what is a lancer

A lancer is 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, Egypt, China, Persia, Greece, and Rome. The weapon was widely used throughout Eurasia during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance by heavy cavalry, but fell out of general use by the late 16th century, before its revival by light cavalry in the early 19th century. The Polish "winged" lancers were amongst the last European units to abandon their armor. Today, the term "lancer" is used to refer to a soldier who belongs to the part of an army that used lances in the past. In literature and media, "The Lancer" is a trope that refers to a character who serves as the foil for a hero of the closely allied variety.