A
lancer was a type of
cavalryman who fought with a
lance. Lances were used in mounted warfare by the Assyrians as early as and subsequently by Greek, Persian, Gallic, Han-Chinese, nomadic and
Roman horsemen. The weapon was widely used in Asia and Europe during the
Middle Ages and the
Renaissance by armoured cavalry, before being adopted by
light cavalry, particularly in Eastern Europe. In a modern context, a lancer regiment usually denotes an
armoured regiment.