Reiters

a type of cavalry that developed in the mercenary armies of 16th-century Western Europe together with cuirassiers and dragoons to replace the heavy knightly cavalry.

The reiters were armed with a long sword, two pistols, and a rifle or carbine, and they wore a helmet and chest armor. They attacked in dense battle formations. The organization and tactics of the reiters were devised by Maurice of Nassau in the army of the Netherlands. The reiters were mainly of German origin and served in the mercenary regular armies of the German states, Poland, and Sweden, among others. In the early 18th century the reiters were replaced by dragoons and cavalry jaegers. Reiter battalions existed in Russia from the 1630’s to the 1690’s.