A heavily armored cavalry soldier, especially one from ancient or medieval Persia, Byzantium, or Central Asia, whose horse was also protected with armor.
From Greek 'kataphraktos' meaning 'covered completely.' Used by historians to describe elite mounted warriors whose entire bodies and horses were encased in mail or plate armor.
Medieval knights borrowed the cataphract concept from Persian warriors—these armored cavalry dominated battlefields for centuries because they combined the speed of horses with the protection of walking fortresses!
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