Medieval Armour

Question 1

what was ancient armour like & when did it change?

Answer 1

• scale or chainmail or no armour at all
• changes 4th and 5th centuries

Question 2

who owned armour in the Early Middle Ages?

Answer 2

• armour rare except for elites until 8th century
• some warriors supplied their own arms & armour (whatever they could get their hands on)
• professional warriors supplied equipment by employers

Question 3

what was medieval armour like?

Answer 3

• plate armour (13th c.)
• complete coats of plate generally used by 15th c. (took a long time to put on bc it’s heavy & shaped to the body)
• surcoat introduced in mid-12th c. & often decorated w/ symbols for I.D. (sewn on by women)

Question 4

what is chainmail (loricae)?

Answer 4

• a type of armour made by interlinking small metal rings to create a protective mesh
• allowed for greater manoeuvrability
• became the standard body armour 11th-14th centuries
• little survives & the manufacturing process probably varied
• decorated w/ patterns used to identify allies on the battlefield
• less protective than metal-strip armour but cheaper to produce

Question 5

what are examples of high medieval armour?

Answer 5

• hauberk
• padded garment (Aketon)
• haubergeon
• coifs, leggings
• mittens
• foot protection
• ventail
• surcoat (heraldry)
• gambesons or padded coats

Question 6

what is plate armour?

Answer 6

• coat of plates w/ horn, whalebone, metal
• appeared in late 13th c.
• added protection for the shoulders, knees, & elbows
• brigantine = coat of plates (breast & back plate worn by infantry & cavalry)
• plates act as reinforcement

Question 7

what is the process for smelting iron?

Answer 7

• created in a blast furnace
• a larger bloom is created and acts as the semi-finished product
• processes are quenching, tempering, & slack-quenching

Question 8

what are examples of helmets/shields?

Answer 8

Helmets:

• full face helm introduced in 13th c.
• bascinets: aventail, visor, gorget, kettle hats, crests, helmet padding

Shields:

• bosses
• pavise
• West. Roman Emp. used large traditional shields from 5th c. onwards (covered body from chin to knee)
• cavalrymen needed lighter & smaller shields
• infantrymen needed large full-body shields
• no longer necessary once plate armour was introduced

Question 9

what were the different kinds of mute signals?

Answer 9

• colour coded banners (one colour raised for one section of army to advance)
• generals could give direction by gesturing w/ a whip or clothing
• smoke signals
• flags
• drums

Question 10

who was Charles V Habsburg (1500-58)?

Answer 10

• Roman Emperor & celebrity patron of 16th c. arms industry
• Christianizing mission in the New World
• connoisseur of armour for ceremonial & functional use
• helmet designed to cover his overgrown jaw
• shield & helmet incl. Golden Fleece & Nemean lion (represents chivalric order of the Golden fleece & inpenetrability)
• curass incl. Virgin Mary (front) & Saint Barbara (back)

Question 11

who was Henry III of England?

Answer 11

• produced several rolls w/ info on crossbows
• royal workshops w/ 17+ master crossbow makers (number inc. over time)
• majority of crossbows came from private makers
• began a mixed productio scheme (13th c.)

Question 12

who was Edward I?

Answer 12

• produced several rolls w/ info on crossbows (w/ Henry III)
• inc. in bow production during the Second Welsh War (1282-84)
• his gov’t expanded number of royal workshops in operation
• est. new centres for crossbow production to support forces in Scotland
• exp. production in Wales (4th c.)