What is "chevauchee"

n. (context historical English) A military raid by cavalry through enemy territory, designed to disrupt rural communities and weaken an opponent.

n. (alternative form of chevauchee English)

A chevauchée (, "promenade" or "horse charge", depending on context) was a raiding method of medieval warfare for weakening the enemy, primarily by burning and pillaging enemy territory in order to reduce the productivity of a region, as opposed to siege warfare or wars of conquest. The chevauchée could be used as a way of forcing an enemy to fight, or as a means of discrediting the enemy's government and detaching his subjects from their loyalty. This usually caused a massive flight of refugees to fortified towns and castles, which would be untouched by the chevauchée. The use of the chevauchée declined at the end of the 14th century as the focus of warfare turned to sieges.

In the Iberian peninsula, this type of raid was usually called a cabalgada (older spelling: cavalgada). The Ghazi razzia is also considered similar in purpose.