The Armour Archive

I've been playing in the SCA for many years now and I've had several forays into different time periods.
I've done Dark Ages (Saxon Invasion to Brittania)
I've done later period stuff with a pikeman's pot and a sallet.
And currently I'm doing some crusades stuff.

But after all this time, I cant seem to settle. I really want to settle though! I do, but I just can't seem to find that one period that just completely float my boat. You see I'm an all or nothing kinda guy. I want my soft and hard kit to match. I know that I don't have to match and the beauty of it is I can switch it up... but I'm getting tired of always feeling like I'm just dabbling.

So what made you settle on the time period you did? Why does it fit you?

13th century hospitaller here. Picked it because the crusades always interested me. Theres plenty of information out there, but also enough missing to where you can draw your own conclusions on things.

13C Hospitaller and early 14C...Was easy for me, I'm fat and plate just doesn't look right when your BP is made from the hood of a 69 VW Bug...

Really though, I just love those two timeframes and the armour, with a few small changes pretty much fits both...Add aillettes and a CoP, with a visored Sugarloaf, instant change from 13 to 14C...

I did 14c for a while. Almost everyone around me did early Germanic/"Viking"/or Celt. Good impressions, not generi-. I decided to go with the flow and have never looked back.

Why settle for one, seriously.

I do several, 1009 Norman, 1509 German, 1379 French, and my next will be Norman 1088 post William pre 1st crusade. Other than the 1088 that I have not started yet I have hard and soft kits to back them all up.

History is a wonderful past time Why settle if you can devote the time to do them well, well do them. It is about having fun, and I and my wife enjoy them all.

Good luck.

Thor.

Greetings,

I started out as a 14th century Danish humanist called Donalbain Binnensotz.

I ditched it for a more plausible persona, my armor was already leaning towards a dark ages look with my wide kidney belt, leather vambraces, and puffy Norse pants. . .

The foppish clothes were fun but I found it difficult to get interested in the persona so I decided to switch.

My people are from Scandinavia and my Grandfather's name was Jelmer. I really like the Coppergate helmet so I chose to be a Danish viking that voyaged to Northumbria and conquered York in the 9th century. It just felt right.


Hjlmr inn Danski

yeah I have trouble sticking to one persona as well. I've been a 14th century Teutonic Crusading Knight since I started really. However Roman, Indian and Greek are all really exciting as well. I think I'm going to end up doing my Crusader for my light stuff (rapier, german longsword, cut & thrust) and maybe do Roman for Heavy.

OMG...no one has switched personas or time periods as much as me. My problem was ...making the whole kit and persona work. I am a reenactor too...ACW...WW2 and Longhunter. I married a lady who is in love with Tudor and Elizabethan periods. My family on paternal grandmothers side were reivers...3 where hanged so ....there is a genetic pull for that. I will not be doing the flash of court but the more suttle gentry garb. What ever you do...do it well! I appreciate any time or culture that is done well.

Adair

I started in the 14th century.
I wanted to wear maille and went back to the 11th century.
Then I moved to the 7th century because Adam Berry made me a really cool helm. But now that I've gotten here, I've decided I like the history of the time and plan on staying put. So my suggestion would be to find the time whose history most interests you and go with it.

Kenric

I settled on mine by accident. I had been cobbling together Cherburg style breastplates out of plastic for years without any concern to what period simply the ease of construction and the tools available to me. My helms have always been a bascinet of sorts simply because I liked the lines of them.

Enter the armour archive and the vast wealth of information that came to me. Then it clicked.
Most of my rig is "14th" thru accident not design, so why not do it right? My soft kit which was very very Generi-SCA is now being replaced by proper clothing thanks to my lady. And after a couple more touches, I'll have an acceptable total package.

For me, part of the answer is that I live in this land of SCA, where people from not only all over the world, but from the same exact place but as much as a thousand years apart, are all wandering around together.

I'm a Scot from Ayreshire in 1525 or so - and I've clothes for that. But I've seen all these other fashions that seem appealing, some for ease and comfort (Tudor really isn't made for setting up and tearing down camp, imo.), some for glamour (cote hardie (sp?) are pretty flashy). I'll wear any of them depending upon my mood, the tasks at hand, the setting.

I'm also interested in the technology and material culture of - everyplace - more than in the history, per se, of anyplace.

I chose the mid 14th century (western Europe) because I'm in the SCA and it's the period the organization is most geared to. I originally was drawn to the early 15th, but clothing and armor was a full order of magnitude more expensive then 14th century pieces. (I could buy several full sets of tunics and chausses for the price of a single houpelande).

Also;
-The one of the oldest and most exclusive knightly order of chivalry was started at this time; the "Order of the Garter" <-which is what the order of Chivalry in the SCA is based on.
-The armorial system is based on the heraldry of this period and location.
-Thougjh different, the feudal system of organization and titles we use in the SCA are from this period of time.
-Many of the most famous pieces of literature were written based on this period (Canterbury Tales, The White Company, the oldest Robin Hood stories we know of, and Mallory's "Le Morte de Arthur" is mostly based on a compilation of 14th century writings of the Arthurian myths.)
-Probably because of the above reasons; it is the time the victorians aimed at recreated in mock tournaments as well as the longbow archery revival.
-I like cotehardies (It's like wearing a medieval sport coat)
-Bascinets are low profile, and fantastic for shedding blows.
-The body armor is very transitional at this period, and in my opinion optimal for SCA combat. Later full cap-a-pie is a bit more then necessary, and a century earlier, you have to come up with clever ways to hide your rigid armor OR get used to being bruised.

That's just off the top of my head.
-Cian

English, because the English are cool. War of the Roses, because its cool people fighting cool people.(Thus making it cool).

Settle? I haven't settled at all, and probably never will. My fighting kit is (was?) one thing, but I have garb from ALL OVER western Europe throughout our period. I've got everything from pseudo-Greek/Roman chitons, to Anglo-Saxon, to Elizabethan and Tudor. Different stuff for different occasions. I save the Elizabethan and Tudor stuff for when I need to "clean up well" or want to bring out the bling. Generic tunics and roadkill pants for around camp. Bog dresses for when it's hotter than Hades at Pennsic.

I am settling on trying to make my new stuff as authentic as I can manage, using linen and wool more than cotton, etc. But until the peanut arrives, I'll mostly be in linen layers - because they're relatively easy to make and are nice and cool.

Just make one of each. Take the time to do it correctly, and then move on to the next project.

14th century England. I looked through some books on armour and I love the clean lines of the 14th century. I love it the more I learn about it.

In terms of choosing a persona/time period, I found it helpful to identify a personal connection to the time period. Something in your family tree (or at least plausibly in it).

In my case, I chose late 1200s Scot (family connection). I am moving toward a Norse fighting kit because my lineage is Scottish, but further back is Scandanavian (a 'viking' trader).

A little research will go a long way to help you identify what makes you comfortable and that will encourage you to research further.

Very early 16th Century Welsh Earl living in Italy here...love plate armor and reasonably comfortable civilian clothes!

I've been German the whole time, but the specific time has varied.
I picked German 'cause I was born in Germany, grew up for the most part in Germany, speak German, and really like it there. I also really enjoy German history, culture, even food (Beer and pretzels mmmmmmmm ).

I started as Landsknecht, c.1525. I did that for a while before coming to the conclusion that most of the people who do Landsknecht do it badly and give it a bad name, and that I couldn't in good conscience continue what I was doing and call it "Historical".

Also, I'd gotten very into rapier, and fell in love with black-and-white armour. About a year ago, I decided to push my persona 50 years back, and do 1570-1575 Schwarze Reiter. I've since decided that I like doublets, pluderhosen, venetians, and Truly Carmichael's Hats more than I like wams, hosen, and tellerbarrets.

Admittedly, I'm still a super-poor college student, so right now I'm just trying to do the best c.1570 I can, and migrating to more German-specific and more Reiter-specific as I go.

bigfredb wrote:In my case, I chose late 1200s Scot (family connection). I am moving toward a Norse fighting kit because my lineage is Scottish, but further back is Scandanavian (a 'viking' trader).

I also chose 13th century lowland Scoto-Norman for pretty much the same reason, family tree, and a strong fascination with the Stirling/Falkirk/Bannockburn era.

I'm a post conquest Saxon because I'm a New England Swamp Yankee and that culture seems to fit the best.
I started as 14th cent English (never did anything with it, except for one cotehardie), gave it up to be a Saxon and ten years later picked it back up again for a secondary kit.