- 06 Oct 2023 13:46
#15289655
The story of armor in the mediveal ages is a very long and complicated one, and we constantly learn more about it.
Armor was used all over Europe, and the ways it was made differed all over Europe, and this happened all over mediveal times, so it was in a constant flux.
Each mediveal armor was handmade and therefore ultimately an unique piece. The better models especially of plate armor would also be carefully tailor made for the wearer. Only very few examples survived, and it was usually only the high quality ones, though some examples also surived in swamps etc. Thats why each time we find a weapon or an armor from these times, we might find more surpises. And it may have been just be a unique idea of one smith at one time, we can never be sure.
The original metal armor, from antique times, and originally made from bronze, was the chain armor. Also called (confusingly) mail. By the way never called chainmail, that word is a modern invention and really superflous, since mail by definition is always made from chain.
There are many more armor types of course. One of the most important ones was the Brigandine, which always existed alongside plate armor. The Brigandine was smaller pieces of steel rivetted together in such a way that there are no gaps. Here again there are many different types of Brigandines, some would have really big plates and would basically be plate armor, but all would overall be more comfortable to wear than plate armor, while offering less protection.
Brigandines would typically be worn by archers, who needed a less restrictive armor, but really everyone seem to have worn them, including nobles, in a trade of protection for comfort.
By the very way they've made, Brigandines, unless they contained large front pieces of metal like a plate armor, wouldnt protect very much against attacks with a lance.
But the core reason why plate armor was the developed when chain armor turned out to be too weak to protect against warbows anymore.
This was mainly because of England. By english law, every man had to train with the warbow regularily, and thus a lot of people with strong bowman muscles existed. This means specific muscle groups not usually used. You cen see them on modern people who train with these medieval warbows. They have very strong looking backs.
With draw weights of about 140 to 160 pound average, but up to 200 pounds for the strongest bows (and strongest bowmen), and carefully constructed corresponding arrows with tough shafts and hardened steel tips, these bows would shred through even thick double chain armor, and also through lesser quality plate armor.
The main event during which this was important was the hundred year war between England and France.
With the upcoming of plate armor, melee weapons had to be adapted to the conditions. Topheavy weapons such as warhammers, battle axes, poleaxes have been quite able to break bones even if you would be wearing plate armor. Heck simple wooden clubs could work pretty well against plate armor if you made them heavy and top heavy enough.
Swords still stayed in use, but if they have been adapted to work against plate armor, they would be much more sturdy, heavy, and less flexible, and would be halfsworded, one hand at the grip and one near the tip, basically turning them into a dagger with more impact power. Halfswording is actually what the oldest surviving dueling manual is about.
Daggers themselves also have been very effective against plate armor, if you would go hand to hand, i.e. really close, and could find a gap in the opponents armor. They also would be commonly used to cut the leather binds that hold the armor together, allowing to cut the unprotected body below it. This is why for example in italy, chain armor would still be worn below plate armor, to give at least some protection once the plate armor is breached. That also adds a lot to the weight to wear, though. Chain armor is both heavier than plate armor and is more uncomfortable to wear, because plate armor puts the majority of the weight on the hips, while chain armor by the way it works would put the weight on the shoulders.
In short, in melee the protection from plate armor is limited, at least if the opponent has adapted their weapons. But in melee the warrior inside the armor could react to the opponents actions. But arrows, crossbow bolts, and gun bullets however are much more unpredictable and cannot be defended against this way. Thats why you needed plate armor.
By the way many combattants would not wear full sets of armor plate, simply because they couldnt afford it, or because they would be archers and would be too restricted by plate armor, etc. In fact many peasants, when called into war, would wear a padded armor - armor made from nothing but many layers of linnen. This would still offer a certain amount of protection.
One big problem with plate armor was tournament armor, also known as full plate. This was especially protective armor only worn during tournaments. They would excessively restrict the movements of the wearer, and would be excessively heavy, to protect from any injury. Effectively tournament armor was sports equipment. This kind of armor would be completely useless on the battlefield because it would exhaust the wearer much more quickly and would make it impossible to fight effectively, due to the restrictions in movement. However many surviving pieces of armor are tournament armor and have given people very wrong ideas what plate armor was like.
What was actually worn in war is called field plate. Field plate is by necessity a compromise between protection and weight / restriction of movements. After all a knight would for example still have to be able to fight armorless peasants effectively. Field plate armor weights around about 20 to 30 kilogram.
Many higher quality ones would be tailor made. This is especially important for plate armor because, well, steel is kind of unforgiving. It can cut you pretty badly if it doesnt fit right. Thats why modern reenactors for example find it very helpful to wear a standard, a chain armor protection for the neck. Otherwise the plate armor might literally cut your throat.
There are MANY videos on Youtube about plate armor. Including for example videos of how people are getting into one. While some parts such as namely the legs can be done by oneself, other parts need help from a second person.
The two most important styles of plate armor are by the way the italian style, which spread all over europe and was asymmetrical, i.e. the left side would be heavier and better protected and more restricted than the right side, giving the wearer more options with the right side that would do the attacking, and the german style, which was symmetric and stayed more local.
There's class warfare, all right, but it's my class, the rich class, that's making war, and we're winning. - Warren Buffett