1 | Page Equestrian Cities The Role of the Riding Horse in Interurban Traffic and the Characteristics of Urban Horse Husbandry in the Late Middle Ages Author: Fabienne MEIERS, PhD-student in Medieval History under AFR-grant since 2013 Doctoral thesis: Riding on Behalf of the City - Interurban Communication and Mobility as Reflected by the Account Books of the City of Luxembourg (1388-1500) with Special Emphasis on Equestrian Traffic in the Late Middle Ages Doctoral supervisor: Prof. Dr. Michel PAULY Address: University of Luxembourg Research Unit: IPSE Campus Belval MSH, E02 45-120 11, Porte des Sciences L-4366 Belval LUXEMBOURG fabienne.meiers@uni.lu Since the thriving of European cities in the 11th century, there was an increasing demand for faster and more reliable exchange modalities comparable with those used in the Roman Empire: After the decline of the well-developed and regularly maintained Roman road network, spatial mobility and circulation of people, goods and services had become less effective, particularly given that vehicular traffic was slowed down by deteriorated roads. Consequently, because riding horses could be used on nearly any kind of terrain, equestrian traffic gained more importance in the medieval period, particularly in long-distance travels. Moreover, commuting between cities was much faster and more comfortable on horseback than on foot or in vehicles. For the sake of facilitating mobility and communication between cities, m o u n t e d messenger services were promoted and courier horses provided by the city authorities. In addition, travel horses and hacks (horses for hire) were placed at the disposal of envoys and urban citizens in case they did not have their own. All of these horses were specially trained – especially relating to their gaits – and functionally equipped to serve their purpose of conveying people in the best possible way.