M m et . !Photograph by H auser

'

Madnd . Armour ofPhilip II. A R M OU R WEA PONS

BY W 10 C H A RLE SA FFO ULKE S

W ITH A PREFACE

BY

V S OUN T DILLON V P A I . . C , S.

CU RATOR O F T H E T OW ER AR M OU R I ES

OXFO R D AT TH E CLARENDO N PRESS NR Y FR OWDE M A HE , . . P B I S H TO TH E U N IV E R S I TY X D U L ER . OF O FOR N D N D IN B G H N E W Y K LO O , E UR , OR TORONTO A N D M E LB OURN E

651244 5 7 3 . z , PR E FA C E

WR ITE R S on Arms and Armour have approached the s ub je c t

s tu de nts th e ir from many points of View , but , as all know , works

s o size are generally large in , or , what is more essential , in price , th a t for many who do no t have access to large libraries it is

o . imp ssible to learn much that is required Then again , the papers of the Proceedings of the various Antiquarian and Archaeological

Societies are in all cases very scattered and , in some cases ,

unattainable , owing to their being out of print . Many writers on

the subj ect have confined themselves to documentary evidence , while others have only written about such examples as have been n e . spar d by time and rust These latter , it may be oted , are , in

e ffi ie s almost all cases , such as the brasses and g in our churches

quite exceptional , re presenting as they do the defences and

weapons of the richer classes . What the ordinary man wore , h o w h ow he wore it , and it was made are all questions worthy of

o f attention . The works our greatest romancers have so little

- regarded the development of armour , and even to day such

o o anachr nisms are seen in pictures and books , that th ugh many co mfortable and picturesque notions may be disturbed by the

actual truth , yet the actual truth will be found to be no less

A interesting than fiction . handy work , not excessive in size 6 PREFACE

o r o price , and giving really correct information , seems theref re

to be needed and sh o uld be popular . Such a work is this which

h as n Mr . ffoulkes undertaken , and if we recognize what an imme se amount of information has to be condensed within the limits of I a handbook , think we shall fully appreciate his endeavours to i give an appet te for larger feasts .

DILLON .

W R OF ND N AR M O R IE TO E LO O U s . CO NT E N T S

LIST OF AUTHOR ITI E S

INTR ODUCTION

CHAPTER I

THE AG E OF MAI L ( 1 066—1 277)

CHAPTER I I

THE TR ANS ITION PE R IOD ( 1 277— 1 41 0 )

CHAPTER III

THE WE AR ING OF ARMOUR A ND ITs CONSTR UCTIONAL DE TAI LS

CHAPTER IV

PLATE AR MOUR ( I 4I O— ABOUT I 6oo)

CH APTER V

HOR SE AR MOUR

CHAPTER VI

OF AR MOUR

CH APTER VII

INDEX

A U T H O R 'S N O T E

AT the request of many of those wh o attended my course of

lectures , delivered before the University of Oxford during the

1 0 Lent Term , 9 9 , I have collected and illustrated some of the more important notes dealing with the Development of European D A efensive rmour and Weapons . These pages are not a mere

o f reprint of those lectures , nor do they aspire to the dignity A a History of rmour . They are simply intended as a handbook for use in stridying history and a short guide to the somewhat intricate technicalities o f the Craft of the Armourer . w No ork , even of the smallest dimensions , can be produced at the present day without laying its author under a deep sense of indebtedness to Baron de Cosson for his numerous notes on

helms and helmets , and to Viscount Dillon for his minute and _ _ invaluable researches in every branch of this subj ect . To this must be added a personal indebtedness to the latter for much

assistance , and for the use of many of the illustrations given in this work and also in my course of lectures .

CHARLES FFOULKE S .

X F R D 1 0 . O O , 9 9 The following works should be consulted by those wh o wish t o study the subj ect of Armour and Weapons more minutely A Criti cal I nqui ry i nto A nci ent A rmour, Sir Samuel Meyrick ;

e at s on nci e nt A nci ent A our A Tr i e A A rmour . rm , F Grose ; ,

A s a nd A u rm rmo r . J . Hewitt ; , Lacombe (trans by Boutell) ; s n ou A rmour i n E n l n A rm a d A rm r . a d , Demmin (trans by Black) g ,

d Wa enkunde B oe h e im Guida del Starkie Gar ner ; fl , Wendelin ;

A matore di A rmi Anti che Di cti onnai re da M obili er , Gelli ;

ll -l - E l o F ra n a i s . Vio e t e nc c o edi a Costume p (vols ii and vi) , Duc y p f ,

A M a nual o M onu mental B rass es E n ra ved Planché ; f , Haines ; g

I llustrati ons o A nti ent A rm our M onu f , Meyrick and Skelton ; t m e ntal E i es The A r o War . . . fi g , Stothard ; f , C W C Oman ;

A rcha eolo i a The A rcha eolo i cal ournal The P roceedi n s o the g , g j , g f

S oci et o Anti ua ri es A i y f q the Catalogues of the rmour es of Vienna ,

o Madrid , Paris , Brussels , Turin , Dresden the Wallace C llection ,

London and Windsor Castle .

’ The author is indebted to the publishers of Wendelin B oe h e im s

Wa enkunde fl for the use of the illustrations 33 and 35, and to

’ o f M onumental B ra ss es Messrs . Parker , publishers Haines s , for the figures on Plate I I I . IN T R O D U C T IO N

AS a subj ect for careful study and exhaustive investigatio n perhaps no detail o f human existence can be examined with quite the same completeness as can the defensive armour and weapons o f . o o f Art past ages M st departments Literature , Science , and are still living realities each is still developing and is subj ect to evolution as occasion demands and for this reason our knowledge

o of these subj ects cann t be final , and our researches can only be

o o to s o . A . t br ught , speak , up date The Defensive rmour of

its fi o s o Europe , however , has de nite limitati ns surely set that

o o we can surr und our investigations with permanent b undaries ,

‘

u » . which , as far as human mind can j dge , will never be enlarged We can lo ok at o ur subj ect as a wh ole and can see its whole length

we and breadth spread out before us . In other aspects of life can only limit our studies fro m day to day as invention or discovery push farther their conquering march ; but , in dealing with the

of o u r o o armour ancestors , we kn w that alth ugh we may still

o o indulge in the ries as to ancient f rms and usages , we have very ‘ o definitely bef re us in the primitive beginnings , the gradual

o devel pment , the perfection , and the decadence or passing away , an absolutely unique pr o gression and evo lutio n which we can

find in no other condition of life . The survival o f the fittest held goo d of defensive armo ur until that very fitness was found t o be a so urce rather of weakness

of o of and than strength , owing to changed c nditions warfare ;

o f t o o then the mighty defences steel , impervious sw rd , lance ,

t o of and arrow , passed away , remain only as adj uncts Parade and

or o f Pageant , as examples in museums a lost art in warfare and

As to o military history . an aid the study of Hist ry our interest 1 2 INTRODUCTION in armour may be considered perhaps rather sentimental and

. o romantic than practical or useful But , if we consider the hist ry

o f Art we o u r the of War , shall find that subj ect will materially

o o f o assist us , when we remember that the gr wth nati ns and their

o f rtunes , at any rate till recent times , have depended to a large

o n extent the sword and the strength of the arm that wielded it . There is ano ther aspect of historical study which is o f so me

o wh o o n o f imp rtance , especially to those stand the outskirts

the subj ect . This aspect o ne may call the realistic View The

Yo on late Professors rk Powell and J . R . Green both insisted th e im ortanc e o f _ p this side of the subj ect ; and we cannot but feel that to be able to visualize the characters of history and to endow them with personal attributes and personal equipment must give additional interest to the printed page and other docu

S o mentary evidences . When the tudy f defensive armour has been carefully follo wed we shall find that the Black Prince appears to us no t merely as a name and a landmark on the long road of time ; we shall be able to picture him to ourselves as a living individual dre ssed in a distinctive fashion and li mi ted in his

o acti ns , to some extent , by that very dress and equipment . The

o f o f Of w l cut a surcoat , the hilt a sword , the lines a breastplate , i l

o tell us , with s me degree of accuracy , when a man lived and to

what nation he belonged ; and , at the same time , in the later

we o f years , shall find that the suit plate not only proclaims the

di o in viduality of the wearer , but als bears the signature and individuality Of the maker ; a combination of interests which f few works Of handicraft can o fer us . From the eleventh t o the end o f the fo urteenth century we have but a few scattered examples of actual defensive armour and

o f o arms ; and the authenticity of many these is pen to doubt .

o for o . The reas n this scarcity is twof ld Firstly , because the

o f t o material , in spite its strength , is liable destruction by rust

o o o f and c rrosion , especially when the arm ur is the interlinked

chain type which exposes a maximum surface to the atmosphere .

A o o o f no t sec nd reas n , equal if greater importance , is the fact INTRODUCTION I 3

n o f that, owing to the expe se manufacture and material , the vario us po rtions o f the knightly equipment were remade and

altered t o suit new fashions and requirements . . Perhaps still another reaso n may be found in the carelessness and lack of

wh o o antiquarian interest in our ancestors , , as so n as a particular

to o or style had ceased be in v gue , destroyed sold as useless lumber

t o - o obj ects which day w uld be of incalculable interest and value .

For o these reasons , theref re , we are dependent , for the earlier

o o f peri ds our subj ect , upon those illuminated manuscripts and sculptured monuments which preserve examples o f the acco utre

n . ments of the twelfth and thirtee th centuries Of these , as far as reliability of date is concerned , the incised monumental brasses

e ffi ie s and sculptured g in our churches are the best guides , because they were produced shortly after the death of the persons they

o t o r represent , and are therefore m re likely be cor ect in the details

o of dress and equipment and , in addition , they are often p rtraits of the deceased . ffi Illuminated manuscripts present more di culty . The minia

o f o ture painter the period was ften fantastic in his ideas , and was

o f certainly not an antiquary . Even the giants the Renaissance ,

s aw o Raphael , Mantegna , Titian , and the rest , nothing inc ngruous

of or in arming St . George in a suit Milanese plate , a Roman soldier of the first years of the Christian epoch in a fluted breast

o plate of Nuremberg make . Religi us and historical legends were in those days present and living realities and , to the unlearned , details of antiquarian interest would have been useless for ins tru c

o f or tive purposes , whereas the garbing mythical historical characters in the dress of th e ' pe riod made their lives and actions seem a part of the everyday life o f those wh o studied them .

we u se o ur This being the case , must j udgement in researches

for among illustrated manuscripts , and must be prepared ana

c hronis m s . o For example , we find that in the illustrated Fr issart ‘ ’ 1 o in the British Museum , known as the Philip de C mmines copy , the barrier o r tilt which separated the knights when j o usting

1 M s M r . u . ar . S . H l 4379 , B it 1 4 INTRODUCTION

o . is represented in the T urnament of St Inglevert . Now this tournament to ok place in the year 1 389 ; but M ons tre le t tells 1 A 1 2 o us that the tilt was first used at rras in 4 9 , that is , s me

l o f a r forty years after . This il ustrated edition Froissart w s p o

du c e d o f at the end the fifteenth century , when the tilt was in

we common use so must , in this and in other like cases , use the

o o f illustrati ns not as examples the periods which they record ,

o f but as delineations of the manners , customs , and dress the period at which they were pro duced . The different meth o ds o f arming were much the same all over Europe but in England fashions were ado pted only after they . for had been in vogue some years in France , Italy , and Germany .

We may pride ourselves , however , on the fact that our ancestors were not s o prone t o exaggeration in style or t o the over - ornate s o - called decoration which was in such favour on the Continent during the latter part Of the sixteenth and the first h alf o f the seventeenth centuries .

’ For a fuller study of this subj ect Sir Samuel M e yric k s great A A work on ncient rmour is useful , if the student bears in mind

o that the auth r was but a pioneer , and that many of his statements

o f have since been corrected in the light recent investigations , and also that the Meyrick collection which he s o frequently uses to illustrate his remarks is now dispersed through all the museums

o of Europe . Of all the authorities the m st trustworthy and most l minute and careful in both text and i lustrations is Hewitt , whose three volumes on Ancient Armour have been the groundwo rk of

Of all subsequent works in English . Some the more recent writers

’ are pro ne to u se Hewitt s infinite care and research without acknow ledging the fact but they have very seldom impro ved upo n his

to . methods or added his investigations For the later periods , which Hewitt has not covered s o fully as he has the earlier p ortio n

’ u Catalo ue s R ai sonnes of his s bj ect , the g of the various museums of England and Euro pe will assist the student mo re than any history that could possibly be compiled .

1 n 1 1 n o h 8 . ra . 0 vi . 333, t s J es , C H A PTE R I

TH E AGE OF MAIL ( 1 0 66— 1 277)

I Co W TH the Norman nquest we may be said , in England , to o l d o . o d enter upon the iron peri d of efensive arm ur The , semi

m e th o ds we re barbaric still in use , but were gradually superseded o f by the craft the smith and the metal worker . This use o f Ir on - ; for defensive purposes had been in vo gu e for some time off the

n find . n i r t . b tt l on Con ine t , for we the Mo k of St Gall writing e y _ the

Life o Charlem a n e . : subj ect in his_ f g He says Then could be

( “ sEe n or the Iron Charles , , _ with an iron helm his ir i breast h_ elmed - and his b road shoul ders defended by an iron breastplate,an iron

In unc on spear raised his left hand , his right always rested on his

e re d . q iron falchion The thighs , which with most men are

o uncovered that they may the m re easily ride on horseback , were

in . his case clad with plates of iron : I need make no special

for mention of his greaves , the greaves of all the army were of

- iron . His shield was of iron , his charger iron coloured and iron l hearted . The fields and open places were fi led with iron , a people

stronger than iron paid universal homage to the strength of iron . The horror of the dungeon seemed less than the bright gleam

o of the iron . Oh the iron , woe for the ir n , was the cry of

the citizens . The strong walls shook at the sight of iron , the ’ resolutio n of Old and young fell before the iron .

he f T di ficulty of obtaining and working metal , however , was such h e d . T that it was only use by the wealthy , and that sparingly more co mmon fashion of a rm ing was a quilted fabric - of either linen or

( cloth , a v ery serviceable protection , which was worn up to the end

. f r m o h . s the fifteent centu y ! other favourite material for defensive

‘ - f A o . o r purp ses was leather We read of the shield j ax being com ’ of Ox- posed seven tough hides , and the word cuirass itself 1 6 A E A P THE G OF M IL CHA . I

suggests a leather garment . Now , given either the leather or

u se the quilted fabric , it is but natural , with the discovery and

o of iron , that it should have been added in one form or an ther And to reinforce the less rigid material . it is this reinfo rcing

of by plates metal , side by side with the use of the interlaced

o chain arm ur , which step by step brings us to the magnificent

’ creations o f the armo urer s craft which distinguish the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries . Sir Samuel Meyrick 1 leads us into endless intricacies with his theories of th e various kinds Of defensive armour in use at the time of the Conquest ; but these theories must of necessity be

no based only upon personal opinion , and can in way be borne out by concrete examples . If we take the pictured representations of armo ur as our guide we find certain arrangements of lines which lead us to suppose that they indicate some peculiar arrangement of metal upon a fabric . The first and oldest of these varieties is generally called Scale or Imbricate armour . We find this

R n epresented on the Traj an Column , to give only one of the ma y examples o f its u se in very early times . That it was a very pliant n and serviceable defe ce we may j udge from the fact that , with some alteration in its applicatio n , it formed the distingu ishing feature of the Brigandine of the fifteenth century . The scales were sewn upon a leather or quilted garment , the upper row overlapping the lo wer in such a manner that the attachment is covered and

o pr tected from inj ury (Plate I , The scales were either formed

o f with the lower edge rounded , like the scales a fish , or were

- feather shaped or square . Another method o f reinforcing the leather defence has been

fi t o named the Tre lli c e coat . It is always dif cult discover exactly what the primitive draughtsman intended to represent

o f in the way fabrics , and it is quite open to question whether these diagonal lines may not merely suggest a quilting of linen o r

tre llic e clo th . If it is intended to represent leather the lines would probably b e formed of thongs applied on to the groundwork with

1 — Archa eolo i a . 1 28 0 . g , xix 3

P AGE OF A CHA . I THE M IL 1 9

metal studs riveted in the intervening spaces ( Plate I ) . This

o t h e arrangement of lines is very c mmon on Bayeux Tapestry .

' Another variety to be found in early illuminated “manuscripts goes by the name of Ringed armo ur . It is quite pro bable that and the circular discs may have been solid , but on the other h , i n from the practical point of view , a ring g ves equal protectio

o f l against a cutting blow, and is course much lighter . The il ustra tion of this form of defensive armo ur is o f rather earlier date than

our that at which we commence investigations , but it appears with

o f some frequency in manuscripts the twelfth century . Mr . J . G . o f A rcha eolo i a Waller , in his article on the Hauberk mail in g ,

o vol . lix , is of pinion that all these arrangements of line represent

- interlinked chain armour . If this is the case chain mail must have been much mo re common than we imagine . From the very nature of its co nstruction and the labour expended o n its intricate

o manufacture it would surely , at least in the earlier peri ds , have been only the defence o f the wealthy . When we examine the protective armour of primitive races we find quilted and studded

so o garments used , even at the present day , it seems far m re probable that our illustrations represent some similar forms o f defensive garments than that they are all inco mpetent renderings

o f - o of the fabric chain mail nly . That the making of chain - mail must have been laborious in the extreme we may j udge from the fact that the wire which formed the links had to be hammered o u t from the solid bar o r

- t . As no ingot far as can be gathered , the art of wire drawing was practised till the fourteenth century , at which time Rudolph of

- Nuremberg is credited with its disco very . The roughly hammered strips were probably twisted spirally ro und an iron or wo od core and then cut o ff into rings of equal size (Fig . The ends of the e rings were flattened and pierced , and , wh n interlaced , the pierced

is ends were riveted together or sometimes , as the case with ‘

Oriental mail , welded with heat . Links that are j umped that

o is with the ends of the ring merely butted t gether and not j oined , generally show either that the mail is an imitation , or that it was B 2 AG E A P 2 0 THE OF M IL CHA . I

used for so me ceremonial purpose ; for this insecure method of fixing would be useless in the stress and strain o f battle or active

service . The most usual method of interlinking the rings is for

to each ring j oin four others , as will be seen in the drawing on 8 h No . . No . o n t e as Plate I , 7 same plate shows the mail

more generally depicted in illuminations . When we consider the inexperience o f the scribes and illustrators o f the Middle Ages we must admit that this representation of a very intricate fabric is not only very ingenious but follo ws quite the best modern impressionist doctrines .

- Portions of chain mail survive in most armouries and museums ,

o but their provenance is generally unkn wn , and much that is of Oriental origin is passed off as

- European . Chain mail itself c o mes in the first

instance from the East , but when it was intro

du c e d f into Europe is di ficult , if not impossible ,

to state . It is certainly represented as worn

FI G . Pr r . obable by the Scythians and Parthians o n the Traj an ” 6111“ Of“ aking n . 9 F Column , and is probably of greater a tiquity still hnk s for m ai l . i i i From the beg nn ng of the th rteenth century , for about sixty or seventy years , we find a curious arrangement

o f of lines intended to represent a form defensive armour , both in illuminated manuscripts and also on carved monuments 1 2 (Plate I , , ll . o n t o o Mr Wa er , in the article the Hauberk referred ab ve ,

as gives it his opinion that this Banded Mail as it is called , was but a variety o f the ordinary interlinked mail but if we examine the illuminations of the period we shall find that it is shown side by side with the representatio n of what all authorities admit to

- o . 1 2 be chain mail . N on Plate I shows the arm and leg defences to be formed of this banded mail , while the head is protected with

di - the or nary chain mail . We have then to try and discover how these horizontal bands di viding each row of links in the mail can be shown in a practical form . Meyrick vaguely suggests a row of rings sewn edgeways on the bo dy garment and threaded with P AG E A CHA . I THE OF M IL 2 1

a leather thong ( Plate I , with the under fabric caught up between the ro ws of rings and formed into a piping thro ugh

which a cord was threaded . This theory has been quoted

Violle t —le - Di cti onnai re da M obili er F ra n a i s by Duc in his c , by

B oe he im Wa enk unde Dr . Wendelin in his fi , and by more recent writers ; but none o f these authorities seems to have taken the

o . o d tr uble to test its practicability The human b dy being rounde , the tendency o f these edge - sewn rings would be to gape and

o . thus give an opening for the weap n In addition to this , the

o f s o m ak e th e number rings used would weight of the defence ,

o o hanging as it did from the shoulders al ne , alm st insupportable . A third and perhaps the most conclusive of all the arguments against

’ M e yric k s theory is that we frequently find the inside of a banded

o mail c if shown with the same markings as the outside , which

aspect would be impossible if the rings were arranged as he suggests . From mo dels specially made for this wo rk we find that if leather

o n . was used at all it must be after the manner of No . 9 Plate I

o n s o Here the rings are covered with the leather both sides , that

no o f n o there is possibility their gapi g , and , in additi n , the leather being pressed against the rings , on the outside by wear and usage

o o o and on the inside from the pressure of the b dy , w uld sh w ring markings on fro nt and back which might be represented in the

manner sh o wn in the illustration . The drawback to this theory

no t o is nly the weight of such a defence , but also the heat from lack of ventilation . By far the most practical theory put forward 1 Walle r wh o is that of Mr . , gives an illustration of a piece of Oriental mail with leather thongs threaded through each alternate row of

to - rings . This gives a certain solidity the net like fabric and yet 1 1 does not add appreciably to its weight . No . on Plate I shows

r n we this arrangement d aw from a model , and when compare it

o f with the figures below , taking into c nsideration the di ficulty

o f representing such a fabric , we are forced to admit that this last

s o No . 1 2 theo ry is the mo st practical . This is especially in for the mail covering for the head is probably made in one piece

1 A rcha eolo i a g , lix . I 2 2 THE AG E OF MAIL CHAP.

with that of the arms and legs , but the leather thongs have been omitted on the head and hands to give greater ease of movement . Before leaving the subj ect of fabrics it may be well to warn those wh o consult Meyrick that this author is rather prone to f enunciate theories of the di ferent forms of mail which , like that of the banded mail , do not work well in practice . He mentions ,

m . among many other varieties , what he calls Mascled ail He asserts that this was formed of lozenge - shaped plates cut out in th was e centre and applied to linen or leather . He says that it

a l . s o called from its likeness to the meshes of a net (Lat . m cu a) ’ Now when we consider that the word mail itself comes to u s l ’ from the Latin macula through the French mai le , and the

’ ’ Italian magli a we find that M e yri ck s Mascled mail is but a tautological expression which can best be applied to the net-like fabric of the interlinked chain defence , and so his Mascled mail would more correctly be styled a Mascled coat and this coat would probably be formed of the chain variety as resembling the meshes of a net more closely than any other fabric .

- Double mail is sometimes to be met with on carved monuments , and this would be constructed in the same manner as the single mail but two links would be used together in every case where one is used in the single mail . Having briefly described the varieties of fabric and material

u se which were in at the time of the Conquest for defensive armour , we may pass to the forms in which those materials were made up .

- at - The first garment put on by the man arms was the Tunic , which was a short linen shirt reaching usually to j ust above the knee it is often shown in miniatures of the period beneath the edge of the coat of mail . At one period the tunic appears to have been worn inc on v e nie ntl y long , if we are to j udge from the seals of Richard I , in

- w s which it is shown reaching to the feet . This long under garment a

r quite given up by the beginning of the thirteenth centu y , and those representations of J o an of Arc which show a long under-tunic falli ng a from bene th the breastplate are based upon no reliable authority . P AGE A CHA . I THE OF M IL 2 3

was Next to the tunic worn the Gambeson , called also the A Wambais and keton , a quilted garment , either used as the sole

- defence by the foot soldier , or , by the knight , worn under the

‘ hauberk to prevent the chain -mail from bruising the body

. under the impact of a blow The gambeson is shown on Fig . 9 , appearing beneath the edge of the hauberk j ust above the

knee . a The H uberk , which was worn over the gambeson , was the

chief body defence . It is true that we read of a plastron de fer which seems to have been a solid metal plate worn over the breast and sometimes at the back but it was invariably put on either

under the hauberk itself or over the hauberk , but always beneath the

Jupon or surcoat , which at this period was the outermost garment

worn . In either case it was not exposed to View , so it is impossible to tell with any degree of accuracy what was its shape or how it was 1 fixed to the wearer . Hewitt gives two illustrations of carved a wooden figures in Bamberg C thedral , which Show a plastron de

fer worn over the j upon , which seems to be studded with metal .

The figures were executed about the year 1 370 . The form of the

as t hauberk , shown on the Bayeux Tapestry , was of the shir order ll (Plate I , 4, It was usua y slit to the waist , front and back ,

for convenience on horseback , and the skirts reached to the knee ,

thus protecting the upper leg . It is perhaps needless to point out that the extreme weight of mail with its thick padded under

garment made the use of a horse a necessity , for the weight was

all borne upon the shoulders , and was not , as is the case with

d . suits of plate , istributed over the limbs and body of the wearer Th e Sleeves of the hauberk were sometimes short ; sometimes

they were long and ended in fingerless mittens of mail . The three

varieties of sleeve are shown on Plate I , while the mittens turned back to leave the hand bare appear on the S e tv a ns brass (Plate

II I , de fe n Wace , the chronicler , seems to suggest different forms of

. sive habiliments , for we find mention of a short form of the 1 8 Anci ent Armour . 1 . , ii 3 AG E A P 2 4 THE OF M IL CHA . I

R oma n de R ou hauberk , called the Haubergeon . In his he writes o f Duke Willi am at the Battle of Senlac

1 Sun boen haubert fist demander , while of Bishop Odo he says

Un haubergeon av e it v e s tu s or De une chemise blanche . The fact that he mentions the tunic chemise blanche seems to

wa s imply that it seen beneath the hem of the haubergeon , which

- would not be the case with the long skirted hauberk . Occasionally in illuminated manuscripts the hauberk is shown slit at the sides ;

i f o but for what purpose it is d ficult to imagine , for it w uld impede the wearer when walking and would make riding an impossibility .

o f The defences the leg , made of mail like the hauberk , seem

at to have been used , first , only by the nobles , if the Bayeux i Tapestry is taken as a guide . The common sold ers wore linen or

s wathin s leather g , sometimes studded with metal , but in appear ance closely resembling the modern puttee . The upper portion o f o the leg was protected at a later period with Chauss ns , while the defences from knee to foot were called Chausses . Wace mentions

ch au c e s wa s de fer but we must remember , as noticed in the introduction , that Wace wrote some seventy years after the

o C nquest , and probably described the accoutrements worn at his wn o . as time The Bayeux Tapestry is nearer the period , as far we can date it with any correctness , but here we are hampered to o s me extent by the crude methods o f the embroideress . The

o chaussons are not often sh wn in illuminations , for the long skirted hauberk covers the leg to the knee ; but the chausses

o appear in all pict rial and sculptured records of the period , made

o r u r i t ri o o n e e . either of mail of p p , that is fabric studded with metal To wards the end of the thirteenth century the chaussons and chausses were made in one stocking-like form covering the foot ; this

8 1 2 . o f is shown on Plate I , , In the first these illustrations only the front of the leg is covered , and the chausses are laced at the back .

1 R oma n de R n I 1 o . 2 e t se . , 3 54 q

2 6 THE AG E OF MAIL CHAP . I

‘ m im - meeting at the apex . S o e t e s a Nasal or nose guard was

- added (Plate I , 4, That this nasal must have been broad enough to conceal the face to a great extent we may j udge from the story how the Norman soldiers believed their leader

h o w to be killed , and William , raising his helm , rode along the

rom the fi of u o . 2 . . From a fi re in the FIG F e f gy H g FIG 3. gu Ca thedral K r a z u o nc . h r at on anc h r n h c Fit E d , i kste d , Li s , t i C st e , t i tee t entury . te e nth c entury .

’ lines crying I am here , and by God s help I shall conquer

The Bayeux Tapestry illustrates this incident . On some of the ’ Conqueror s seals we find the helmet tied on with laces . Ear

flaps were sometimes added , as may be seen on the chessmen

no w found in the Isle of Lewis , in the British Museum .

M us R r . D . . o MS . 20 . . . rom th r a . . . FIG 4 F e G e t Seal of FIG 5 B it y i ,

Al an r of c o lan h r n h h r n h c n ur . ex de II S t d , t i tee t t i tee t e t y c entury . During the twelfth century the helmet gradually became the

- . fl a s helm The ear p were fixed , becoming an integral part of the defence , and closed round to j oin the nasal , this arrangement forming at length the ventail or visor . This gives us what is known as the Barrel helm (Fig . in which the whole head is enclosed and the only opening in the front is the o cula riu m or vision

e we di slit . N xt have the same kind of helm with the ad tion of holes for breathing in the lo wer portion (Fig . In some varieties P CHA . I THE AG E OF MAIL 2 7

the back of the helm is shorter than the front , as on Fig . 4, and in

this kind also we sometimes find breathing holes added . The Great Seals of the kings are a most useful guide in discovering the

e accoutrements of each p riod , and especially so for the helms and

helmets , which are easier to distinguish than the more minute

details of dress and equipment . It will be understood that in ‘ time the fl at -to pped helm was given up in favour of the Sugar

. loaf helm (Fig as it is generally called , when we consider the A importance of a glancing surface in armour . lthough thick

r mo ness of mate ial was of some importance in defensive ar ur , this providing of surfaces from which a weapon would slip was considered

- to be of supreme importance by the armour smiths of later periods .

‘ in ne arl In the conical helm , as indeed y all great helms , the vision and breathing apertures were pierced in the plates of the helm

was itself and were not part of a movable visor , as the case in

the helmet . The weight of these helms must have been great for they do not seem to have been bolted on to the shoulders , as were

the fifteenth and sixteenth century tilting helms , but to have

. . 8 rested upon the crown of the head The drawing on Plate I , No , shows a padded cap which was worn under the mail to protect w . 1 e s e e the head from pressure On No . 2 of the same plate the helm being put on over the mail coif the padded cap is worn under the mail . For tournaments the helm was sometimes made ‘ c Uirb ou illi of toughened leather , which was called from the fact that it was prepared by being boiled in oil and then moulded t o

w s was shape . This material a very strong and serviceable and

o used , as we shall see later on , for reinforcing the chain arm ur and

also for horse armour . It was generally decorated with gilding 1 2 8 we and painting . For the tournament held at Windsor in 7

As find mention of xxxviii galee de cor we have shown , these great helms were not attached to the body armour and were thus

liable to be struck offin battle . In order to recover them a chain was sometimes stapled to the helm and fastened to the waist or

some portion of the body armour (Fig .

1 r ha eolo i a . A c g , xvii 2 8 THE AG E OF MAIL CHAP . I

The usual form of helmet in the twelfth century is the cup shaped headpiece of which the Cervelliere is a typical example

w s o (Fig . It a either w rn as the sole defence or was used in

- - conj unctio n with the helm a s an under cap . The wide rimmed hat of iro n is found - all through the period of defensive armour with w 8 which e deal . It appears in the thirteenth century (Fig . ) and is also to be found in the fifteenth . There is an example of one

- E i s enhut of these war hats ( ) in the museum at Nuremberg .

8 A M dd S . 1 1 . 6 D a F rom the . . . . rom IG . . FIG . et il f 7 F FIG

ra o fSir R o r m onum n to ohan 6 . 20 h r n h the b ss ge de e t J 39 , f 5 , t i tee t ’

Tru m in ton Tru m in le B otile r . r c n ur . p g , p g , St B ide s , e t y

1 2 m or an h r 1 00 . t on am . 0 . a , C b , 9 Gl g s i e , 3

- The Shield at the time of the Conquest was kite shaped . It was long eno ugh to cover the body and legs of the warrior when mounted , but it must have been a most inconvenient adj unct to

’

As . his accoutrements . we have seen in the Monk of St Gall s

wa s o f records , the shield sometimes made iron ; but the more usual material was wood covered with leather o r the tough cuir bouilli . Its broad flat surface was from the earliest times used by the painter to display his art , which at first was not systema tiz e d o , but c nsisted of geometrical patterns and strange birds and . As beasts that had no special meaning . time went on each knight retained the device which was borne upon his shield and came to be

o rec gnized by it , and from this sprung the complicated science of P AG E A CHA . I THE OF M IL 2 9

to Heraldry , which has survived , with all its intricate detail , the present day . The surface of the shield was often bowed s o that it f embraced the body o the wearer . That some must have been flat we may suppose from the fact that the soldiers in the Bayeux Tapestry are represented a s using them for trays to carry cups ’

Prandiu m . and plates at the In St Lucy s Chapel , at Christ w Church Cathedral in Oxford , in the indow depicting the

. Of t o two martyrdom of St Thomas Canterbury , are be seen

. . rom the R omance o Ale der Enarm e s . xan . 1 0 . . FIG 9 F f FIG A, A 1 B o . d . 0 our n h c n ur . B u f 5 , Lib . , f tee t e t y . G ige .

o Tw of varieties of dec rated shields . o the knights bear shields painted with geometrical designs , while Fitz Urse carries a shield

’ o n r which are three bears heads e ased , a punning cognizance

o fr m the name of the wearer . The date of the window is about

t o the end of the thirteenth century . The shield was attached the wearer by a thong passing round the neck , called the Guige .

When not in use it was slung by this tho ng on the back . When in use the arm and hand passed thro ugh the short lo ops called

E narm s o n e (Fig . The Royal blazon first appears the shield in the reign of Richard I . Occasionally we find circular shields depicted in illuminations ; but they were generally used by the foot

i As o o f a sold ers . the devel pment defensive rmour proceeds we shall find that the shield becomes smaller , and in time is discarded , the body defences being made suffi cient pro tectio n in themselves . C H A PTE R II

TH E TRANSITION PERIOD ( 1 277— 1 41 0 )

IT will be readily understood that the change from mail

o f to plate armour was not brought about at nce . Di ficulty of manufacture , expense , and conservatism in idea , all retarded the

o o inn vati n . Some progressive knight might adopt a new fashion

u se which did not come into general till many years after , in

o o f the same manner that , from f rce circumstances , or from

Old o Ut - of— a clinging to methods , we find an date detail of armour

in u x o f . M ol e like the coif mail , shown on the brass of Sir W , appear 1 8 ing in 54 , or the sleeved hauberk in the Dresden Museum which was worn without plate defences for the arms by Herzog August

A on o at the Battle of Muhlberg in 1 546. cting the meth d adopted

o in the preceding chapter , we may first c nsider the materials used

Of o a during the beginning the Transiti n Period , and afterw rds we shall show how tho se materials were made up .

o During the f urteenth century iron , leather , whalebone , and quilted fabrics were all employed for defensive purp o ses . The illustration from the R omance of Alexander ( Fig . 9) shows the gambeson still worn under the mail , and the legs are covered in o ne instance with a metal- studded or pourpointe d defence

to o a second figure wears what appears be scale arm ur , while the

o third has no detail sh wn upon the legs , which may be an oversight

o n or o o . the part of the artist , may suggest that plain h se were w rn Iron was used for the mail and scale armo ur and was also emplo yed in making a pliable defence called Splinted armour , which at a later

o peri d became the Brigandine (Plate II ) . There are several of these brigandines to be found in the A rmouries of England and Europe , but the maj ority of them date

o As ab ut the middle of the fifteenth century . will be seen in the PLATE II

(Outside ) (Inside )

’

r an n in the M u é d Artille rie Par . B ig di e s e , is

A P 34 THE TR NSITION PERIOD CHA . II regu latio ns of Louis XI of France ordering these coats of defence 1 o f o 6 to be made fr m 30 to 3 folds of linen .

o r Leather , either in its natural state boiled and beaten till it

to could be moulded and then allowed dry hard , was frequently

o for used at this peri d all kinds of defensive armour .

’ In Chaucer s Rime of Sir Th 0 pas from which we have quoted

’ o f u irb oill before , occur the words , His j ambeux were q y . The

. u irb oill c u irb ull j ambeaux were coverings for the legs This q y , y , or c uirb o u illi , when finished was an exceedingly hard substance , and was o , on account of its lightness as c mpared to metal , much used

' for tournament armour and for the Barding or defence for the horse .

o f o In the Roll Purchases for the Winds r Park Tournament , held

1 2 8 o f l in 7 , mention is made cuirasses supplied by Mi o the Currier , 2 who also furnished helms of the same material . In the Inventory 1 8 A of Sir Simon Burley , beheaded in 33 , we find under rmure de

’ guerre Un palet (a headpiece) de q u ie rb oylle . There is

i o a l ght leather helmet of the mori n type , dated sixteenth

Z . century , in the eughaus at Berlin Banded mail still appears in drawings or on monuments up to the end o f the fourteenth century .

now We may turn to the making up of these varied materials ,

o and will endeav ur , step by step , to trace the gradual evolution of the full suit of plate from the fir st additions of plate defence find l to mail till we that the mail practica ly disappears , or is only worn in small portions where plate cannot be Used .

Setting aside the plastron de fer , which , as has been noticed , is

arm orir seldom shown in representations of , we find the first

- addi tional defence was the Poleyne or knee cop . We must suppose that there was good reason for thus reinforcing the mail defence

t o on this part of the body . Probably this was due the fact that the shield became shorter at this period , and also because the po sition of the wearer when mounted exposed the knee , a very

- o f i . delicate piece of anatomy , to the attacks the foot sold er (Fig Pole ynes are mentioned in a wardrobe acco unt o fEdward I in

1 — 2 A rchaeolo i a . h rn. 1x 1 A rc . ou 6. ! , . 95 3 g , xvii P A O D CHA . II THE TR NSITI N PERIO 35

o f c u irb ouilli 1 0 0 . 3 They were frequently made , and this material is probably intended in the illustration (Plate II I , as elaborately

o f deco rated metal is rarely met with at this period . At the end the thirteenth century appear those curio us appendages known as

2 o ole ne s Ailettes . On Plate III , , the figure is sh wn wearing the p y

and also the ailettes . For practical purposes they are represented o n recumbent figures as worn at the back , but in pictorial illustra

tions they are invariably shown on the outside of the shoulder .

Nat Par ancelot . 1 2 . . , 6. . MS . 1 m R o . , G . 1 1 ro G FI . F y G vi FI Bib is L

our n h c n ur . du La c , 8 our n h c n ur . f tee t e t y f . 3 7, f tee t e t y

for Some writers consider that they were solely used ornament , presumably because they are generally shown decorated with

l A , heraldic b azons . gainst this , however we may place the fact

o f that they are depicted in representations battles , and in Queen

’ Vii ) Mary s psalter ( 2 . B . in the British Museum the combatants ( Tarts chen) wear plain ailettes . The German name for the ailettes

- suggests also that they were intended for shoulder guards . Four

t o . t e e nth - century Inventories abound with references ailettes In

the Roll o fPurchases for Windsor Park Tournament are mentioned

thirty- eight pair of ailettes to be fastened with silk laces supplied G av e ston by one Richard Paternoster . In the Piers Inventory 0 2 36 THE TRANSITI ON PERIOD CHAP . II

’

e t . before quoted are : Les alettes garnis frettez de perles These ,

o f for . course , would be only ceremonial use The illustration

1 1 o f o o we ( Fig . ) shows different forms ailette , and ccasi nally find

- A . . o . . . . 2 . the l zenge shaped , and once (Brit Mus Roy MS xxii , fol

T a a h m nt 2 1 9) they assume a crucifo rm shape . he j tt c e of the ailettes with the laces referred to in the Windsor Park Invento ry

hroni ues de Charlemai ne 1 2 . C is shown on Fig . In the q , preserved e in the Biblioth que Royale at Brussels , the ailettes appear to be

of laced t o the side o f the helmet . This occurs in so many the miniatures that it must be taken as a co rrect presentment of this detail in arming . It may be , however , that , as this manuscript

1 60 o of was produced in the year 4 , it recorded a later meth d using

er s e o f the ailette which , p , disappears about the middle the four

t e e nth o . century , as far as m numental records exist The next additio n of plate t o the equipment of mail seems to have been on the legs . The only monumental brass that gives this A o Northwo de . S fashi n of arming is the brass at Minster , Sheppey

o the legs are of later date than the rest of the brass , alth ugh most

o t o to probably c rrect in design , it may be better trust a monument

G u lie lmu s 1 28 which is intact , as is the statue of Berardi , 9 , which A is carved in the Cloister of the nnunziata Convent , Florence

( Fig . Here we find the front of the leg entirely protected by

for plates which may be intended metal , but which , from their

c u irb ou illi ornate decoration , seem rather to suggest . These

or B ainb e r s j ambeaux , , as they are sometimes called , g or Beinbergs , o f o leather have been bef re referred to as mentioned by Chaucer .

t o we o n Returning monumental brasses again , find the

Gorleston brass ( Plate II I , 3) that the plate additions are still l more increased . Besides the po e yne s and the ailettes there are

on traces of plate j ambs the legs , and the arms are protected by

o plates and circular discs on sh ulder and elbow . A 1 2 f O . o fter 3 5 ailettes are rarely met with . On N 4 Plate I I I these details seem to be advanced in some points , and are Shown

o f with the methods attaching them t o the wearer . The Rerebrace

o f is strapped over the mail , and the disc at the bend the Coude

P 38 THE TRANSITION PERIOD CHA . II o r elbow- piece is held in place by Aiguillettes or laces— called at

- o A o . ole ne s a later peri d rming p ints The p y overlap the j ambs , and s o o o f cover the j uncti n the two pieces , and the latter are held to the leg with straps . The Solerets are among the earliest examples

o f of a defence of laminated plates , that is , strips of metal riveted upon leather in o rder to give more ease of movement than

o would be possible with a solid plate . The Vambrace is w rn under the sleeve of the hauberk , and not , as in the preceding example ,

Tri Nat . Par stan F 1 G ulie lm u rar . 1 . . IG . . s 3 Be di FIG 4 Bib , is ,

n 1 a nd I se ult our n h c n ur . or c 28 . Fl e e , 9 , f tee t e t y

o o ver the mail . This figure is especially interesting because it sh ws A the different garments worn with the armour of this perio d . bove

of the knees appears the tunic ; over this comes the hauberk mail , in this instance banded mail ; o ver the hauberk are sh o wn the o Upper Pourpoint , a quilted garment , and , above this , the surc at , f o r . , as this variety is called , the Cyclas The di ference between the surcoat proper and the cyclas is that the former is o f even

o o length all round , while the latter is sh rter in fr nt than behind

t o (see also Fig . The co if of mail has now given place the

o e not t o Camail , which d s cover the head , but is attached the

not o t o o . helmet , and is j ined the hauberk , but hangs ver the cyclas A CHAP . II THE TR NSITION PERIOD 39

In the next example (Plate III , 5) we find the mail still worn on and On - the legs arms , but the latter the vambrace and the coude plate seem to be hinged in the manner ado pted during the perio d o f full armour . The upper part of the leg is protected by studded

o u r ointe rie as p p , which was frequently employed being of more convenience on horseback . These thigh defences were called the

. o Cuisses The Bascinet is shown and also the sh rt surcoat or Jupon .

of 6 The brass an unknown knight (Plate I II , ) is typical of ‘ ’ o t o what has c me be known as the Camail period . The arm and leg-pieces co mpletely enclose the limb and are fastened

o with hinges and straps as in the later peri ds . The gauntlets

o o r - sh w the Gadlings , knuckle knobs , which are a marked feature o f o this period , and the whole suit is richly dec rated with engraved

o borders . Some writers divide the Transiti n Period of armour

’ ’ ‘ ’ n . i to Surcoat Cyclas , Jupon , and Tabard This , however , seems unnecessary if we are considering only the development of

no t . defensive armour , and the whole question of costume The camail is s o marked a detail of the knightly equipment that it may reaso nably be used to describe the fashion in armour from about

1 60 to 1 0 . 3 4 5 In this example the figure is clad in complete plate , though the hauberk is worn beneath , as may be seen at the lower

’ edge o f the j upon and also in the v i/ de l ha rnoi s or portion of

o the body at the armpit , which was unprotected by plate . In s me

o instances this vital sp t was protected by a circular , oval , crescent

or shaped , square plate attached by laces , which modern writers

o o call the R ndel , but which Viscount Dillon , in a m st interesting 1 t o or . article , proves have been the Moton Besague (Fig The effigy of the Black Prince at Canterbury is a goo d example o f o o f t o o h the arm ur this period , but it is interesting n te t at , while

o the m numental brasses frequently give such details as straps ,

ffi no . &c . buckles , , this e gy shows constructional detail whatever We find that in Spain there were minute regulations drawn up as to the manner in which a deceased warrio r might be represented o n o his t mb . The details of sheathed or unsheathed sword , helm ,

1 — A rch ourn . 1 2 . . ! lxiv 5 3 0 A 4 THE TR NSITION PERIOD CHAP . II

l l n &c . a to spurs , , had some sig ificant reference his life and achieve

‘ 1 al o t o ments . It; is most superflu us point out that th o se details ’ t o or which referred the knight s captivity , the fact that he had

o been vanquished , were more h noured in the breach than in the

observance . The armo ur of this period was often richly decorated with

o n engraving , as may be seen the brass to an unknown knight

1 fi FIG? 6. K nightly gu re in Ash

hur h K u r n h ntu c n o c r . C , e t , f tee t e y

1 . a o fSir T. . 1 . r . . Na t . Par FIG 5 B ss de S FIG 7 Bib is , T - n n ar ham Yor 1 20 . ile i u ve 1 0 . Q e ti , H p , ks , 4 L , 35

a . o o n at L ughton , Lincs , and als the monument to Sir Hugh

. o Calverley at Bunbury , Cheshire Of the j up n , King René , in his

Li ore des Tournoi s 1 0 w o , about the year 45 , rites that it ught to

s o be Without fold on the body , like that of a herald , that the

di o cognizance , or heral c blazon , could be better rec gnized . The j upon of the Black Prince , preserved at Canterbury and admirably

M num nta etus ta o e V . figured in , vol vii , is embroidered with the A Royal rms , and is quilted with cotton padding . So general is the use of the j upon at this period that it is a matter of some conj ecture

1 Carde re ra I c ono ra a , g fi .

A P 42 THE TR NSITION PERIOD CHA . II

C ’ 1 1 6 we : h e au m m e s d a cie r of Louis Hutin , made in 3 , find ii , item ’ v autres dans li uns est dorez . This seems to suggest that the gilded helm was of some other material than steel , possibly leather .

It is rare to come across constructional detail in illuminations , but

1 the illustration (Fig . 2 ) from a French manuscript of about the ’ year 1 350 shows a method of attaching the helm to the wearer s h body . In t e preceding chapter we noticed the chain used for this purpose on the Trumpington brass .

o r n h - . 20 u h m . 1 . c n ur 2 . Nat r . Pa FIG F tee t e t y el , FIG Bib . , is ,

Z u hau — r n. Tite i ve 1 0 e g s , Be li L , 35 .

The most popular o f the light helmets at this period was

o n the Bascinet . It appears nearly every monumental brass that depicts a military figure , and is an essential part of that style of equipment known as the camail The later form of bascinet has a mo vable visor which is known among armour collectors as

- s the pig faced ba cinet (Plate V) . Sometimes the hinge is at f i No . 2 o s the top , and sometimes , as in this plate the visor pivoted at the sides . Froissart calls the visor carnet and Visiere In ‘ : b ac ne tte s the Bohun Inventory , before referred to , are given ii y , i ’ lun covert de q u r lautre bourni . This shows that while some helmets were of polished metal , others were covered with leather , and indeed silk and velvet as fancy di ctated . Frequent reference s to these covers for helmets occur in Inventories and Wills . The helmet and o ther portions of the suit of plate armour were soure V3 PLATE IV

3 t !P hotograph by H auser O M ene

M a r . J ousting armour o f Charles V . d id

P II A D CHA . THE TR NSITION PERIO 45

D e times tinned to prevent rust , as is shown in one of the ov r Castle in ’ 1 61 b as ne tz t e z . Inventories of 3 xiii y Sometimes , in the i case of Royalty or pr nces of rank , the bascinet was encircled with A a fillet or crown of gold and gems . mong the payments of Etienne 1 2 1 1 0 de Fontaine , in 35 , are mentioned crowns for quarente grosses perles pour garnir le c ou rroye du basinet de Monsieur le ’ - Dauphin . The Orle , or wreath worn turban wise round the

as o n . 2 2 bascinet , is sometimes shown , Fig , of a decorative nature . It is supposed by some writers to have been devised to take the

o pressure of the great helm fr m the head , for

was the helm often worn , as in the preceding

o century , ver a lighter headpiece . From the

usual position of the orle , however , and from the fact that it is invariably shown highly

decorated and j ewelled , this explanation can

hardly hold good , for a padding worn as shown in the illustration would not be o f much

o f service in keeping off the pressure the helm ,

o The Or l Fm , 2 2 , l and of course the j ewelled decoration w u d be e , A rom t he m onum n o f destroyed at once . nother theory is that the f e t

Si H Stafi ord B rom s ’ r ' orle was made by wrapping the Lambrequin ’ r o K e nt 0 g ve ’ ' ” 5 or Mantling— which hung from the back of the helmet and which is still used in heraldic drawings— much in the

same manner as the modern puggaree is worn in India . In this illustration appears also the gorget of plate that was worn over

the throat and chin with the bascinet . The shields of the fourteenth century present an infinite variety

in shape and decoration . The heraldic blazoning has by this time

o been systematized int somewhat of a science , which in Germany

was especially carried to extravagant extremes . The long kite

shaped shield is to be found in records of the period , but the more

o n common forms were the short pointed shield as shown Plate I II ,

o and that which was r unded at the lower edge . Frequently the

’ - shield is represented as bouché , or notched , at the top right hand

corner , to enable the wearer to point his lance through this opening 6 A P 4 THE TR NSITION PERIOD CHA . II

without exposing his arm or body to attack . In the Inventory of

le R o e t u n Louis Hutin are mentioned iii ecus pains des armes y ,

w wa s o f acier which sho s that the shield sometimes made steel ,

though usually it was fashioned of wood and faced with leather , or

Ve e iu s ir u illi . c . b o . . c u 1 8 . of In a transcript of g (Brit Mus Roy MS .

t o sh e lde twi s A . xii) the young knight is advised have a of gge su m e wh a t rounde The shield of the Black Prince at Canterbury

is pointed at the lower edge , and is made of wood faced with

o u t - leather , on which are set the Royal arms in gesso duro or plaster

relief . C H A PTE R I I I

THE WEARING OF ARMOUR AND ITS CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS

FOR o f l BE E proceeding to examine the suit Full P ate , with all its interesting details and differences as exemplified in the various armouries of England and Europe , it will be well to make clear the main principles which governed the manufacture of such armour . We should remember that the whole histo ry o f our subj ect is one long struggle of defensive equipment against offen

' b rou ht o t sive weapons . This is g u clearly at the present day in

- the Navy, where the contest between gun and armour plating is the dominant factor in naval construction . As the weapons of the dl A Mid e ges became more serviceable , the armour was increased in weight . The Longbow and the Crossbow marked distinct periods in the development of defensive armour for s o important a factor di d these weapons become , especially the latter , that they were used for testing the temper of the metal , large or small weapons being w used as occasion demanded . Those writers h o are prone t o generaliz e upon such subj ects tell us that the invention of gun

of powder sounded the knell defensive armour , but this is by no

1 82 means accurate , for guns were used in sieges as early as 3 , and , as we shall find farther on in this chapter , the armour of the late sixteenth century was proved by pistol shot . The result of the improvement of firearms was that for many years armour

was became heavier and thicker till the musket perfected , and

- o then it . was found that even highly tempered steel w uld not resist the impact of a bullet . It is a safe assertion to make that a full suit of plate armour at its finest period— the fifteenth century— is the most perfect . work of craftsmanship that exists . 2 FIG . 3.

A A P III 50 THE WE RING OF RMOUR CHA .

for cutting or thrusting weapons . The Coude (Fig , 2 5) shows this same glancing surface used to protect the elbow , and , again , the fan shaped plate on the outside of the knee effects the same result 1 (see Frontispiece) . The great j ousting helms are so constructed that the lance - point should glance off them when the wearer is in

o the proper j ousting position , that is , bent f rward at such an angle that the eyes come on a level with the o culariu m or vision slit

(Plate V , These helms are also made of plates varying in thickness as the part may be more exposed to attack . The Great

s Helm in the possession of Captain Lind ay of Sutton Courtenay ,

A - i near bingdon , has a skull plate nearly a quarter of an inch th ck , for , in the bending position adopted by the wearer , this portion of

- the helm would be most exposed to the lance . The back plate is less than half that thickness . This helm is one of the heaviest in A w 2 . 1 . e existence , for it weighs 5 lb 4 oz gain , may notice the overlapping Lames or strips of steel that are so frequently used for Pauldron , Rerebrace , Vambrace , Soleret , and Gauntlet ; all present the same surface to the Opposing weapon , and , except in

s the case of the Taces , where the overlapping from nece sity of form d must be in an inverse irection , the chance of a weapon penetrating A the j oints is reduced to a minimum (Fig . portion of the

r pauld on which is designed for this glancing defence , and for this

l di - on y , is the upstan ng Neck or Shoulder guard which is so generally

- described as the Passe guard . It is curious , with the very definite information to hand (supplied by Viscount Dillon in the A rchaeo lo i cal ournal g j , vol . xlvi , p . that even the most recent writers fall into the same mistake about the name of this defence . Space will not admit of quoting more fully Viscount Dillon ’ s interesting paper ; but two facts cited by him prove conclusively that the

1 ‘ ’ The rm c ou and e nouilli e re a and uc h -l or o f te s de g p lette , s ike w ds r nc h or n are o n to om o c on in an n h or h n l o -c o F e igi , pe s e bje ti E glis w k w e e b w p ‘ ’ n - u Th are on k ee c op or poleyne and rondel c an be su bstit ted . ey ly m at the r n da and e ployed here bec au se of their general use in arm ouries p ese t y , be c au se the English words are o f rar er oc currenc e and are less likely t o be m e t ’ h ho n u and c u ar ho r wit by t se begi ning the stu dy of arm our . C isse iss d , weve , are al a u for the hi h- c and no an c z rm oun in w ys sed t g pie es , gli i ed te is f d ’ c o n m orar ws te p y wr itings unless it be Quysshe . PLATE V 2 A A P 5 THE WE RING OF RMOUR CHA . III

- passe guard is quite another portion of the armour . In the Tower

o f 1 6 A - a - e Inventory 97 appears the entry , One rmour cap p

Engraven with a Ragged Staffe , made for ye Earle of Leisester ,

’ M ainfe re Pass u ard Maine u ard G n l a t e tt . a , g and g and Now it is hardly reasonable to suppose that this ridge on the pauldr on should be specially mentioned as the Passe -guard without any notice A of the pauldron itself . In the dditional Notes to the above

’

article Viscount Dillon gives , from a List of Payments made in

o 2 0 1 1 c nnexion with j ousts held on October , 5 9 , 9 yards of Cheshire i ’ ’ o d . as u r c tton at 7 for l ning the king s p g a d . That the neck

guard to which we refer should need lining on the inside , where

it did not even touch the helmet , we may dismiss at once and

As that the lining should be on the outside is of course absurd . far as can be gathered from recent research the passe - guard is

wa s a reinforcing piece for the right elbow , used for j ousting . It lined to protect the o rdinary arm defence underneath frombeing

scratched , and also to lessen the shock to the wearer if it were

to struck . It is be hoped , from this reiteration of Viscount

’ a Dillon s researches , that at any rate one of the m ny errors of

nomenclature in armour may be corrected . l With regard to the thickness of plate armour , we shou d remem

ber that it was forged from the solid ingot , and was not rolled in sheets as is the material of to - day from which s o many forgeries

m an t i' are ufac u e d . The armourer was therefore able to graduate

the thickness of his material , increasing it where it was most

w . needed , and lessening it in those parts which ere less exposed

A rchaeolo i a With regard to the proving of armour an article in g , l vol . li , also by Viscount Dil on , is of great interest as showing the

indifferent skill o f the English ironsmiths of the sixteenth century . In 1 590 a discussion arose as to the quality of the English iron found in Shropshire as compared to the Hungere iron which A came from Innsbruck . fter some delay Sir Henry Lee , Master A of the Tower rmouries , arranged a test , and two breastplates

e . were prepared , of qual make and weight Two pistol charges o f i equal power were fired at the test breastplates , w th the result PLATE VI

7 t !P hotograph by Vi scoun Dillon.

m ror M a m an. Engraved su it of armour given to Henry VIII by the E pe xi ili T r owe .

P A CHA . III THE WE RING OF ARMOUR 55

that the foreign armour was only slightly dented , while the English

plate was pierced completely , and the beam on which it rested A e . was torn by the bull t bascinet in the Tower , which belonged to Henry VII I , bears two indented marks , signifying that it was

’ proof against the large crossbow . In the Musée d Artille rie in

Paris , a suit made for Louis XIV bears proof marks which are

fl oriate d treated as the centres for designs (Plate VII I) . No excuse need be offered for thus borrowing from papers by Viscount Dillon

A rchaeolo i a A rchaeolo i cal ournal and other writers in g and the g j , for these publications are not always at hand to those interested

in the subj ect of armour and equipments . They are , however , indi spensable for careful study ; for they contain reports of the most recent discoveries and investigations of the subj ect , and are written , for the most part , by men whose expert knowledge is at once extensive and precise . Another detail of importance in connexion with the protective

in ri power of armour occurs in the great j ousting helms , which v a

a ably present smooth surface on the left side , even when there

may be some opening , for ventilation or other purposes , on the i right . The reason for th s was that the j ouster always passed

’ left arm to left arm with the lance pointed across the horse s neck . It was therefore important that there should be no proj ection or Opening on the left side of the helm in which the lance -point could possibly be caught .

U s We next turn our attention to Convenience in e . Under this head the armourer had to consider that the human body makes certain movements of the limbs for walking and riding , or

s o fighting with arm and hand . He had to construct the different portions of the suit that they should allow of all these movements without hindrance and at the same time he ha d to endeavour to protect the body and limbs while the movements were taking

o o - place . The arrangements for piv ting elb w and knee j oints need scarcely be detailed ; for it will be seen by a glance at any suit of plate armour how the cuisse and j amb are pivoted on to the

e nouilliére g , and move with the leg to a straight or bent position 6 A A P 5 THE WE RING OF RMOUR CHA . III . without allowing these plates to escape from under the ge nouil i r l e e . The coude is sometimes pivoted in the same manner , but more often it is rigid and of such circumference that the arm can bend within it and yet be very adequately protected . In the overlapping lames or strips of metal which give ease of move

o ment to the upper arm , the hands , the waist , and the fo t , we find that much careful work and calculation was needed to ensure comfort to the wearer . On the foot , the toepiece and four or more arches of metal overlap upwards on to a broader arch , while above hi o n t s three or more arches verlap dow wards , thus allowing the

- toe j oint and ankle to be bent at the same time (Fig . In a suit in the Tower , made for Prince Henry , son of James I , all the arches of the soleret overlap downwards . This points to a certain decadence in the craftsmanship of the armourer of the period , though the excuse might be offered for him that the suit was intended only for use on horseback . There are generally one ,

e nou illiere two , or more of these movable lames j oining the g to . e nou illiere the j amb , and above this the cuisse to the g to give greater flexibility to the knee fastenings . The separate arm and

- leg pieces are , when made in two halves to encircle the limb , k hinged on the outside and closed with strap and buc le , or with locking hook or bolt on the inside . This , of course , is to ensure greater protection to these fastenings , especially on horseback .

Higher up again we get the tuilles or taces , which , from the fact that to adapt themselves to the human form they must narrow at the waist and spread out below , overlap upwards . From l the taces are hung the tassets , with strap and buck e , which give increased protection to the upper leg , and yet are not in any way rigid . When the tassets are made of more than one plate they are attached to each other by a most ingenious arrangement of straps and sliding rivets . On the inner edge of each plate the rivets are attached to a strap on the under

ri of side ; but the outer edge , requi ng more compression the

fir lames together , is furnished with rivets fixed mly in the upper

o m st plate and working loose in a slot in the back plate , thus

A A P 58 THE WE RING OF RMOUR CHA . III

allowing an expansion or contraction of half an inch or more to each fi lame . It is somewhat dif cult to explain this ingenious arrangement

2 i s e t ; in words , but Fig . 7 w ll Show how the straps and rivets are When the tassets were discarded abo ut the end of the sixteenth

century the cuisses were laminated in this way from waist to knee . l The gauntlet is genera ly found with a stiff cuff , and from wrist to knuckles the plates in narrow arches overlap towards the

f . arm , where they j oin a wider plate which underlaps the cu f The knuckle - plate is usually ridged with a rope - shaped crest or with bosses imitating the knuckles . The fingers are protected by

n . ac . ro Side . B k F t

. 26 l ho of u n n r o r . . 2 M FIG . S e et FIG 7. et d si g slidi g ivets .

six small plates , from four on the fourth finger to on the second

finger (in some examples there are more or less) , which overlap

fi r- n e . from knuckle to g tip The thumb is covered in like manner ,

- but has a lozenge shaped plate to connect it to the cuff . This metal hand- covering wa s sewn on to a leather glove or attached

to it with leather loops (Fig . The vambrace is generally rigid , either a solid tube or hinged on the outside and fastened on the

inside by straps or hooks . It is held to the lower edge of the coude

by a rivet . The lower portion of the rerebrace is also tubular , while

the upper portion , where it j oins the pauldron , is often laminated ,

with the plates overlapping , downwards as a rule , though there

are instances of these plates overlapping upwards . They are j oined in the same way as the laminated tassets by a riveted strap i on the inner side , and by sliding rivets at the back , thus giv ng the arm freedom of movement forwards ' in the direction most

needed , but less freedom towards the back . P . A CHA III THE WE RING OF ARMOUR 59 These sliding rivets working in slots have come to be called

A Alm ain ri v e t lmain rivets from the fact that the j , a light half u , t suit of armour was p together to a great extent by this method . l These suits wil be referred to later in the chapter . The Pauldron is hung on the shoulder by a strap from the

o r is gorget the breastplate , or it pierced with a hole which fits

over a pin fixed in one of these portions of the armour . In most suits of plate of the fifteenth and early Sixteenth century that portion of the pauldron which covers the breastplate is larger on

‘ Turn n - 2 . oc n FIG . 9 i g l k pi s

FIG 28 . . n FIG . au 0 . or G tlet . 3 G get .

the left side than on the right . The reason for this is that the position of the lance when held in rest that is couched for the charge , necessitates a certain curtailment of the front plate of

r the pauld on , and , at the same time , the left arm being held rigid at the bridle , and being exposed to the attacking weapon , requires more protection than does the right , which , when using the lance , was guarded by the Vamplate or metal disc fixed to the lance above the Grip . Breast and back-pieces are held together on the shoulders and sides by straps , but the lames of the taces , and in some cases the breast and back themselves , are fastened with turning pins which play an important part in holding the suit together (Fig . 60 A A P THE WE RING OF RMOUR CHA . III

0 The Gorget (Fig . 3 ) is made in two halves , each composed of

o a single plate or , s metimes , of two or three horizontal lames . The two portions are united by a loose -working rivet on the left

Side and are j oined by a turning pin on the right . The gorget was worn either over or under the breast and backplates .

Perhaps the most ingeniously contrived suit in existence , which completely protects the wearer and at the same time follows the anatomical construction of the human body , is that made for Henry VII I for fighting on foot in the lists . It is num A bered xxviii in the rmoury of the Tower . There are no parts

o of the b dy or limbs left uncovered by plate , and every separate portion fits closely to its neighbour with sliding rivets and turning pins to give the necessary play for the limbs . It is composed of

235 pieces and weighs 93 lb . the The wearing of bascinet , salade , burgonet , and like helmets d needs no detailed description . In the prece ing chapter we noticed the method of attaching the camail to the bascinet . When the great helm was made a fixture in the fifteenth century , as distinct

it ' was from the loose or chained helms of preceding periods , either bolted to the breast and back , as on Plate VI I , or it was fastened by an adj ustable plate which shut over a locking pin , as shown

on Plate V , 5, and a somewhat similar arrangement at the back , or a strap and buckle , held it firmly in place , while if extra rigidity was needed it was supplied by straps from the shoulders to the

o lugs sh wn in the drawing of the Brocas Helm on Plate V . The

A or rmet , close helmet , fits the shape of the head to such an extent t t b that it mus be Opened to be pu on . This is arranged by ingeing i the side plates to the centre , and , when fixed , fastening them w th a screw at the back to which a circular disc is added as a protection e to this fastening (Fig . The armet shown on Plat V opens in

o the fr nt and when closed is fastened with a Spring hook . The B different parts of the armet are the Ventail , A , and Vue , , which

B e av or D together make the Visor the Skull , C and the ,

(Plate V , Having now arrived at some understanding of the construction P A A CHA . III THE WE RING OF RMOUR 61

t o of the suit of armour we will pass on the wearing of the suit . A man could not wear his o rdinary clothes under his armour the

' friction of the metal was too great . In spite of the excellence of workmanship of the armourer any thin substance was bound to be

s o torn , a strong fabric was chosen which is called in contempo rary records Fustian . Whether it at all resembled the modern fabric di f of that name it is ficult to determine , but certainly the wearing powers of this material or of corduroy would be admirably adapted for the purpose . Chaucer writes in the Pr ologue t o the Canterbu ry Tales , line 75

Of fus tyan he wered a gepoun A b s m ote ru d h r u lle y with his ab u ge o n.

This would refer to the rust - stains that penetrated through the ’ interstices of the mail . In Hall s

Chroni cles 2 (p . 5 4) is mentioned a levy of tr0 0 ps ordered for the

1 wars in France in 543, for which it was enj oined : Item every man to hav an a rm yng doublet of ffustye an or canvas and als o a capp to put his scull or sallet in Fro . L Arm 3 et . These last were coverings for the

we 2 . helmets which have noted on page 4 The helmets had linings , either riveted to the metal or worn separately as a cap . The tilting helm was provided with a thick padded cap with straps to keep it in its place . Some of these caps exist in the Museum at Vienna .

Li vre des Tournoi s King René , in his , advises a pourpoint or

o padded undergarment to be put on under the body arm ur , stuffed to the thickness of three fingers o n the shoulders for

’ there the blows fall heaviest . It seems that in Brabant and the

o Low C untries the blows fell heavier , or that the combatants were

for less hardy , for he advises them a thickness of four fingers , filled A 1 with cotton . Viscount Dillon mentions in his rmour Notes the fact that a stuffer of B ac yne tts accompanied Henry V to

1 h urn. A rc . o . ! , lx A OF A P 62 THE WE RING RMOUR CHA . III

Agincourt . He also quotes a letter from James Croft to Cecil on

1 1 July , 559 , which states that a man cannot keep his corselet and pay for the wear and tear of his clothes due to the rubbing of the

8d . body armour , under . per day ‘ A nim adve rs i ons : Sir J ohn Smith , in his writes No man

should wear any cut doublets , as well in respect that the wearing

of armour doth quickly fret them out , and also by reason that the corners and edges of the lames and j oints of the armour do take such hold upon such cu tte s as they do hinder the quick and sudden

’ arming of men . An interesting description of the arming of a man , entitled , ‘ H owe a m a nne schall b e a rmed at hys e s e when he s chall fighte ’ on foote Li fe 0 S i r ohn A s tle , is preserved in the / j y (a manuscript 1 in the possession of Lord Hastings) . The knight is first dressed in

a doublet of fustian , lined with satin , which is cut with holes for

ventilation . This satin was to keep the roughness of the fustian

’ from the wearer s body for he wore no shirt under it . The doublet was Vu de rs provided with gussets of mail , or y , attached under the

armpit and at the bend of the elbow by Arming Points or laces . These mail gussets were to protect the parts not covered by the ‘ ’ plate armour . The Portrait of an Italian Nobleman by Moroni , in the National Gallery , Shows the figure dressed in this arming A doublet . pair of thick worsted hose were worn , and shoes of stout leather . It must be noticed here that the soleret , or sabaton

as it is sometimes called , covered only the top of the foot , and had

u nd r t r e s aps which kept it to the sole of the shoe . First the saba

e nou illiere tons were put on , then the j ambs , g and cuisses , then the

skirt or breech of mail round the waist . This is sometimes known

as the Brayette . Then the breast and backplates were buckled

- on with the accompanying taces , tassets , and Garde rein or plates

. A to protect the loins fter this the arm defences , and , if worn

over the breastpiece , the gorget ; and , finally , the helmet

completed the equipment . The sword was buckled on the left side

and the dagger on the right .

1 A rcha eolo i v ol a h . r v ol . l r A c ou n. . . g , vii ; j , iv A OF A CHAP . III THE WE RING RMOUR 63

The armour fo r j ousts and tourneys was much heavier than the

Hosting or War harness . From the fact , which has been previously

m o noticed , that the co batants passed each ther on the left , this side of the armour was reinforced to such a degree that in time it presented a totally different appearance from the right side (s e e

Plate VII) . The weight of j ousting armour was so great that it was impossible for the wearer to mount without assistance . De

Plu v ine l his M anei e R o al , in g y gives an imaginary con versation between himself and the King (Lo uis XIV) as follows T K he ing . It seems to me that such a man would have di f ficulty in getting on his horse , and being on to help ’ himself .

De P lu vinel. i f It would be very d ficult , but with this arming the matter has been provided for . In this manner at triumphs and tourneys there ought to be at the two ends of the lists a small scaffold , the height of a stirrup , on which two or three

s a persons can stand, that is to y , the knight , an armourer to arm him , and one other to help him . The knight being armed and the horse brought close to the stand , he easily

’ mounts him . Reference has been made to the fact that modern writers call

o the sliding rivet the Almain rivet . Whenever menti ned in

- A Inventories and such like documents , the lmain rivet stands for

A rt o Warre a suit of light armour . Garrard , in his f dis tinc tl y says , The fore part of a corselet and a head peece and ’ A tasses is the alm ayne rivet . mong the purchases made on the Continent by Henry VI I I in 1 51 2 may be noted Almain rivets , each consisting of a salet , a gorget , a breastplate , a back

. plate , and a pair of splints (short taces) In the Inventory o f A the goods of Dame gnes Huntingdon , executed at Tyburn 1 2 s e x for murdering her husband in 5 3, we find score pare of harness of Alman rivets The pare of course , refers to the

o A A A breast and backplates . The w rd lman , lmaine , or lmain , shows that the invention of this light armour and the A A P 64 THE WE RING OF RMOUR CHA . III sliding rivets which were used in its construction came from

Germany .

That the wearing of armour caused grave inconvenience to some ,

o we while to thers it seems to have been no hindrance at all , may

1 26 gather from the following historical incidents . In 5 King

M oh a c z was Louis of Hungary , fleeing from the Battle of , drowned while crossing the Danube because of the weight of his armour .

On we the other hand find that Robert de Vere , Earl of Oxford , when forced to fly at the Battle of Radcot Bridge , escaped easily

u by swimming the river to safety in full armour . We sho ld remem ber that the weight of plate armour was less felt than that of mail ,

o because the former was distributed ver the whole body and limbs , while the latter hung from the shoulders and waist alone . King

Henry V , in courting Queen Katharine , says If I could win a lady at leapfrog , or by vaulting into my saddle with my armour

’ t o was on my back , which seems imply that this feat at any rate

B althasin a possibility . Oliver de la Marche describes Galliot de in 1 446 as leaping clear o u t of his saddle Armé de toute We

’ may safely consign Sir Walter Scott s description of -the feasting knights to the realms of poetic licence , for he writes

They carved at the meal with gloves of steel And drank the red wine through their helmets barred .

’ Now if there were two portio ns of the knight s equipment

off l which would be put at the first Opportunity , and which cou d

l . be assumed the most rapid y , they were the helmet and gauntlets

To drink through a visored helmet is a practical impossibility .

B e av or The word , which is generally derived from the Italian bevere , to drink , has been considered by Baron de Cosson , with far ba vi ere more probability , to be derived from the Old French

’ ba o o e . (originally a child s bib , fr m , saliva)

The cleaning of armour is frequently alluded to in Inventories . In the Dover Castle Inventory of 1 344 is mentioned i b arrelle pro a rm a tu ri s rOllandi s Chain - mail was rolled in barrels with sand

a s and vinegar to Clean it , j ust , inversely , barrels are cleaned in

66 A A P THE WE RING OF RMOUR CHA . III

A . Dillon , Curator of the Tower rmouries Space will not admit of more n o tice o f this unique volume . Its author seems to have worked almost entirely for the nobles of the court of Queen Eliza beth only two of the designs were made for foreigners . Of the

Mis sa lia s Ne rolis famous armourers of Italy , the g , g , and Campi ;

S e u s e nh ofe r and of the great Colman family , and Wolf , the master

we craftsmen of Germany , can do no more than mention the names .

Experts in armour , like Baron de

B o eh e im Cosson and Herr , have in the various archaeological j ournals of England and Germany brought to light many interesting facts about these

armourers , but the confines of this handbook do not admit of detailed

ne c e s quotation , nor , indeed , is it sary to study these details till the primary interest in defensive armour

has been aroused . When this has been achieved the student will certainly leave no records unexamined in follow ing to its farthest extremes this most

2 Arc r ar n ac . FIG . 3 . he we i g j k 1 fascinating study . rom the au c h am Pa an F Be p ge ts ,

r It is almost superfluous to discuss fifteenth c entu y .

the third of our axioms , namely , that All which concerns the confessi o n of material . armour of the best periods does this to the full . It is only under the blighting influence of the Renaissance that we find metal s o worked that it resembles woven fabrics , or , worse still , the human fo rm and features . The limited Space at our disposal precludes us from investigating the various Coats of Fence , or body protections

. of quilted fabrics with metal , horn , and other materials added Mention has been made in the chapter on the Transitio n o f the

Brigandine , which formed a very serviceable defence without being

1 urn. e Wa enschmi edk unst De o on A rch . o , B oe he im M ei ster d r , , fi ; C ss !

v . ol . xlviii A A CHAP . III THE WE RING OF RMOUR 67

so unwieldy as the suit of plate . There are several of these brigandi nes in English and European armouries . These defences

1 8 lb . of o f weigh as much as , and are made many small pieces

An o . o . 2 metal example in the Tower c ntains Fig 3 , fr m M the S . . Beauchamp Pageants (Cotton , Julius E iv) , shows an 1 arc her of the year 485 wearing the j ack over a shirt of mail .

was f The Jack used by the rank and file , and was stu fed and wadded or composed of plates of metal o r horn laced together with

between layers of leather or linen .

1 h o A rc urn . . ! . , lx C H A PTE R IV

PLATE A RMOUR (1 41 0 — about 1 60 0 )

IT is so very rare t o be able t o fix the date of a suit of armour

ou r at a particular year that we are forced , in dividing periods of

defensive . armour with any degree of minuteness , to have recourse to the records existing in monumental e ffi gi e s . The earliest brasses which show the whole suit of plate without camail or j upon are

’ one o f d Ere sb those of the y family at Spilsby , Lincolnshire , and

W l te o : c o s . 1 1 0 . of Sir John y at Great Tew , Ox n , both dated 4 In these brasses we find that the camail has become the Standard o f f o r o o . Mail , c llarette , worn under the gorget plate The hauberk

de a u t is seen beneath the taces and , in the former brass , in the /

’ de la cu i ra s s e n o f , or unprotected part at the j unctio arm and

body . In the Great Tew brass this part is protected by oval

plates which , as we have noticed in a preceding chapter , are

called m otons or b e s agu e s . Hewitt does not seem to have come across these terms in the course of his very minute investiga

G ou c h e ts . tions , but calls them Croissants or He quotes a

’ I 60 passage from Mathieu de Cou cy s H i s tory of Charles V I (p . 5 )

au - du au i s on which runs dessous bras at v f de harnois , par ’ h ’ e t d u n ou c e t . faute manque y avoir croissant ou g Haines ,

M onu me ntal B ra ss es in his , mentions the moton , but assigns

this name to a piece of plate rarely met with , shaped to fit

under the right armpit only . With the disappearance of the

j upon we s e e the body defence exp osed to view . The breast

o in o s e e plate is gl bular form , and bel w the waist we the taces

o or laminated strips of plate verlapping each other , which at

As we this early period were attached t o a leather lining .

o n o o o f A have seen in the chapter the C nstructi n rmour , at P Iv A A CHA . PL TE RMOUR 69

' a la t e r period these taces were held together by sliding rivets ,

. o which allowed a certain amount of vertical play Plate arm ur , a during the earlier ye rs of the fifteenth century , was naturally

o in a s mewhat experimental state , and we find frequent examples o f old o o o the forms and fashi ns in c ntemporary representati ns .

A 1 0 bout the year 44 appears a distinct style , called Gothic which , of all types of defensive armour , is perhaps the most ‘ ’ graceful . This term , Gothic , is as inappropriate , in the rela

o s o ti n which it bore , to armour as to architecture ; but its use is

for general that we must perforce adopt it want of a better . Th e salient p oints of Gothic armour are the sweeping lines embossed on its surfaces (Plate VII I) . The cuirass is generally made in two pieces , an upper and a lower , which allows more

o freedom for the body . Fr m the taces are hung Tassets , ending

o in a p oint towards the l wer edge . The later fo rm of Gothic in A breastplate is longer , and the taces fewer number . rmour

s o o was frequently remade to suit later fashions , or , fr m lack of

o o f antiquarian interest , so ften destroyed , that there is little

o o this Gothic arm ur existing in England , except th se suits which have been acquired from the Continent by private collectors o r A m . c o public museums lmost all of them are incomplete , or , if

le t e — o — at p , have been restored particularly the leg arm ur a recent t o date . Perhaps the finest example of this style is be found on f ’ the Beauchamp e figy in St . Mary s Church , Warwick . Space will not allow of a full account of the documents connected with

e xe c iIte d the making of this magnificent figure , which was by

A - La mb e s rin Will . ustin , a bronze founder , and Bartholomew p g , ll 1 . A a goldsmith , in 454, fifteen years after the death of the Earl

’ these interesting details are given very fully in Blore s M onu m ental

s R e mai n . To students of the constructional side of armour this /

monument is particularly valuable because all the fastenings ,

on rivets , and straps are conscientiously portrayed , not only the

o o . fr nt , but als at the back Charles Stothard , the antiquary , when

o f o on M onu me ntal E i i es making drawings the figure for his w rk fl g , turned it o ver and discovered this example of the care and technical 0 A A P Iv 7 PL TE RMOUR CHA .

o f . ability the makers The breastplate is short , and consequently the taces are more numerous than when the breastplate is longer .

. They consist of five lames From the taces hang four tassets ,

two two bluntly pointed in front , and much Shorter , and more

- sharply pointed , over the hip bones . The taces are hinged at the

o o ff side for c nvenience in putting on and . The coudes are large

o f b u tte rfl - and the y wing type , and the sollerets are of normal length . In many of the Gothic suits these sollerets , following the custom in civil dress , were extravagantly long and pointed . This fo rm is called a la poulaine while the shorter kind are known as demi—poulaine Some writers are apt to confuse this term poulaine with poleyne the knee - COp used in the earlier days of the Transition

Period ; it is needless to point out that they are quite distinct . Baron de Cosson has put forward a most interesting theory in f connexion with this e figy . He finds a close resemblance between the armour here portrayed and that shown in the picture of

o A St . Ge rge , by Mantegna , in the ccademia at Venice . The Earl

i s of Warwick , who is represented on this monument , known to

o t o have been at Milan in his y uth , and have taken part in tourna ments at Verona so it is m o re than probable that he ordered his

o o f o armour from the Milanese arm urers , wh m the famous Mis

wh o o saglia family were the chief craftsmen , and made s me fine suits o f this Go thic style .

t o The. next distinctive style be noticed is called the Maxi milian It can hardly be said that this new design was evolved

o o o f from the G thic , th ugh necessity there must be a certain similarity between them , at least in constructional detail . It

we o f is more likely , when consider the individuality the young

’ o B ur k m air s Wei ss Maximilian , especially as rec rded in Hans g k uni g, and his interest in every art , craft , and trade , that it wa s o t o o a fashi n made , so to speak , rder . The Maximilian

o 1 1 Peri d of armour may be said t o last fro m about 50 0 to 540 . It is distinguished by the radiating fluted channels that spread

i o o b re a s t ie c e c los e l fr m a central p int in the p , y resembling the PL V ATE III 7/

AR M OUR or ( I ) Ar c h u mon o fT ro 1 0 2 ou X IV of r n y l , 4 , ( ) a c 1 680 . d ke Sigis d 7 L is F e ,

A P Iv 74 PLATE RMOUR CHA . suit are generally o f unequal size that for the right arm being smaller , to admit of the couching of the lance under the armpit

(Fig . The tassets are made in two or more pieces , connected with the strap and sliding rivet described in the preceding chapter . The fl u ting on the Maximilian armour is not without practical pur ‘ ’ o fo r p se , , besides presenting the glancing surface , which has been before referred to , it gives increased strength and rigidity without A much extra weight . modern example of this is to be found in the n corrugated iron used for roofi g , which will stand far greater pressure than will the same thickness of metal used flat . It is at this period of the history of defensive armour that we first find traces of that decadence which later on permeated every

o art and craft with its pernicious p ison . It is to be found in the imitating of fabrics and also of the human face in metal . There exist suits of plate in many museums , both in England and on the

u ffi n s Continent , in which the p g and slashings of the civilian attire are closely copied in embossed metal , entirely destroying the important glancing surfaces on which we have laid such stress . It is alleged that this fashionin civilian dress was intended to suggest ,

o f by the cutting the material to Show an undergarment beneath , that the wearer was a fighting man wh o had seen rough service . If this be the case it is the more reprehensible that metal should be treated in a similar manner for hard usage would dent , but

A o f o ne o f it would not tear . porti n o these debased suits is drawn on Fig . 42 . It must not be supposed that all armour at this period was

fluted . There was still a good deal which had a plain surface , and this plain armour continued to be used after the Maximilian armour had been given up . It may have been that the evil genius of the Renaissance pointed t o the plain surfaces as ex c e lle nt fields for the skill of the decorator , a field which the strongly- marked fl u tings of the Maximilian armour could not

o . At o was o o ffer first this dec ration c nfined to engraved b rders ,

s o or , if the design covered the whole suit , it was lightly engraved that the smooth surface was in no way impaired , though perhaps A A CHAP . IV PL TE RMOUR 75

o of t e s me of the dignified simplicity h plain metal was lost . An instance o f this proper applicatio n o f ornament to armour is

S e u s e nh ofe r to be found in the suit in the Tower (Plate VI) ,

o made t the order of the Emperor Maximilian for Henry VI II .

It is one of the finest suits of this period in existence . The orna

o ment is lightly engraved all over it , and includes representati ns

. . o f of the legends of St George and St Barbara . Instead taces and tassets the lo wer part of the body and the thighs are protected by steel Bases made in folds t o imitate the skirts worn in civilian dress . It will be remembered that in the preceding chapter a con versation between S e u s e nh ofe r and the young Maximilian was quoted , and when we study this suit carefully we feel that the

o - young king did wisely in the ch ice of his master armourer .

’ The craftsman s P o incon or mark is t o be fo und at the back of the helmet . If space but permitted we might devote many pages t o the work of the great armour- smiths as exemplified in the armouries of

an f t o d . Madrid Vienna It is di ficult , at this period of history , generalize at all satisfactorily . Each suit is , in many ways , distinct

s from its neighbour , j ust a the character and personality of the

’ t o e us e nh ofe r di . S wearers ffered The young Maximilian s words ,

‘ ’ Arm own me according to my taste , is true of every suit that we

for examine , it is evident that each man had his own favourite

o o fashi n or , fr m physical necessity , was provided with some special

An o f o variation from the usual form . instance this may be n ted

B are nd ne in the y helm at Haseley Church , near Thame , in which an extra plate has been added at the lo wer edge of the helm t o

of o f suit the length neck the last wearer .

As of the experience the armourer increased , and as the science

o of war developed , the armed man trusted m re to the fixed defences o f his person than t o the more primitive protection o f the mo vable

- e n shield . In the tilt yard and also in war the mounted man

o de a v ou re d to present his left side t o his adversary . On c nsidera

o o for for ti n the reas n this will be plain , the right arm was required t o o be free and , as far as possible , unhampered by heavy arm ur , but 6 A A P Iv 7 PL TE RMOUR CHA .

o the left arm , held at rest at the bridle , c uld be covered with as

o heavy defences as the wearer might choose . This f rm of unequal n arming is well show on the Frontispiece . The left shoulder wears

- a large pauldron with a high neck guard , and the elbow wears the passe - guard which we have noticed in detail in the preceding

. fo r chapter The leg armour in this suit should be noticed , it is extremely fine and graceful in line , and yet proclaims its material . The suit of Henry VII I (Plate VI) is a go od specimen o f armo ur

i fl u tin s of the Maximil an period , but without the g which generally

- distinguish this style of plate . The neck guards are high and the large coudes Show the glancing surface plainly . This detail also

e no u illiere s is shown on the fan plates at the g , which in the Tower Inventories are called by the more English term knee- co ps The

l - - - o brid e hand of the rider wears the Manifer (main de fer) . Th se writers wh o still follow blindly the inco rrect no menclature of Meyrick give the name M ainfaire or M ane fe r to the Crinet or neck defence of the horse . How this absurd play upon words can ever have been taken seriously passes understanding .

- The manifer is solely the rigid iron gauntlet for the bridle hand , where no sudden or complicated movement of the wrist or fingers was needed another instance of the difference in arming the two

o sides of the b dy . This difference of arming is more noticeable in the j ousting armour , for in military sports , especially during the sixteenth century , the obj ect of the contestants was to score points rather than to inj ure each other . We find , therefore , such

- pieces as the Grand guard , and with it the Volant piece , the Passe

P olde rmitton— so guard , the called from its likeness to the épaule de mouton and worn over the bend of the right arm— and the various reinfo rcing breastplates which were screwed on to the left l o f side of the ti ting suit to fer a more rigid defence and , also to

- present additional glancing surface to the lance point . In some varieties of j o ust a small wo oden shield was fastened to the left

v was dis breast , and when this was the case the hea y pauldron pe ns e d with . The large Vamplate (Plate XI) sufficiently protected

o o the right arm fr m inj ury . The Nuremberg suit (Plate VII) sh ws P A A O CHA . IV PL TE RM UR 77

this form o farming for the j oust . The great helm is firmly screwed t o two o f the back and breast , the holes on the left side the breast

for t - plate are the at achment of the shield , the rigid bridle cuff

- — no t covers the left hand , and the curved elbow guard this is the passe -guard— protects the bend o f the left arm as the polde rmitto n

’ v e l r pro tects the right . The large circular disc defends the i/ d ha noi s bou che o , and is or notched at its lower end to all w the lance

o n - to be couched , resting the curved lance rest in front and lodged

. o under the Queue at the back The legs , in this variety of j ust , were not armed ; for the obj ect o f the j ousters wa s to unho rse

o o each ther , and it was necessary to have perfect freed m in gripping

’ f o . o t the horse s sides Sometimes a great plate metal , curved

o o o c ver the leg , was w rn to protect the wearer fr m the shock of

Dil e o impact . This was called the g , or Tilting Cuisse , which is sh wn

o f o o on Plate VII I behind the figure C unt Sigismond , and als on

l - o w f r . Plate VII . The arge b wed saddle also as used o this end There is one o f these saddles in the To wer which measures nearly

- 5 feet in height . Behind the saddle bow are two rings which ’ encircled the rider s legs . It is needless t o po int out that in this form o f j o ust the obj ect was to break lances and no t to unh orse

o o for , if the latter were intended , the rider st d a good chance of breaking his legs owing to his rigid po sition in the saddle .

The Tonlet suit (Fig . 35) was used solely for fighting on foot . The bell - shaped skirt of plate wa s s o constructed with the sliding

o t o rivets or straps which have been bef re referred , that it could

be pulled up and down . Sometimes the lower lame could be taken

o off altogether . When fighting with axes or sw rds in the lists this plate Skirt presented a glancing surface to the weapon and pro l t e c t e d the legs . The tonlet is vario usly ca led by writers upon

a mb o s two armour , Bases , Lamboys , or J y ; of the latter terms

a m b o s j y is the more correct . The Bases were originally the cloth

o f skirts in vogue in civilian dress at the time Henry VII I , and when defensive armour followed civ ilian fashion the name came

to be applied to the steel imitation . Towards the end of the sixteenth century we find the weight P A A CHA . IV 78 PL TE RMOUR

- of the war harness gradually decrease . The richly ornamented suits which mark this period were in no way suited for any practical n purpose and were used only for parades . Extended campaig s and long marches necessitated lighter equipment , and we find in - a t - contemporary records instances , not only of the men arms dis carding their armour owing to its inconvenience , but also of

Ton Su . . . l 1 . 6, ar u . W FIG 35 et it FIG 3 s it , 547 d M adn . Vienna Arm oury . co mmanders ordering them to lighten their equipment for greater

i ons . Obs ervat rapidity of movement Sir Richard Hawkins , in his ‘ on his voyage into the South Sea writes : I had great

roofe c orsle tts preparation of armours as well of p as of light , yet no t a man would use them , but esteemed a pott of wine a better

’ r A oofe . defence than an armour of p gain , Sir John Smythe , in

I nstru cti ons Obs ervati ons a nd Orders M i litari e : his , writes I s aw but very few of that army (at the camp at Tilbury) PLATE IX

’

lbum . r Sir nr rom the Alm ai n Armourer s A Design for a su it of arm our fo He y Lee , f

82 P A A P Iv L TE RMOUR CHA .

o f precursor the Salade , which may be considered the typical

o f headpiece the fifteenth century . The rear peak of the bascinet

is prolonged over the neck , and in a later form of German origin the peak is hinged t o allow the wearer t o throw back his head with l m . o c u ariu i o ease The , or v si n slit , is sometimes cut in the front

o of the salade , but m re often it is found in a pivoted visor which

o l B e a v r c u d be thrown back . The o is generally a separate piece

o t o . strapped r und the neck or , in tilting , bolted the breastplate

o e S me writers call this the Mentoni re , but this name should rather be applied to the tilting breastplate also protected the . which o o o f b e av or lower p rti n the face . Shakespeare uses the term very

o . loosely , and frequently means by it the wh le helmet

‘ ’ s o - The German Schallern , or salade , called from its shell like

o o - - or f rm , seems to have been evolved fr m the chapel de fer war hat by contracting the brim at the sides and prolonging it at the Ch l in’ . as te a s o back In fact , in acc unt of the fight between Jacques de Lalain and Gérard de Ro ussillon the salade worn by Messire

’ Jacques is described as u n chapeau de fer d anc ie nne facon

w o a s . The salade often richly decorated Baron de C sson , in the preface t o the Catalo gue o fHelmets exhibited at the Archaeo logical 2 1 88 0 fo r Institute in June , , instances a salade made the Duke of

1 wa s o o . Burgundy in 443, which valued at cr wns of g ld More modest deco ratio n was obtained by co vering the salade with

velvet and fixing ornaments o ver this of gilded iron or brass . There are several o fthese covered salades in the various collections

in England and o n the Co ntinent . Sometimes the salade was

we see painted , as in an example in the Tower

Ar o The met , or close helmet , foll wed the salade , and is men

“ tio ne d by Oliver de la Marche as early as The name is ‘ ’ o t o Of o f supp sed be a corruption heaumet , the diminutive 4 heaume the great helm o fthe fourteenth century . Whereas the

o - o salade is in f rm a hat like defence , the armet fits the head Cl sely

1 2 i . h urn. h A rc . o . a a n . 6 . G C stel i , p 79 ! , xxxv i 3 O la M ar h 2 88 . r c . live de e , p 4 Arm z a o ou n . E . D c . Arm tt m fArm . e e a nu o N i t gives , di i tive e . e is ls f d P A A 8 CHA . IV PL TE RMOUR 3

o o o o n and can nly be put on by pening the helmet , as is sh wn

’

1 . Plate V and Fig . 3 The vario us parts o f the armet have been t already described in Chapter II I . The armet do es no appear in i mo numental e ffig e s in England before the reign of Henry VIII . The English were never in a hurry t o take up new fashions in armo ur ; being to a large extent dependent on the work o f foreign

t o craftsmen , they seem to have waited prove the utility of an

we o o . A inn vation before ad pting it gainst this , however , must place the fact that in the picture at Hampto n Court o fthe meeting of Henry VII I and Maximilian , the English are all shown wearing

o n armets , while the Germans still wear the salade . The armet

S e u s e nh ofe r o o the suit in the T wer , which has been n ticed in this

“

a o f . chapter , is very perfect example of this style headpiece

o o The Burg net is an pen helmet , and , as the name implies , of

To o wh Burgundian o rigin . th se students o consult Meyrick it is

’ advisable t o give a wo rd of warning as t o this author s theo ry of

of the burgonet . He assumes that it is a variety the armet , but with a groo ved collar which fitted o ver the go rget . His authority for this assertion is a single reference in the Origi ne s des Che vali ers ‘ 1 A rm ori es et H erd un o in , by Fauchet . Space will not all w of the v e sti a tion o f o o g this authority , but Bar n de Coss n in the Catalogue ’ 2 above quoted effectively disposes o fM e yric k s theory . The salient

o o f o p ints the burg net , as may be seen on Plate V , are the Umbril

o or brim proj ecting over the eyes , and the upstanding c mb or (in

- some cases) three co mbs that appear on the skull piece . In the best examples these co mbs are forged with the skull o u t of one

of tour de force o l piece metal , a in craftsmanship that c uld hard y

- fl a s . are be surpassed The ear p hinged at the sides , and at the

f - o . base the skull is fixed the Panache , or plume holder The face f 3 guard , when used with the burgonet , is called the Bu fe , and , like

b e a v or the worn with the salade , is held in place by a strap round

f . the neck . This fo rm o helmet was chiefly used by light cavalry 1 Par 1 60 l . 6 fo . 2 r h our n. Cat f m A c . . o is , , 4 See . Hel ets , ! , xxxvii 2 A rch o n xx . ur . xv u j , . 3 The term B u/e is s om etimes wrongly used for t he u pright shou lder-gu ards on the au ro p ld n. 8 A A P Iv 4 PL TE RMOUR CHA .

The Morio n and the Cabasset are both helmets worn by fo ot l soldiers , and appear about the midd e of the sixteenth century . The cabasset is generally to be distinguished by the curious little point proj ecting from the apex . Often the comb and upturned brim of the morion are extravagant in form and tend to make the v helmet exceedingly hea y and inconvenient . The shields o f the fifteenth and sixteenth century were more

for display than for use , except in the tilt A . s yard we have seen , the development

o n of plate armour , especially the left side ,

no t made the shield only unnecessary , but

also inconvenient . In the j oust , however , where it wa s important that the lance sh o uld find no hold on a vital part of the

o b dy , such as the j uncture of the arm , the

t o o ff shield was used glance the weapon ,

was or , where unhorsing was the obj ect , it ribbed with diagonally crossing ridges to

F Pa V iS - Com m MS ' IG -37- - give the lance point a surer hold . The . E O uh us ' w 1 8 ' J ’ 4 5 Pavis or Pavoise (Fig 37 was more

o A generally used by archers and crossb wmen as a cover . good A specimen of the pavis exists in the shmolean Museum at Oxford , and there are two large examples of heavier make with peeph oles

o o u r o for the archer , and wooden props as sh wn in illustrati n , at

Brussels and Berlin .

C H A PTE R V

HORSE A RMOUR

TH E - fully equipped knight , whether in the cumbrous garments

o f s o of mail or in the more adaptable suit plate , was entirely

o W - dependent on his h rse , both in active arfare and in the tilt yard , that some notice of the defences of the Destrier or war- horse is necessary in this short examination o f the hist ory of defensive

o no arm ur . On the Bayeux Tapestry there is suggestion of armour

R oma n de of any kind upon the horses , but Wace writes in the R ou (line

Vint Williame li filz Osber on S Cheval tot covert de fer .

o o We sh uld remember , however , that Wace wr te in the second half of the twelfth century and , like the other chroniclers of the A Middle ges , both in picture and text , portrayed his characters wn in the dress of his o time . The Trapper of mail shown on

’ 8 o Stoth ard s Fig . 3 is taken fr m drawing of one of the paintings in 1 no w the Painted Chamber at Westminster , destroyed . These decora tions are supposed to have been executed about the year 1 237. Here the horse is shown covered with a most inconvenient h ousing of mail , which can hardly have been in very general use , in this particular form at any rate for it would be almo st impossible for

t o . a horse to walk , let alone trot or gallop , with such a defence

The textile trapper was , of course , lighter , and was used merely for o o rnament and display , th ugh it may have been designed , as the surcoat was , to protect the mail defence beneath from wet . l H i s toi re de Cha r es VI . Jean Chartier , in his (p states that o o s metimes these rich trappings or h usings were , after the death

t o of their owner , bequeathed churches , where they were used for 1 M ta etusta me n V v ol . onu . , vi P 88 HORSE A RMOUR CHA . v

altar hangings , or inversely , when trappings were needed , the

churches were despoiled o f their embro ideries t o pro vide them .

The mailed horse appears as early as the Roman period , and is

shown o n the Column of Traj an , but in Europe he does not seem

to have been comm o nly in use much befo re the thirteenth century . As the man was sometimes defended entirely by garments of

ou r ointe d . quilted fabrics , so the horse also wore p p housings We

o can only surmise , from the f lds and lines Shown on seals or draw f ings , which variety is intended but the sti f lines of the housing

T 8 . ra f M a r m FIG . m a r o o . r n FIG . o c h rom 3 ppe il , f 39 Iv y ess , f ’ the Pa n ham r W m n r Anci ent A rmour our n h i ted C be , est i ste Hewitt s , f tee t

h r n h c n ur . c n ur t i tee t e t y e t y .

o f o 1 2 1 on the seal R ger de Quinci , Earl of Winchester ( 9 and

its raised lozenges , seem to suggest a thicker substance than does

o n 1 1 the more flowing drapery Fig . . Matthew Paris , in describing

1 2 A the Battle of Nuova Croce in 37, writes that credible Italian asserted that Milan with its dependencies raised an army of six thousand men - a t -arms with iron - clad horses An ordinance of

1 0 Philip the Fair , in 3 3, provides that every holder of an estate of 50 0 livres rental sh o uld furnish a man a t - arms well m ounted o n a horse couvert de couvertures de fer o u de couverture pour ’ o n pointe . The caparisoned ho rse first appears royal seals in the

0 A P 9 HORSE RMOUR CHA . v

o fo r and usually has a h lder a plume . On the forehead are often

An e llu i . c c shown the arms of the owner or a tapered spike g , in

o A his preface to the Catal gue of the Turin rmoury , differentiates between the Chamfron (tesera) and the Frontale or plate pro tecting the front of the head alone . There are fine suits of Gothic horse

’ armour both in the Musée d Artille rie in Paris and also in the n Wallace Collection at Hertford House . The latter is o e of the

- o f best arranged m unted suits in existence . The di ferent pieces of the h o rse armo ur bear the delicate sweeping lines embossed on

wa the surface in the same y that the armour of the man is treated . The restored linings o f leather and skin show h o w the horse was protected from the chafing of the metal . The Peytral or Poitrel is hung from the neck and withers , and is frequently provided with

B oss oi rs P ezonera s Gla nci n - knobs large bosses , called , , or g , to direct

- the lance thrust away from the horse . It is often hinged in three

P o pieces . The lanchards hang fr m the saddle on either side , and are sometimes , as on Plate IV and the Frontispiece , curved upwards in the centre to admit of the use of the spur : The back of the

CroU iere horse is protected by the p or Crupper , which is made up of several pieces riveted or hinged together . The root of the tail

o G a rde u e u e is c vered by a tubular plate called the q , which is often All moulded into the form of a dragon or dolphin . these plates were lined with leather o r wadded with cotton t o prevent chafing .

c u irb ou illi wa s Often , however , used instead of metal and was richly A o f deco rated with painting and gilding . picture of the Battle

A o Pavia in the shm lean Museum , Oxford , shows many of these painted bards , and the same material is doubtless intended in the relief of the Battle of Brescia on the Visconti monument at Pavia . These leather bards have entirely disappeared and are not t o be found in any collections except for a portio n o f a crupper o f this

‘ o Arc ione s material in the T wer . The saddle , with its high or

wa s f o o peaks , back and front , in itself an e ficacious pr tecti n for

fo r the waist and lo ins . The term Cantle is sometimes used either

. plate , but it is generally accepted as the name for the rear peak

Both this part and the front plate are often covered with metal . P A O CHA . v HORSE RM UR 9 1

The great j ousting saddles have been noticed in the preceding

chapter . The reins are protected from being cut by hinged plates , 1 as shown on Plate X . These pieces constitute the armour o f the horse as usually h w . o found in museums and in painting and sculpture There is ,

in Z o f ever , the eughaus in Vienna a curious portrait Harnisch A 8 1 0 . meister lbrecht , dated 4 The horse on which he rides is armed completely with plate except for an aperture in the fl anc h ards for using the spur . The legs are covered with hinged and bolted

o defences very similar t o th ose of the arm ur for men . It might be supposed that this was but a fantastic idea of the painter , if

not - Viscount Dillon had discovered a Cuissard , or thigh piece , which much resembles those shown on the picture , in the Musée de la

o f Porte de Hal , Brussels . In the days the Decadence , when the craft of the armourer was to a great extent overwhelmed by the wi riotous fancy of the decorator , the horse shared th his rider in this display . The armour shown on Plate X , known as the Burgundian armour fro m the badges of the Emperor Maximilian which adorn it , does not offend in this respect , because the embossing serves to give rigidity to the metal witho ut interfering with its defensive qualities . The same may be said of the barding

of shown on the Frontispiece , but on Plate IV the loss dignity in

— o line , and the embossed hemisphere which , for its purp se , should be smoo th — show the beginning o f the decay in co nstructional

o skill . The highly rnamented pageant armour made for the

no w D Elector Christian I I , in the resden Museum , though extra in ordinarily perfect workmanship , should be classed rather as the work of goldsmith o r sculptor than as that of the armo urer .

1 - th ar r n 62 . This is not e g de ei See p . C H A PTE R V I

THE DECADENCE OF A RMOUR

IN the practice of any of the crafts , or applied arts as they are

now called , the surest and most manifest signs of decadence are

to be found in two aspects of that craft . The first of these is that

u which refers to the material used . With regard to armo r this consideration is faithfully adhered to' in most examples of the armourer ’ s work up to the end o f the fifteenth century ; but by the beginning of the sixteenth century we find

' the craftsman becoming wearied o f his technical perfection and the simplicity and constructional dignity which invariably a c f companies such perfectio n . His e forts are now directed to fashioning his metal into FIG 41 G rowsq u e w a , , such forms as in no y suggest his material he me t s m e e nth c e ntur ' ’ y bu t o nl sh0 w a c e rta in m6re tric iou s skill ur m r y N e be g .

o . in w rkmanship Fig . 41 shows a very favourite form of this artistic incoherence . The defensive properties o f no wa the helmet are in y increased , but rather are annulled by presenting hollows and proj ections where before a smooth surface existed . It is superfluous to point out the grotesque and bizarre 1 A effect of this human face in metal . nother instance of this wilful disregard of material is to be noticed in those suits which imitate the puffed and slashed dress in fashio n for civilian wear

during the sixteenth century . Many of these suits exist in English

o and European arm uries , which proves that they were popular ,

1 Th a t this fashion in helm ets was a general one we m ay ju dge from the fac t ha m o - t t st arm ouries possess exam ples o f these hum an fac ed helm ets . P D AD CHA . VI THE EC ENCE 93 but t o the true craftsman there is something degradi ng in the efforts

o not of the expert ironw rker , expending his energies , to produce - t o a finely constructed piece of work , but rather imitate the seams

o f o r o and pipings the work of a tailor dressmaker and , h wever

we we much may admire his technical skill , must , perforce , place his artistic aspirations side by side with the grainer and marbler wh o was so conspicuo us a facto r in domestic decoration in the middle of the nineteenth century .

Fig . 42 shows this decadence carried to its furthest pitch . By the middle of the sixteenth century the Renais

sance , which had been , in the first instance , the birth of all that is best in European art and craftsmanship , became a baneful influence . The expert painter , having mastered the intricacies of his art , turned them into extravagant channels and ex a gge rat e d action ; foreshortened figures and Optical illusions took the place of the dignified compositions of the earlier peri o d . Nor could the

To crafts escape this deadly p oison . FIG P u n h 2 . u . 4 ffed s it , sixtee t i o f 1 c n ur V nna . the cred t the craftsmen we may e t y . ie h Ope that the luxurious indulgence and ostentatious display of the princely patron was the cause o f the decadence in crafts , rather than the inclination of the workers

themselves . Still the fact remains that , as soon as the plain and constructionally sound wo rk began t o be overspread with orna

- - ment , architecture , metal work , wood carving , and all the allied arts

o began to be debased from their former high positi n . With the

o dec ration of armour its practical utility began to decline . It

o ne must be admitted , however , that reason for the decoration

1 This s u it is shown with the b rayette a ttac hed ; whic h for obviou s reasons h in m o arm our ara rom th is ex ibited st ies sep te f e su it . A P 94 THE DEC DENCE CHA . VI

was was that armour , by degrees , less and less used for war and only

r retained fo pageant , j oust , and parade in which personal display and magnificence were demanded . The engraved and inlaid suits of the late sixteenth and seven ’ t e e nth centuries , although they offend the craftsman s eye as does the deco rated bicycle of the Oriental potentate to day , do not

o on s o — transgress that imp rtant law , which much str‘ eMss has been h i o f o ffe rin ncin t e s n . laid , g g g surface to ppp/ gw It is fi a l u a when we come t o the emb o ssed suits with their hollows and pro je c tions that we find the true character of armo ur lost and the metal used o nly as a material for exhibiting the dexterity of the wo rkman without any considera

tio n for its use or construction . This interference with the gla nc ing surface is noticeable in the

ft Ne oli Six FIG CaS u e a e r r , 43 q g . 2 suit illustrated in Fig 4 , but r P te e nth c entu y aris ' o even here there is s me excuse , in that the designer had reason for his embossing of the metal — if f f the imitation o the pu fed suit was to be carefully po rtrayed .

o o for o The same , h wever , cann t be urged th se suits which are

no simply covered with ornament with purpose , little meaning ,

o r o and less composition design . If we set aside our pinions as t o the suitability of the ornament , we are compelled to admire the wonderful t e chnic al s k ill which produced such pieces as the suit _ made fo r King Sebastian o f Po rtugal by Anton Pfe ffe nh a u s e r of

A no w A ugsburg , and in the Madrid rmoury . Here every deity o f Olympus , the allegorical figures of Justice , Strength , and the

Cardinal Virtues , crowd together with Navigation , Peace , and Victory Roman warrio rs fighting with elephants are fo und among

A o o f no t morini , Satyrs , and Trit ns while every inch the metal devo ted t o this encyclopaedia of histo ry and legend is cro wded with foliage and scroll- wo rk of that debased and unnatural fo rm P v 1 TH E D AD CHA . EC ENCE 95 which h a s beco me the branding mark of this peri o d o f the

Renaissance . It will be sufficient to give one example of this prostitution o f . Ne roli art and craftsmanship This helmet after g (Fig .

Ne roli o and a similar example , signed by g , at Madrid , Sh w how

’ o the canons of the arm urer s craft were ignored at this period . It

P a an n h n ur V nna . . h c . FIG 44 ge t s ield , sixtee t e t y ie is true that the casque still provides a metal co vering for the

o o to head , and that the comb gives an additi nal pr tection the

o — skull , but when we examine the emb ssed figures at the side and marvello usly good the embossing is — we find lo dgements for the swo rd o r spear which wo uld mo st certainly help to detach the

o A s o helmet fr m its wearer . to the c mb , it may fairly be cited as an example o f all that is artistically worst in the late Renaissance .

o o on Its technical merits nly emphasize this . The warri r is laid

t o o f o his back suit the required shape the helmet , and to give p int 6 A P 9 THE DEC DENCE CHA . VI

to his position his hair is held by two figures whose attributes

t o seem suggest that intercrossing of birds , beasts , and fishes which

h ri delighted the decadent mind of t e fpe o d . The figures are human ’ A ’ to the waist and end in a dolphin s tail . ngels wings spring

’ from their shoulders and leopards claws from the j unction o f tail

Not i o f and waist . content with this outrage to the d gnity art , the craftsman ends his warrior in an architectural base which has not even the slight merit of probability which the tail of the merman f might o fer . In short it is an example of technical skill at its

highest , and artistic perception at its lowest point . The shield

oll . from the Vienna c ection (Fig 44) is another example , like King

’

. o Sebastian s suit , of meaningless decoration The strapw rk does

l o f not in any way fol ow the lines the shield , and the female figures seem to be intro duced only to show that the craftsman could po rtray the human form in steel as easily as he could the more

conventional ornament .

As the armourer , weary of constructional skill , turned to ornament as a means of showi ng to what further extent his powers

o o o f c uld expand , so , with this change in his p int view , his con l structional ski l itself declined . The headpiece , which in the

o golden age of the armourer was f rged in as few pieces as possible ,

o f is in the late seventeenth century made many pieces , as the “ o f o o art skilful f rging declines . The ingeni us articulations of the

' whic h o v e r soleret are changed , and the foot is cased in plates ,

o o f lapping only in one direction , preclude the easy m vement the

o f wearer . The fine lines leg and arm defences , which in the

o fifteenth and sixteenth century f llow the shape of the limbs , give place to straight tubular plates which can only be likened to the

v - of modern sto e pipe . The grace and symmetry the Gothic suit

o sh wn on Plate VII I , especially the leg armour , exemplify this

o f merit the best period of armour , while the suit made for

o f Louis XIV , and the gilt suit Charles I in the Tower , offend in A i the Opposite direction . nother sure ind cation of the decadence o f the craftsman is t o be found in the imitati o n o f constructio nal

n o f detail with o practical purpose . Examples this may be seen

8 A 9 THE DEC DENCE CHAP . VI

was 1 0 we learn that a penny a day allowed to each soldier in 59 ,

over and above his pay , for the wearing and carriage of his armour , because it had become the custom for the troops to give their

“ accoutrements to the baggage- carriers when on the march a matter both unseemly for soldiers and also very hurtful unto the

b riiisin armour by g and breaking thereof , whereby it becometh ’ ’ Cru so s M ilita ri e I nstru cti ons or the all i e unserviceable . In f Cav r

‘ we find that the arquebusiers had wholly left off their ’ P all s A t armour in favour o f buff coats . Turner s a rma a ( 1 670 ) f ‘ mentions the armour of o ficers as a headpiece , i a corslet and a gorget , the captain hav ng a

: u plume of feathers in his helmet , the lie tenant e not Furth r on we read , now the feathers

‘ ou ma e y y peradventure find , but the h adpiece ’

fo r . the most part is laid aside Fig . 45 shows that half armour was still worn during the

Commonwealth , but by the Restoration very

o r little was retained except f ceremonial use . As far a s can be gleaned from contemporary

‘ letters and histories , Charles I never wore either the somewhat cumbrous gilt suit which is shown at the T0wer or the more graceful half suit - o f F1 r m 45: C o wellian ? blued s teel in which Vandyke represe nted him in m i k an' To r p e we ’ his eque strian portrait : All the metal defence we can be sure he actually wore is a steel broad- brimmed hat covered

The ‘ h a d ie c e with velvet . e p used by the cavalry during the Civil 1 1 War is of the same type as No . on Plate IV , a variety of the burgonet with a m ovable nasal . The breastplate continued to be

was worn during the wars of Marlborough , but that , too , discarded when the efficacy of the musket proved its uselessness . The last survival of plate armour is to be found in the gorget . This became

wa s r , smaller as the unifo m was changed and in the end simply ,

a . a sm ll crescent of brass hung at the neck It was worn by infantry,

’ fi 8 0 -in of cers up to the year 1 3 , at which date it was given up a Engl nd . D A CHAP . VI THE EC DENCE 99

The last official use of full plate armour was at the Coronation ’ of George IV , when the King s Champion , Dymoke , entered West minster Hall and threw down the gauntlet to challenge those who

’ disputed the King s right to the crown . The suit worn on this

o occasi n belonged originally to Sir Christopher Hatton , Captain of 1 was the Guard to Queen Elizabeth , and made by Jacobe , whose designs for armour have been referred to in Chapter III . The suit is now in the Guard Ro om at Windsor . The Guardia Nobile of the Po pe still wear the picturesque half armour of the sixteenth th e l the! century . The cuirass and helmet of Househo d Cavalry of

w e at » present day are not survivals , for they ere introduc d the time of the Coronation of George IV . The study of defensive armour and weapons must of necessity need much careful comparison of examples and investigation of i documentary ev dence , but , even when undertaken only super

fi c iall y , it will add greatly to the interest of modern history and of the arts of war . Costume can only be studied from pictorial and sculptured records , but in the case of armour we have , after a certain period , actual examples not only of historical but also of personal interest . With modern methods of arrangement and with the expert care of those most learned in this subj ect these examples will be an ever- present record which may be examined with more interest than might be bestowed upon many branches of the applied arts because , in addition to the interest centred in the personality of the wearers , we have the sure signs of the

- master craftsman which are always evident in good craftsmanship ,

- and , not infrequently , the sign manual of the worker himself .

1 on r to the am as To C side ed be s e pf . C H A PTE R V II

WEAPONS

TH E A o wa s Sword . t the time of the Conquest the sw rd

- s . traight , broad in blade , two edged and pointed The Quillons we were straight and the grip ended in a Pommel which , as far as

6 - . or h FIG 4 . Sw d ilts .

can j udge from illustrated records , was square , round , lozenge shaped or trefoiled (Fig . There is not much change in the general lines of the sword during the twelfth century except in the form of the pommel .

In the thirteenth century the point , instead of starting abruptly

A P 1 0 2 WE PONS CHA . VII

we so designed as t o be a defence in itself . From this get all the

ou nte r ua rds s o gu ards and c g , which are varied and intricate that it wou ld require more space than is at our disposal to treat of

them with any degree of completeness . The type of sword that wa s thus developed by practice in its u se was purely for thrusting purposes . The sword for cutting

alone is generally simpler in form . The

Cu tila x Dussa c k s , Falchion , , and Cutla are all weapons of this order and

generally have a simple hilt . The modern Claymore is really an adapta

tion of the Italian Schiavona (Fig . and is in no way derived from the

- Claymore proper , the Two hand sword

A . of the Middle ges This great weapon , often as much as 6 feet in length from

point to pommel , was used by foot

soldiers , and Special military arrange ments were mad e for the space given to

its users , who required a good sweeping

. distance between each man (Fig . The Hand- and-half sword is a Variety

” o f - infwhich i FIG Tw - a cross hilted sword , the gr p . . o h n or 49 d sw d . is sufficiently long for two or three fingers of the left hand to be used to assist the right hand in

delivering a swinging cut .

“ The early Dagger is of much the same form as the sword ; it

» was worn on the right side with the sword on the left . One i var ety of the dagger was called the Miséricorde . It was finely

its wa s pointed and , as name grimly implies , intended to penetrate the j oints of the armour t o give the coup de grace to the fallen

n - h as k ight . The Main gauche is also of the dagger order , but

- a broad knuckle guard and long straight quillons . It was used s in conj unction with the rapier in duels with the point upward , more as a means of warding off the sword- thrust than for “ P A 1 0 CHA . VII WE PONS 3

A - actual stabbing . The nelace and Cinquedea are broad bladed

short weapo ns used for stabbing only . The Baselard was the d e short sword carrie by civilians in the fifte nth century . At Of staff weapons the principal is , of course , the Lance . the time of the Conquest and up to the fourteenth century the shaft of the lance was of even thickness with : lo ze nge or leaf- shaped

point . During the fourteenth century we find the shaft swelling

; 1 j ust above the grip and then tapering below it Plate XI , 4, i a “ shows the lance provided w th a vampl te or shield , which pro t t e d th e c e hand and made the right gauntlet unnecessary . Tilting

1i 1 in one lances are sometimes as m ch as 5 feet length , and specimen

l An- 1 in the Tower weighs 2 o b . engraving by Lucas Cranach ( 472 r e e n which depicts a tou ney or m l e of k ights , shows the combatants preceded by ‘ squires on horseback wh o support these

till . th e c weighty lances moment of impa t , when , it is presumed ,

- they moved aside out of danger . The lance point was sharp for active service , but for tournaments it was supposed to be blunted .

Was s o O O This practice , however , ften neglected that rdinances were framed enj oining the use of the Coronal or trefoiled button ,

o 1 . which is sh wn on Plate XI , 5 The other long- shafted staff weapons may be divided into those

or for stabbing and those f cutting . The Gisarme is a long handl ed weapo n which some writers consider to have been much

- We t t the same as the Pole axe . From Wace learn ha it was sharp , 1 ‘ long , and broad . It was in all probability a primitive form

o - of the Bill . This was also a br ad bladed weapon and was used

- only by foot soldiers . It seems to have been evolved from the

“ o was th e b agricultural scythe . The G dendag name given y the

H l r - Flemings to the a b a d . It had an axe blade with curved or straight spikes at the back and a long point to terminate the

- . h alb ard shaft In this detail it differed from the pole axe . The proper was used as early as the thirteenth century and appears in the designs from the Painted Chamber at Westminster figured

ranz smolue s R om an de R n I arm e o . g gis es ( , ’ i 1 arm l e b . un é . gis es ges l es ( , 1 0 P 4 WEAPONS CHA . VII

1 was by Stothard . From the seventeenth century onwards it used w w only for ceremonial purposes and a s richly decorated . It as carried on parade by infantry drum- maj ors in England as late as

1 8 wh o 75. It was much favoured by the Swiss , armed the front rank of the footmen with this weapon . Those used for parade purposes are elaborately engraved on the blades , while the shafts are often covered with velvet and studded with gilded nails . These ornate weapons are used still by the Gentlemen - a t-Arms on State n occasions . The Voulge is a primitive weapo evolved from an agricultural implement of the same class as the hedging bill in use at the present day . The Lochaber axe is of much the same form its di stinguishing feature being the hook at the top of the shaft ,

w - which as used in scaling walls . The Glaive is also a broad bladed

o or weapon , but Where the bill and gisarme are m re less straight towards the edge , the glaive curves backwards . It is often to be found richly engraved for Show purposes . In French writings the word glaive is sometimes loosely used for lance or sword .

‘ The stabbing or thrusting long- shafted weapons include the A Lance , Spear , and Javelin . fter these the most important is the d Pike . This is very similar to the spear , but was use exclusively

- by foot soldiers . In the seventeenth century it was carried by infantry interspersed among the arquebusiers . There are several

- i ts . r works on pike drill and treatises on management Lord Orre y ,

A rt o War f re c bm in his f , comments on the di ferences in length and t 6 mends hat all should be 1 1 feet long . The shaft was made of

a sh was seasoned and the head fastened with two cheeks of iron , d often 4 feet long , which ran own the shaft to prevent the head

o ff At - fo r being cut by cavalry . the butt end was a spike sticking

T e rt into the ground when resisting cavalry . In a treatise entitled h A

‘ ’ 0/ Tra ini ng (1 662) directions are given that the grip of the shaft f should be covered with velvet to a ford a sure hold for the hand . A This grip was called the rmin . There are also suggestions that a tassel should be fixed midway to prevent the rain running down

the shaft and s o causing the hand to slip . When we consider that

1 M num en a Vetusta v l o t o . . , vi

0 6 A O P 1 WE P NS CHA . VII the pikeman had to keep the cavalry at bay while the arquebusier was reloading— a lengthy process — we can understand the impor tance of these regulations . The pike was carried by the colour sergeants in the British Army at the beginning o f the nineteenth

wa s A 1 8 century , and last used in the French rmy in 7 9 . The

- Spontoon is a species of half pike , which was carried by the colour sergeants in the British Army up to the end of the eighteenth

r S e tu m centu y , if not longer . The p and the Ranseur are often l i confused . The names are usua ly given to those weapons wh ch have sharp lateral proj ections fixed at a more or

‘ less acute angle to the point . They could not be

used for cutting , but used for thrusting they

inflicted terrible wounds . The Partizan is some

what of the same order , but is known best in museums in its decorated form as used in w— ceremonial parades . These sho weapons were used by the Judge ’ s guard in Oxford up to

1 8 Y 75, and are still carried by the eomen of

the Guard on State occasions .

The Bayonet , although introduced in France F G I . 0 M 5 . orn n i g 1 6 s o of in 47, is essentially a part the firearm ar St . that we need do no more than mention it among the thrusting weapo ns . The scope of this work will not t w n allow of any notice of firearms ; that subj ec , o ing to moder

t o o . developments , is wide to be treated in a few sentences Of short-handl ed weapons the Club or Mace is to be found

on the Bayeux Tapestry , and is generally quatrefoil or heart

shaped at the head . The mace was the weapon of militant ‘

ecclesiastics , who thus escaped the denunciation against those

’ who fight with the sword . It is generally supposed that the

R oman de R ou Gibet was of the same order . Wace , in the (line writes E t il le gibet s e isi

Ki a sun destre bras pendi . The mace was usually carried slung by a loop to the saddl e-bow ' P A 10 CHA . VII WE PONS 7

o r or on the right wrist , so that , when sword lance were lost , it A t the could be used at once. less ornamen al weapon is Holy

o o f . irons t u dde d water Sprinkler . This is f rmed a ball of with sharp

“ '

or . proj ecting spikes , and fixed upon a long short handle The

to Morning Star is akin the Military Flail , a weapon derived from

the agricultural implement of that name . It is much the same as

- no t the Holy water Sprinkler , except that the spiked ball is socketed

on the handle but hangs from a chain (Fig . The names of these

t o a two weapons are often transposed , but we propose dhere to the nomenclature used in the Tower Armouries as being more likely

- - to be correct . The War hammer and Battle axe need but little

description . They were generally used by horsemen , and their general form only varies in detail from implements in use at the

- present day . The Pole axe was a weapon in great request for

‘ ’ j ousting on foot , in the champ clos . The blade is much like the h alb ard - o , but at the back is a hammer shaped pr j ection with a roughened surface .

t o The Longbow may be said have gained the battles of Senlac ,

A s o o Crecy , and gincourt , and ranks as one of the m st important

- 7 t o 6 of English weapons . It was from 55 feet in length and was

o o f made of yew , or , when this wo d was scarce , witch hazel . It is a o - _ p pular tradition in the country that the yew trees which were so important for the manufacture of this weapon were grown In r chu chyards because they were poisonous to cattle , and the church :

- in . yards were the only fenced spaces There is , however , no

Th e ‘ strin documentary evidence to support this . g was of hemp ‘ ; o cloth ard or silk . The archer carried twenty f ur y shafts in his belt and wore a wrist -guard called a Bracer to protect his wrist

‘ from the recoil of the string . These bracers were of ivory or

Th e a rrows leather and were often decorated . were tipped with l

- ll A Toxo hilu s the goose qui , but Roger scham , in his p , writes that

“ ‘ peacock arrows were used for gayness So notable were the English bow- makers for their productions that in 1 363 we find the

di . Pope sen ng to this country for bows ”

C A 15 OfIn the The rossbow or rbalest first heard twelfth century , 1 0 8 A P WE PONS CHA . VII

’ and at this date was considered so unfair a weapon that the

its 1 1 Popes forbade use . Innocent I I in 39 fulminated against this its barbarous weapon , but allowed of use by Christians against In l fide s . By the end of the thirteenth century , however , it was in

At wa s general use . first the crossbow strung by hand ; but when

was it made more powerful , mechanical means had to be resorted

t o . two to bend the bow , which was often of steel There are

’ : - varieties of war crossbows that strung with the goat s foot lever ,

’ F 1 nd - IG . . ro o a a l d W n las . o r . 2 . ro o an 5 C ssb w g t s foo t eve . FIG 5 C ssb w i d s

is 1 which shown on Fig . 5 , and a heavier kind called the arbalest ‘ ’ d tou r - , which was strung with a cog wheel and ratchet arrange i W ment called the Moul net or indl ass (Fig . The arbalest ‘ ’ d cri c is a larger form of this variety . The archer using these heavy weapons was entrenched behind a Pavis or shield fixed l . u are in the ground as shown on Fig 37. The Q or bolt used for the crossbow is shorter and thicker than that used for the

longbow .

- Fu stib al Of the other proj ectile hurling weapons , such as the or

f o f Sling , the di ferent forms Catapult used in siege Operations , and

we . the innumerable varieties of firearm , have no space to write

The former , being mostly fashioned of wood and cordage , are seldom

IN D E X

A o f . r r r Bases , 77 steel , 75 Cha tie , Jean , desc ibes - u 8 1 . t 10 . o r r n 8 . Aig illettes , 3 , 4 Bat le axe , 7 h se t appi gs , 7

l 6. u r 1 2 2 u r 6 6 1 Ai ettes , 35, 3 Baye x Tapest y , 9 , 3, 4 , Cha ce , 33, 34, 3 ,

o 2 . 2 6 8 106 . u 2 . Aket n , 3 , 7 , Cha sses , 4

r H ar ni sc h m e i s t e r o 106. u o 2 . Alb echt , , Bay net , Cha ss ns , 4 - or r m ou r o f 1 . u m f 6 r u r for wi n h se a , 9 Bea cha p e figy . 9 Ch ist Ch ch , Ox d , f m r u o 66 . d ow 2 . Al ain ivets , 59 ; s its , pageants , at , 9

6 . B e a v or 8 2 r o of 6 . r II r r m our 3 , de ivati n , 4 Ch istian , en iched a

r lm s m o u o f o r r 1 . I O . r G u li e u Anelace , 3 Be a di , , n Elect , at D esden , 9

A n e lluc c i o n or r m ou r m o f o r 6 Chroni u e s de Cha rle ma i ne 6. g , h se a , ent at Fl ence , 3 . q , 3

0 . r Z u u u 10 . 9 Be lin e gha s , 34. Cinq edea , 3 a to u r s r d c ric 10 8 u 68 . Cla v one 8 . A balest, , , Besag e , 39 , , 9 m ih . l 10 . l o r 10 2 . Bil , 3 C ay e , ’ - P r m of o r rro 10 . A rc io ne s 0 . e , 9 Black ince , gy , 39 ; Cl th ya d a w , 7 ’ rm rl u se u o f m o f o u r u . A et , ea iest in Eng ga ntlets , 33 hel , Cl s pe d s , 9 7

8 r o f 60 8 2 . 1 u o of 0 i o o f . land , 3 pa ts , , 4 j p n , 4 ; sh eld C at defence , 34 m f o f m 2 r 10 . o 6. o . A in , 4 , 4 C if ail , 7 - r m l or M onu m nt l R m i ns o ro 10 . d o u b e t 61 . e a e a A ing , Bl e ; , C nal , 3 - rm o i 8 . 6 . oro o o f or IV 8 A ing p nts , 3 9 C nati n Ge ge , 9 , rm o u r o for r B oe h e im Wa e n A all wance wea , Wendelin , fi 9 9 r m r o r 8 o k u nde 2 1 6 . o r u ro t and tea , 9 c nvenience , , 5 C gated i n si ila

u s e o f l of o o r 0 . m rm o u r . in , 55 ; detai s B ss i s , 9 Maxi ilian a , 74

o ru o o f 6 e n r r 10 . o o ro 6 66 0 c nst cti n , 5 ; B ace , 7 C ss n , Ba n de , 4 , , 7 ,

r 0 o r 62 note . 8 2 t o u of g aved , 4 essential p ints B ayette , , 9 3 ( ) advice st dents m u u r 8 r - rm ou r 10 u in its an fact e , 4 B east and back pieces , a , 9 disp tes Mey ’ i o f 6 for ou r o f r o r o f u r o fasten ngs , 5 ; t fastenings , 59 dis ick s the y b g net ,

n m n s r o r o n r 8 . a e t e 8 . einf c d left ca ded , 9 3

r o n r o f m 62 ou u 68 . side , 55 ; heavie left B eech ail , . C cy , Mathie de , f B re n u 6 o o a d er na le s . o 6 9 . side , 7 ; inc nvenience , g y , 33 C de , 3 , 5 6 s e f r m 8 1 o fi u o r of o n o o t o l 2 . 3, last f cial , B escia , Battle , Visc nti C ve s he ets , 4

8 m k of 6 m ho m o u m P 0 . r Lu il 9 ; a ing , 5 ; et d n ent at avia , 9 C anach , cas , t ting lances

o f u on 62 u ff r 16 0 66 . r 10 . p tting , ; p ed , B igandine , , 3 , d awn by , 3

2 r o for r ru or u r ro 68 . 9 ; eas n inc eased B ssels , h se c issa d at , C issants ,

o f 2 1 . ro o u for ro weight , 9 7 ; testing , 5 ; 9 C ssb w , sed p ving f m o r ° f r o u 8 . r u r o wea ing , B ffe , 3 a , 47 va ieties ,

r m o u r r m o f 66 B u r k m a ir H a ns We i s sk u ni 10 8 . A e s , na es , ; g , , g,

or o 6 . 6 0 . r o o o r w ksh p , 5 5, 7 C ssb ws f bidden by the

h m R o r Toxo hi lu s u r o 8 . P o 10 . Asc a , ge , p , B g net , 3, 9 7 pes , 7

10 . u r u i or rm ou r ru r or c rou iere 0 . 7 B g nd an h se a in C ppe p , 9

m o u u m o r 1 . ru 2 . Ash lean M se , pavis T we , 9 C sades , 5 f 8 . u r u r o f ru o o n r o at , 4 B g ndy , en iched salade C s the disca ding r 62 f 8 rm r A s tle Li e o S i . . u o 2 ou 8 . y , f f j D ke , . a , 9

u u rzo rm ou r o f u r o f r 1 . A g st , He g , a , C i ass leathe , 5

0 . C Cu ir b o u illi r o f 1 3 , 34 c est , 4

u r o f 8 1 . 8 . m of 2 or rm o u r A ay , Battle , Cabasset , 3 hel s , 7 h se a ° r S ir . o f f m r o f 6 u n . 6 . o 8 r ou A sti , Will , 9 Calve ley , H , at Battle , 9 leg a , 3 ; u r 8 1 m o u m o f o le ne s of ° of A ay , n ent , p y , 35 shields ; 0 B 4 . 46.

i r 6. m 8 1 B ai nb e r s or . u r 0 for or 1 . g be nbe gs , 3 Ca ail , 3 , 4 C issa d , 5 h se , 9

B a lt h a s in o 6 . a 0 . u 0 m , Galli t de , 4 C ntle , 9 C isses , 39 , 5 la inated ,

m r oo u r Ca o r u r m 2 . 8 8 1 o ff Ba be g , w den fig es at , p w n nde hel , 7 5 , taken in battle ,

2 . r 2 . 8 1 for 3 Ca net , 4 tilting , 77.

m i 20 . r er 2 8 . Cu tila x 10 2 . Banded a l , Ce velli e , , - r 8 . m rm r u 1 0 2 . Ba ding , 9 Chain ail ha ed by ain , C tlas , m 2 26 2 rr l . . 8 . Ba el he , 5, 5 Cyclas , 3 o f r m ro 8 Bascinet , 39 ; Hen y VI I I , Cha f n , 9 . - - roo m r on a fe r 8 2 . p f a ks , 55 pig Ch pel de , D ’ m 2 r u r or o f r rm our o f 1 . r 10 2 . faced , 4 p ec s Cha le agne , a , 5 Dagge ,

8 2 . r I rm ou r o f 6 r 8 1 . salade , Cha les , a , 9 , Davies , Edwa d , ’ r I O . 8 . u r 68 . Basela d , 3 9 Defant de la c i asse , INDEX I I I

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f : Pr la r Pres A C A x or o M . A O d inted at the C end n s by HOR E H RT, .

Ffo e C l e s J o n ul k s , har h and we apons .

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