Agriculture was not the only activity in which technology contributed to the rise of medieval europe. in military affairs technological innovations produced some of the unique developments that characterize european feudalism and that begin to account for europe’s eventual global dominance. one of the definitive figures of european feudalism, the armored knight mounted on an armored charger, was created by a key piece of technology—the stirrup. in europe prior to the eighth century the mounted warrior remained mounted only until he reached the field of battle, where he dismounted and fought on foot. without stirrups to provide stability only the most skilled horsemen could fight as true cavalry and could swing a sword or stretch a bow without losing his mount. the chinese invented the stirrup in the fifth century ce, and it thereafter diffused westward. with no moving parts, the stirrup is a deceptively simple piece of technology, but in stabilizing a warrior on his horse it allows for fighting on horseback without dismounting. with stirrups, a rider with a lance hooked to his armor became a formidable unit where momentum replaced muscle in a new style of warfare—"mounted shock combat." then: