So in the end, the scale armor was among the most reliable protective garments of the Middle Ages. And another advantage of the scale armor is that each scale is extremely hard to break because of its size. Also, these scales could be made from firm, solid metals, unlike the links of a hauberk. These pieces were easy to make because blacksmiths only had to produce small flat elements and attach them to one another. If to talk about the scale armor, it definitely had some benefits. The cuirass often had a small skirt made from metal plates, while there is no such thing in scale armor. In the 14th century, the brigandine was worn mostly by infantrymen, while knights began to use armor made from large plates, for instance, a cuirass. The noble warrior’s brigandine often was covered with velvet or other expensive fabrics. The brigandine is a body armor made from oblong steel plates attached to a padded linen or wool canvas. In Europe, the most widespread plate armor garments were a brigandine and a scale armor. You can also see a helmet and mittens that combine plate armor and chain mail The plates usually were attached to a leather or fabric base so that the armor set was more comfy and flexible. These garments were put over a leather or padded coat, sometimes over a hauberk.
These are the protective coverings made from metal plates. In the East, it was used until the 19th century. Until the early 17th century, a hauberk was the main armor of a European warrior. The links of a hauberk at the time were made from forged, flattened wire. That’s why a hauberk could protect from saber strikes but wouldn’t do any good against a spear or heavy sword. The thing is, you can bend only the softest and most flexible metal rod to make this garment. Though, some historians don’t agree that the hauberk could give good enough protection. It protected the warrior’s body pretty well and weighed comparatively not so much – about 8 kg / 18 lbs. European weapon historians consider that this type of body armor first appeared among the Celts.īy the early 12th century, the hauberk had long sleeves and covered the body almost completely. Many people think that the plate armor was the most popular and widespread in the Middle Ages, but actually, it was a hauberk that ruled the medieval world. As leather armor was less reliable than metal armor, mostly it was turned into under armor or was used as only a part of the warrior’s dress. The weight of the leather armor can range from 2 kg / 4.4 lbs to 20-30 kg / 44-66 lbs. The leather armor was made by combining both boiled and rawhide leather. Even this leather had to be made much more solid – people boiled it in oil to add extra firmness. The leather should have been as thick and coarse as possible.
Leather and cloth armor was a first step to the plate armor. This wool English doublet was made between 1625-1635 and is trimmed with silk and lined with linen In some cases, body padding was reinforced by metal elements, like armrests, shoulder plates, and plate mittens.Ĭloth under armor doublet from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. But their padded coats were rather thick and thorough, while those worn under the plate armor were thinner and more delicate. Poor infantrymen used such padded garments as the main armor. A good multilayered body padding was a pretty reliable protection from sward strikes and even arrows. These garments were padded or made from multiple layers of linen cloth or had a layer of horsehair and similar materials in between the layers of fabric. In medieval Europe, warriors used under armor made from the fabric (body padding, gambeson, doublet, etc.), which were worn under the hauberk. Just imagine – these are the prototypes of modern bulletproof vests, kevlar garments, and ballistic helmets. So, what armor did medieval knights in Europe actually wear? What was it made from, and how effective it actually was? Let’s see four most popular types of body armor used in the Middle Ages. And metal plate armor is only one type among many others. Medieval knights had different kinds of armor to protect them from cold and throwing weapons. Armor is one of the most important things to any warrior.
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