The Armour Archive

Ernst

There is a rare find of Roman scale excavated in 1979 from the Severan (193-235ad) fortess in Carpow, Scotland which retains its linen base. There are also the Dura Europa horse bardings which show scales being attached in a similar way. It is purely conjectural on my part to suggest that the same p...

Ernst

I made a scale mitten years back based on the Vie de St. Denis images. I'd sew the scales, but use an historical pattern for the stitching, as opposed to stitching through two holes and over the edge (my mistake). Backed with 1/4" of closed cell foam, I found it more than adequate, though I made it ...

Ernst

They are made of .045" thick mild steel. I'm thinking this may actually be a bit too thick........................... I'm thinking maybe .03" would be better? Did I miss something in math class? (I mean using vertical and hoizontal overlap gives double thickness over the majority of the scale, and ...

Ernst

It seems to me that depictions of this sort of scale-clad warrior increase in Western Europe after the Fourth Crusade. The question might be framed to ask whether the French are copying Byzantine armor styles, or Byzantine art which trys to maintain links with Rome. The 1317 St. Denis manuscript sho...

Ernst

Yep. My point was only that 'knighthood' was apparently projected back into classical and Biblical times, hence the general idea of warriors from pre-Migration-era times being styled knights is feasible. This doesn't speak to individual examples, and particularly to those of villains, of course. Bu...

Ernst

Wow! And he takes really good close-ups (looking at the rings in the Dura scale bard...)

Ernst

Not Felix, but Nicolle's Big Green Book gives it a c. 1145 date.

Ernst

Yet having the "right" armor does not distinguish a knight from a squire, gentleman-at-arms, sergeant, or wealthy burgher. In the words of Lull, "Neither election, nor horse, nor armour suffices to the high honor which belongs to a knight." Lull is at least writing around the time of the French Bibl...

Ernst

From the medieval European perspective, being a great lord of great faith in another religion (think Saladin) would preclude one from knighthood. Goliath might be noble, but as an enemy of the Christian God, he could never have been knighted.

Ernst

Tasha, You're certainly more knowledgable on the subject than I. I simply recall seeing cendal, samite (satin?), and taffeta mentioned in various 14th century sources for doublets and surcoats. What specific weaves or weights were meant seems as conjectural to those citing the records as it is to yo...

Ernst

According to the following site, the Andalusian "kattan" was used for white linen, and "qutun" for cotton. Since these are phonetic renderings of Arabic, I would be surprised if the two words are not the same; leading to the same conclusion as Egfroth reached -- white linen would be called cotton. m

Ernst

Tasha,

I seem to recall seeing cendal (sendal) being mentioned for the purpose. The usual explanation being that this is a light, almost gauze-like silk. Perhaps a light weight silk would be appropriate?

Ernst

m While I would be inclined to say the padded garment worn beneath mail and a CoP or early breastplate in mid- to late-14th century would be an aketon, it might also be a number of other things. Besides, there are references to aketons "de coro" (of horn), so the meaning of 'aketon" might have evolv...

Ernst

The Bodleian dates this part of the manuscript which deals with the travels of Marco Polo to c. 1400 as Strongbow mentioned. The "Phrygian" bascinets also appear in a Czech picture Bible from the 1340s, so some Central European influence might be at work. The Isenheim Altarpiece is usually dated aro...

Ernst

Rectangular scales cover a helmet in the transfiguration scene of the Isenheim Altarpiece by GrÃ¼newald as well. m I recall a Polish 17th century scale helmet being posted before by Jason Grimes, but the link is now dead. The round scales were affixed with a single, central rivet. A similar helmet c...

Ernst

Though the use is not heraldic, the style of the 12th century tiger can be seen in the Aberdeen Bestiary.

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/comment/8rtiger.hti

Ernst

Since you would be a Cistercian monk, might I suggest a white cappa clausa?

Ernst

Osprey Warrior 18 "Knight of Outremer 1187-1344 AD", David Nicolle, p.47 cites an "espaliÃ©re de balainne" from a 1302 inventory. I believe I have seen references to baleen gauntlets in the 1280-1320 period as well. I suspect these may have been of scale construction, but the plates could have been ...

Ernst

Adam, I read that you're not offended, but sense that you are at least annoyed; and for that, I apologize. You are not the first person who has responded to one of my posts in that manner, and the fault might well lie with me failing to express myself adequately, or the limitations of the media. I h...

Ernst

As you've noted, the helmet is far too early (about a century so) for the time you're trying to portray. You'd look much better in a kettle or cervelliere for the 1300-50 span. I think gauntlets are rather iffy for town militia. I don't recall seeing separate plated gauntlets until about 1315, and t...

Ernst

FYI that the Teutonic Order was strongest from 1150-1350 (ok some local continuation through earlier 1400's) but the Teutonic impact or focus was in the Lithuania to Poland regions and not central or southern Germany where the Catholic Church had a strong control of the region. The Teutonic Order w...

Ernst

I don't think there is any evidence for surcoats as early as the First Crusade. There is limited evidence for some by the Third, but they don't seem to have gotten popular until the early 13th century, slightly after the Fourth Crusade.

Ernst

Not to mention the question of whether the plate is a piece of armor at all, rather than part of a bucket, pan, etc....

Ernst

Most latten borders have rings closed with iron rivets. Latten is pretty non-descript, but is probably better termed brass than bronze. There is some Roman bronze mail used as a scale backing, but I don't recall reading the material used for rivets. Copper alloy rings with iron rivets would be in co...

Ernst

I think a couple of gores on the sides is the way to go. You might get away with a pair in the front and back and still split the cote for riding. I don't know about using wool at all. Most of the contemporary references I've seen refer to various light silks being used.

Ernst

Perhaps the Ronbjerg kyrtle would be the closest contemporary base pattern?

http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-ca ... nberg.html

Ernst

Certainly the older style of chausses, the ones with the open backs, show signs of being laced over the shoe sole as well. See the pattern formed on this Villard de Honnecourt drawing. m The benefit of the crossed lacing over the turnshoe sole seems to have been well recognized. Charles ffoulkes "Th...

Ernst

Sometimes they may have been tied over the shoe and not had soles attached.

Ernst

If you opt for the North American entrada of Hernando de Soto, there are primary sources available.

Ranjel, Soto's personal secretary's account:

http://www.floridahistory.com/rangel1.html

The Gentleman of Elvas, a Portuguese member of the expedition:

http://www.siu.edu/~anthro/muller/Elvas.htm

Biedma, the representative of Emperor Charles V:

http://www.siu.edu/~anthro/muller/Biedm ... a_1544.htm

Ernst

...made for Empoeror Charles V of spain. As a note of clarification, Charles Hapsburg was Carlos I, King of Spain, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. He is noted for his quote of speaking Spanish to God, Italian to men, French to women, and German to his horse. He's as much Burgundian as Spanish (fathe...

Ernst

The Hapsburg dominions were vast, and you don't have to be Spanish to be in the New World. There are Frenchmen at Fort Caroline (Jacksonville, FL), Portuguese in Brazil and with Hernando de Soto in the Southeastern US, and Germans in Venezuela. Adarga info: m Portuguese swords: m Marozzo's contempoa...

Ernst

Wallace Collection Catalogues, European Arms and Armour Supplement, A.V.B. Norman, 1986, p.63. A170 Close Helmet for the field, German (Augsburg), about 1590 "The helmet contains almost a complete set of the buff leather straps fitted inside the skull mentioned under No. A47 in the 1962 Catalogue an...

Ernst

MilleniumLancelot wrote:I would try to go for being a blacksmith only...but Im sure that the SCA is inundated with blacksmiths,brewers, bakers, cobblers and all sorts of trades...

IIRC the SCA presumes all of its members to be of noble birth, so there are actually few tradesmen being chosen as personnae.

Ernst

The easiest way to get black clothing in the medieval period is to use black wool from black sheep. Think Benedictine!

Green is a rather less common color in medieval heraldry for the same reason of field identification. The goal of heraldry is counter to that of the art of camoflage.

Ernst

The subject has also been discussed at length, several times, on AA's R&A forum. A quick search for 'latten' will likely bring up several relevant threads. Thordemann documents several latten gauntlet plates, mostly knuckle riders and tip plates. Some manuscripts show gilt colored joint plates on th...

Re: looking for phot of tonlet armour