and was probably held by the cavalryman with both hands, although the depiction of Alexander the Great's xyston on the Alexander Mosaic in Pompeii , suggests otherwise....
 (a lance), and wore a bronze or iron breastplate
Breastplate

A breastplate is a device worn over the torso either to protect the torso from injury, or as an item of religious significance, or as an item of status....
 and helmet. A kopis
Kopis

The kopis was a sword with a forward-curving blade, primarily used as a tool for cutting meat, for ritual slaughter and animal sacrifice, but also as a weapon....
 (curved slashing sword) was also carried for melee combat, should the xyston break. Their horses had a large amount of thick felt draped over their sides like cataphracts' scale, while they probably had partial breast and head plating for protection against spears, missiles etc.

Under the successors of Alexander

The Companion cavalry of the Diadochoi
Diadochi

The Diadochi were the rival successors of Alexander the Great, and their Wars of the Diadochi followed Alexander's death. This was the beginning of the Hellenistic period of Greek history, the time when many people who were not Greek themselves adopted Greek philosophy and styles, Greek urban life, and aspects of the Greek religion....
 (Alexandrian successor-states), were all more heavily equipped. Seleucid
Seleucid Empire

The Seleucid Empire /s?'lus?d/ was a Hellenistic empire, i.e. a successor state of Alexander the Great's empire. The Seleucid Empire was centered in the near East and at the height of its power included central Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Persia, today's Turkmenistan, Pamir Mountains and parts of Pakistan....
 Companions were noted to have worn lighter, but not otherwise dissimilar, equipment to the cataphract
Cataphract

A cataphract was a form of heavy cavalry used by nomadic eastern Iranian people tribes and dynasties and later Ancient Greeks and Ancient Rome....
s at the Battle of Magnesia
Battle of Magnesia

The Battle of Magnesia was fought in 190 BC near Magnesia ad Sipylum, on the plains of Lydia , between the Roman Republic, led by the consul Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus and his brother, the famed general Scipio Africanus, with their ally Eumenes II of Pergamum against the army of Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid Empire....
 in 190 BC, which may have included partial horse armour and leg and arm protection. Ptolemaic
Ptolemaic dynasty

The Ptolemaic dynasty was a Hellenistic Macedonian royal family which ruled the Ptolemaic Empire in Egypt for nearly 300 years, from 305 BC to 30 BC....
 Companions were also equipped with a large round aspis
Aspis

An aspis is the generic term for the word shield. The aspis, which is carried by Ancient Greece infantry of various periods, is often referred to as a hoplon ....
 cavalry shield unlike the Companions of Phillip and Alexander. ‘Companions’ was a title not used by the Seleucids in its original sense. It was replaced with different and various grades of ‘Kings Friends'. However, the title of Companions was kept as a regimental title. There was only one regiment or unit that held the title of Companions in the entire Hellenistic world though; the Antigonids and Ptolemies had different names for their elite cavalry regiments.

See also

  • Sarissophoroi
    Sarissophoroi

    The Sarissophoroi were the heavy infantry of the army of Ancient Macedonian military and various Hellenistic states.Sarissophoroi fought in the traditional Greek phalanx formation....
  • Xyston
    Xyston

    The xyston was a type of a long thrusting lance in ancient Greece. It measured about long and was probably held by the cavalryman with both hands, although the depiction of Alexander the Great's xyston on the Alexander Mosaic in Pompeii , suggests otherwise....