Medieval

Medieval Attire

Cloth Armor, Chain Mail, Plate Armor, Helmets, and Shields

Cloth armor usually came in the form of a padded jacket called a gambeson or aketon. It was made out of layers of heavy cloth usually linen or wool and sometimes leather which quilted together and stuffed in order to provide the wearer with with more protection. Although, cloth armor was inexpensive it was hot to wear and did not provide very adequate protection.

Early knights wore chain mail, or mail, which was made up of thousands of small interlocked metal rings. The metal rings in chain mail were usually made of iron which made the armor heavy, around 50 pounds. In order to construct this armor, metal worker would cut and heat thin strips of iron. While still hot the iron was first pulled into a tube shaped and then hammered it to a circular shape and let to cool. Once cooled, the iron rings were linked together with rivets and hammered flat. Although, chain mail provided more protection than cloth armor alone, it was expensive and more time consuming to make. Furthermore, once constructed chain mail was difficult to clean and dry which would then cause the armor to rust easily which in turn severely impacted the quality of the armor. Ultimately however, chain mail armor only really protected the wearer from cuts and blunt blows from a sword but did not provide much more protection. After the onset of longbows and cross bows chain mail thus became less effective.

Later on in the late middle ages knights began to wear plate armor. This type of armor protected the wearer's body and bent at the joints. It was constructed from solid overlapping metal plates. These metal plates were first cut into workable pieces and then heated and hammered into the shape desired before being connected by rivets. Although, this armor weighed about the same as chain mail, around 45 to 55 pounds, it usually polished or painted in order to prevent the metal from rusting and provide more protection than chain mail alone.
Also during this time, even a knights horse wore a type of plate armor. It was called barding and it covered the horse's head, neck, body and chest.

Similar to a knight's armor their helmets and shields also changed depending on evolving technology, weapons, and battle tactics. Helmets weighed about 4 to 8 pounds and were mainly used to protect the head in battle. This was because they were usually difficult to wear and did not provide much ventilation or visibility when worn. Three types of helmets worn were, the Norman helmet, the Great Helm, and the Bascinet. The Norman helmet provide the least protection of the three. It consisted of a conical shaped top and a nasal bar to protect the wearers head and nose in combat. The Great Helm was a helmet the covered the entire head. It contained hole used for breathing and slits for seeing both of which provided limited ventilation and view. Later on Bascinet helmets provided knights with the option of lift-able or movable visors that were able to provide more ventilation and much more visibility when opened.
Another tool that medieval soldiers used to defend themselves were shields. Depending on the materials available and the wealth of an individual, shields were made from leather, wood, metal, or a combination of the three. Shields like helmets also came in a variety of different styles and size and sometimes were ornately decorated.



Norman Helmet



Bascinet Helmet







Great Helm Helmet

Medieval Weapons

Longsword, Dagger, Mace, War Hammer, Morning Star, Lance, Longbow and Crossbow

The Longsword was usually the weapon of choice for medieval knights. The swords were usually made from low carbon mild steel and where characterized by having a double sided blade, a cross shaped hilt with a cross-guard on one side to protect the knights hands and a pommel on the other end to act like a counter weight. The sword also had a long grip that allow the knight to wield it with two hands.
The knightly dagger was a close combat weapon and was usually the knights secondary defense weapon. A dagger is simply a metal fighting knife that a knight could use stab an opponent.
A mace was a weapon similar to a club. It had a handle with a heavy head on one side. During the middle ages solid metal maces were used against chain mail armor. Although, the mace did not usually pierce the armor it was able to deliver a powerful blow to the opponent that caused damage to the individual.
A late medieval weapon intended for close combat was the war hammer. They began to be more heavily used when plate armor made of wrought iron began to be surface hardened with steel. Thus, hammers were used to deliver more forceful blow to the armor and helmet, denting armor and injuring an opponent. The war hammers sometimes also contained blade or spikes that could penetrate the weak points of the armor and cause more damage to an individual.

A morning star was a weapon that came in may shapes and size. It could be club like weapon similar to a mace with many spikes or it could be like a flail with a shaft and chain containing a spiked ball at the end. However, the morning star was shaped it usually contained a wooden shaft and metal spikes usually arranged as a ball and sometimes attached to the shaft with a chain. The morning star was a brutal weapon that could cause severe damage to in opponent if struck in the face or limbs.
The lance was a weapon that a knight could use on horseback. Lances were pole weapons that were long, thick, and heavy and were used to impact an opponent while ridding. Lances were usually made of wood with a metal tip which usually splintered on impact.
The longbow was a weapon knights could use at a distance. The bow and arrow was fashioned out of wood and strings were made from hemp, silk, or flax and attached to the bow. The longbow was an important weapon and sometimes a decisive factor in winning battles during the middle ages.
Another bowed weapon was the crossbow. Although less accurate and having a slower shooting rate than a longbow, the crossbow had advantages that it could be used by an inexperience individual and could provide more kinetic energy to the projectile then the longbow could. This is because the wooden bow of a crossbow was mounted on a stock which was mechanized to hold the string place it then allowed an individual to fire a projectile at an opponent.



Longsword






Longbow

Morning Star Flail

Medieval Materials

Leather, Iron, Steel, and Brass

Leather was a very versatile material. It has a high tensile strength, resists tearing and puncturing, and is good insulator. Also leather was mildew and fire resistant. Being that leather was comfortable to wear it sometimes was used as armor on its own or more often in metal armor for interior components and straps. Furthermore, leather could be easy molded to make shapes needed in armor and shield making.
One of the most common metals used in making armor was iron. Since iron is strong and malleable, it was easy to work with. However, iron is heavy and will rust when exposed to moisture which will then severely degrade it's structure.
Steel was another metal frequently used in making armor. Steel has a good malleability and durability. Thus, making it easy for metal workers to shape it into a suit of armor. Furthermore, steels durability and strength provided better protection for knights than iron.

Another metal used in armor making was brass. Brass was used for its strength, hardness, and resistance to corrosion and wear. It was also easy to shape since it has a good malleability. However, brass was usually used as a secondary metal for decorative purposes due to it's color and not usually as the main construction metal or a suit of armor.

Norman knight

Knight in plate armor