The Armour Archive

Ernst

Eff,

I've neer worked with tow, so your comments picqued my interest. Would you care to offer some insight on why tow would be difficult to use for quilting?

As a peculiar aside, Sudanese padded armors often used kapok. Anybody got a bunch of old life vests?

Ernst

I doubt the sleeves would be inset, nor would they be cut in one piece with the body -- if this is what you mean by "T-tunic". I. Marc Carlson's site has a few examples of early garments, but I think the earliest inset sleeves are Cerda's aljubba or jupon of the late 13th century. As for thickness, ...

Ernst

By the mid-16th century, Henry VIII's foot soldiers were wearing a form of plate armor, the "Almain Rivet". A large number of these could be purchased for the money spent on one harness for Henry. Compromises were clearly made: Almain Rivets were not made to fit indiviual soldiers, they only offered...

Ernst

IIRC the first mention in England is an Assize of 1187 which requires levies to appear in mail or a gambeson. The first clear depiction of a gambeson of which I am aware is from the Morgan Beatus of Liebana (MS 429) which shows guards of Nebuchadnezzar wearing them. These have half-sleeves with the ...

Ernst

Got Broadband?

www.bl.uk/collections/treasures/digitisation.html

Ernst

I must disagree with Anders somewhat. In regards to the Maciejowski as a source, there was no need to make the illustrations "simpler" or to dumb them down. This was in all likelyhood a Royal manuscript expected to be presented to very high nobility who would understand what was being shown. There i...

Ernst

As is the case in today's writing, most inks were black. If parchment were the base, the whiter skin was preferred. BUT, there are purple parchments with luxury gold and silver inks and so forth, so do what matches your kitchen decor. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder ater all.

Ernst

Here are two depictions of Lord Ulrich von Gutenburg, the first from the Codex Mansse, and the second from Constance-Weingartner. http://www.tempora-nostra.de/manesse/img/032.jpg http://www.bumply.com/Medieval/Manuscript/14.htm You can compare these with examples in the Zurich Roll of Arms. http://l...

Ernst

Then there are the examples of sword belts being worn as baldrics. KA 20, folio 49v has an image of soldiers talking with Julius Ceasar showing such an example.

http://www.kb.nl/kb/manuscripts/search/index.html

Ernst

I am thankful for the amount of primary documentation Nicolle has uncovered and gotten published, but agree whole-heartedly about the "water and fire" thing. I have observed that every depiction of scale armor is "fanciful". Given Egfroth's comments on Byzantine baldrics, and their appearance in Gre...

Ernst

Glen K, As a qualification to my previous post, this fresco might be late 13th century. One text which I have on Spanish art suggests 1220's while David Nicolle says late 13th century. The painting is identified by Nicolle as being in the Museo de Historia de la Ciudad, Barcelona. Interestingly, oth...

Ernst

As the guy who wrote this, let me offer several notes. First, I advised in the article that this be worn over mail and a gambeson. I fought in mail (both 14g and 17g rings) and in the gambeson alone. I would have been satisifed in the armored surcoat over the gambeson without the mail, though many w...

Ernst

The lead pikeman in this Aragonese fresco of the early 1200's seems to be using one.

http://cgfa.floridaimaging.com/unknown/p-unknow38.htm

Ernst

I am reminded that the king's thrones and bishop's cathedrae from the Isle of Lewis chess pieces have similar ornament carved in the back.

Ernst

English, circa 1250:

http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Ee.3.59/bytext

Ernst

A review was published in 'Military Illustrated' #23, Feb./March 1990 pp.15-18, Laurent Mirouze, Sarah Fleming, trans. The helmet was excavated from a well turned refuse pit in 1984. The site had preciously been excavated in 1866, but excavation work had stopped a meter short of several finds becaus...

Ernst

I would think that the laced chausses would be much easier to produce (if not to don) for the time period which NM covers. Even as late as the sketches of Villard de Honnecourt, we see them in use both among sergeants and knights. (I presume Villard is either too late for your cut-off, or at the ext...

Ernst

First, let's talk terminology. Plumata (feathers) and squamata (scales) seem to be words both used by the Romans in reference to armor. We are not sure what they meant by the terms, but H. R. Robinson used 'squamata' for scales sewn to a fabric base, and 'plumata' for scales woven into the weave of ...

Ernst

I'm certain there are plenty of images of gloves being worn in the Codex Manesse, although one could debate that they were not beng worn for warmth. The Tower Manuscript I.33 shows gloves being used by early14th century fencers as well. I believe a few images of Bishops or Popes might show gloves in...

Ernst

Much of the answer would depend on if you consider attached mail mufflers as "gauntlets". Fingered gloves appear before separate gauntlets. Individually fingered, attached mail mufflers preceed separate gauntlets as well. Most early separate mail gauntlets, which begin to be shown around 1290, are m...

Ernst

Better late than never, I suppose... Brent Hanner recently posted a response on the "75 years" forum containing the translation from the 'King's Mirror', a Norwegian text of circa 1250. Although I have read this many times before, I had forgotten the specific instructions for the chausses given in C...

Ernst

I suspect many of the 45 splits you refer to are actually straight splits which pull apart under the weight of the mail. I prefer using expansions for 5 or 6 inches over the hips to make the split hang straight. A ring or two per row is adequate.

Ernst

First, be a celibate monk.

Ernst

Perhaps it is more accurate to say that some sugarloafs are shown with visors or reinforcing bevors. I have many images of sugarloafs without side hinges as well.

Ernst

Chuck, It seems the subject of fold-over tabs was covered within the last few months, although I can't remember if it was on the Armour or R&A forums. The information and debate may have been lost in a crash. Anyway, The Edward the Confessor manuscript, Ee3.59, shows rounded tabs on both heaumes and...

Ernst

I would suggest steel in the 0.5-0.6mm thickness range. There is ample evidence in Roman finds for sewing scales to a linen backing. I have so far found no evidence for riveting or nailing scales to a foundation, although this was the norm for brigandine work in the 1400's. I suspect that many of th...

Ernst

Time and Place?

Ernst

It is my understanding that the reason it is so difficult to obtain information on the helm or hauberk is because they are not "artifacts", but rather "relics." If they are sacred relics tied to a cannonized saint, getting permission to study them scientifically will require the same sort of tortuou...

Ernst

Documentation for leather clothing is sparse. There is a reference to King John of England providing one of his squires with a deerskin hood in this time frame.

Ernst

I'm certain I've seen photos for a stone dopple for making Alexandrian-era Boetian helms, which are bronze and not leather. A stone dopple would hardly be evidence backing the theory for a leather armor.

Ernst

You could always aim for being a Polish hussar armed in the "Sarmatian" style.

http://www.husaria.jest.pl/karac.html

Ernst

Does Bradford's publisher give a soure for the photo? It sounds a lot like the Wallace's A17/18 "Pair of Mail Stockings -- These have been made up in modern times from a mail shirt of the late XVth century, and have been tailored to make long drawers with feet. At one tme they were joined to the mai...

Ernst

Sorry, but anything said is almost all conjecture. There are no surviving mail chausses to my knowledge. Further, details of how they are suspended are hidden by tunic, gambeson, or hauberk skirting most of the time. There can be a few broad generalizations made from artwork. By the mid-11th century...

Ernst

Manuscipt KA 20 is from western Flanders, circa 1325-1335. You may view the images by going here: http://www.kb.nl/kb/manuscripts/search/index.html and entering KA 20 in the "shelfmark" box. You can use the advanced search for other manuscripts by choosing a date range, say 1300-1400, if you don't k...

Ernst

Yes. Absolutely. The Bodleian's 'Romance of Alexander is chock full of examples.