This humble assemblage of metal has been the subject of fierce debate among historians — it is a 10th-century viking-age stirrup found in England. Horseback riding today would be unthinkable without this contraption, but it was not always that way. When the stirrup was introduced to Western Europe on a broad scale and what difference it made to society have been big-deal questions.
Decades ago, historian Lynn White argued that the stirrup became widely used by the Western European aristocracy in the eighth century, and that this made a transformative difference in Medieval warfare — now, elites would show their effectiveness through heavy cavalry that could shock their opponents with quick and forceful attacks. And thus, an argument for the introduction of feudalism in terms of “technological determinism” was born.
Lynn’s study, published in 1962, has since been overturned. Heavy cavalry didn’t become a formidable part of combat until the eleventh century in Western Europe, and thus the place of feudalism — meaning land held in exchange for military service — was not part of the Carolingian landscape. Also, the stirrup’s significance in combat has also been challenged. Now, historians emphasize only that they help riders lean forward — a much more modest proposal regarding their significance.
Source: For a discussion of this debate, listen to the episode of the podcast “Tis’ but a Scratch: Fact and Fiction about the Middle Ages by Richard Abels entitled “The Medievalists’ “F-Word” Feudalism Nov 17, 2023. Image from Wikipedia, stirrup on display at the Tower of London. Also, see the Portable Antiquities Scheme, “Stirrup,” created by Robert Webley June 2017 and following, https:/)finds.org.uk/counties/findsrecordingguides/stirrups
