The Armour Archive

chef de chambre

Later bags could have them, Check out 'Purses in Pieces', for examples. I suspect earlier scripts had them as well. The later ones could point shut, or close with a buckle and strap.

chef de chambre

What 'period'? the technology for spurs change, as does the method of strapping. Ealy on, the simpleist is one narrow strap, above, and below the foot. Most terminals have a pair or three rings, and narrow straps terminating in hooks, one side with a buckle, and the other with holes for the thorn, t...

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It came out fantastic, Clay!

chef de chambre

They show up in manuscript miniatures too, here and there, circa turn of the 15thc. Given the size of a miniature and the ability to heraldicize surcottes (yes, I made it a verb, forgive me), I'm inclined to believe these really existed and are not an artistic convention for portraying heraldry... ...

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It could also be a fake.

chef de chambre

Norman, You are of course correct regarding the Slejuk invading the Middle East, and the collapse of the internal governments of the Middle East, BUT - Don't forget the Seljuk cut the pilgrimage routes to Jerusalem. It they had not have done that, the Pope would have been less likely to respond to t...

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Again, the Aymer de Valence memorial is mid 1320's, and shows the same - and that is in the backwater of England, not the forefront of development of the day, France and Italy. I don't know. I must be looking at another Aymer de Valence, because his armor looks strictly like floating 'soupcan' knee...

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I can't speak to the 11th century, but clip pointed knives and varients are usually associated with serving fish in later eras at table.

chef de chambre

... Such knee cops appear in mid-fourteenth memorial art, so de Boulai's 1346 death date falls right in there -- same year as CrÃ©cy. But the effigy is dated to 1326 not 1346. It's only 20 years, but in my mind it seems early for fully articulated knees with cased legs. But if they did start that e...

chef de chambre

No, you merely are not aware of how early certain advances date to. The Amyer de Valance memorial is exactly contemporary to this, and shows cased greaves and cuisse in one of the series of side panels, being worn by said lord. In others, he wears demi-greaves over mail chausses, etc. All this shows...

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Actually, I think the life of Edward is English. It follows older conventions of manuscript art than contemporarycontinental art. What we do have, in some churches are miseriecords and other carvings - not the large cathederals, usually, but parish churches outside of the Southeast of England. A ton...

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The Beauchamp pagent had a Continental artist. Most deluxe manuscript comissions by English patrons had artists of continental origins, if they weren't in part made on the Continent to begin with.

chef de chambre

I think it's a horse, not a zebra. Maybe they did wear that configuration, and it worked. I realize there are graves with fellows with injured legs, but maybe the majority of attacks are coming from above. Arrows, falling, bills and spears striking high... Really, the only place in a massed formati...

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You find the armed man listed as 'brigandines' in Gascony and Guienne, both immediately prior to, and after the expulsion of the English, but they are most commonplace after the expulsion of the English. These "Brigandines" are listed as having half armour, and armed with glaives - I didn'...

chef de chambre

Actually, by mid century, there were far more voiders/standards/skirts/breeches being worn with a complete harness than full haubergeons, which seem to show up more in Italy and Spain for some reason. Full haubergeons with plate in Northern Europe seem to pass out of fashion after the 1420's as bein...

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I think you are correct, lots of archers with knees only but no one with cuisses and knees without greaves. Unless this guy is it? (I think he has only knees) Looks like archers knees in that pick to me. I think "archers knees" are nothing more than an artist misinterpreting cuisse. I hav...

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Hi Ron, Standards, voiders, and skirts or mail breeches (braies) were the norm in Northern Europe, by mid 15th century for wearing a complete harness. Haubergeons or hauberks, with an additional mail skirt are an Italian thing. Frankly, they were wearing a HELL of a lot more mail with their plate or...

chef de chambre

Coming along beautifully Clay!

chef de chambre

The term musket does not come into use until well within the 16th century, though. Tactical use of the arquebus in Germany at the time pretty much has them being either used from town walls, or wagenbergs, in a very static fashion. Given powder, barrel length, and the windage between barrel and proj...

chef de chambre

I assume you have checked out the records for the building of the caravela, the Mary Howard?

chef de chambre

Your tonnages are probably slighter than possible by the 15th century. Multi-masted mixed rigged ships were being used in the Med, by the early 15th century, that are up to tenfold an average tonnage maximum the Northern European carrack average you quote. Also, consider the multi-masted naval vesse...

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The carrack develops into the galleon, galleys being used continually in the Med, and having their own evolutionary pattern.

chef de chambre

Interesting to note, there is a description in Olivier de la Marche of an entrement in Philip the Good's Feast of the Pheasant, which depicts a shooting at the popinjay - in this case,in the form of a magpie, atop a tall pole, by shooters of both bows and crossbows.

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Though that is the crux of my situation/problem. The germans were basically hoarders lol they kept armor that fell out of fashion and still used it for a long long time lol that's why I really don't know what I want for torso protection. The merc tailor breastplate is a little tight THAT'S NOT merc...

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Military self-sufficiency was pursued with vigour. Each town housed a huge quantity of equipment, which in its turn required specialists to maintain and repair it. Johannes Cochlaeus paused in his description of Germany of 1512 to wonder at Nuremberg's many towers, each a miniature arsenal.[4] To m...

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A lot of the shooting was at 'popinjays' on a mast, rather than what we think of as a range. The Popinjay makes its appearance in Low Country crossbow shooting in references by the mid 15th century at least.

chef de chambre

Jonathan Atkin wrote:aren't side pivots more an english thing then german?

English, French, Flemish.

If you are portraying a German, the hat is Aces.

chef de chambre

Very pretty!

Honestly, we need to see more round nosed mid 14th century bascinets with side pivots though.

chef de chambre

JoJo Zerach wrote:Oh, I didn't know any surviving arm harnesses were integrated. Some effigies certianly look integrated and others don''t, maybe both were used.

There is no maybe about it.

chef de chambre

Don't wooden goblets have a specific name, though? They are not goblets, they are doublecups, like the first image Tracey posted.The material they are made of does not count in catagory,. but rather their form. You have them sprinkled in the images with the sort that sit on pedastle bases, which I ...

chef de chambre

They made them in wood as well, even mounted some of the woods ones in silver and silver-gilt.

Robin Wood makes an excellent set.

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, and wore iron helmets and coats and gauntlets of whaleskin. Each carried a shaft having an iron spike with a ferrule." I would love to see the original of that quote ! I have never seen a reference before to whale leather. I have seen whalebone listed before in the maing of armour and my fee...

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Holy Crap! Very Impressive!

With all the detail he went into, why didn't he make the manchilations working ones? That place is begging for a reenactment of a siege, which could help them bring in more tourists. 1495 anyone?

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1. I would wonder if the translation was correct. There is no such thing as a Medieval 'waistcoat' for example. 2. We have documentary evidence of cloth padded armoures covered with an outer layer of deerhide (soft leather). This is from a mid 15th century French ordinance issued by Louis XI. 3.Ther...

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I've seen descriptions of patches attached right onto the jack itself. Archers probaly didn't wear coats as they would simply hinder the firing of the bow. It was likely a lot of unneccesary garments were left before going to battle. As for a Wapinshaw, they would probably try and turn out in their...