The Armour Archive

A curious detail I have noticed, is that in all the woodcuts and period illustrations I have seen of landsknechts, the few that are wearing armour do not appear to be wearing any sort of padded undergarment. Instead, it is simply worn over their usual puffed and slashed. Does anyone know the reason for this? Is it because what is usually worn is little more than breastplate and tassets, is it due to artistic license, or was it just worn that way? It seems to conflict with the usual practice of wearing a jack or pourpoint or such, and the current wisdom says that you need padding under armour for it to be truly effective.

Any takes on this seeming contradiction?

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Aww, come on...a little pain never hurt anyone...

darkman, do you know how thick the woolen clothing of a landesknecht was? Layer and layer and layer of cloth for the puffed and slashed look could provide exactly what you need for padding (winter in Germany is cold too, especially when travelling on campaign in the mountains). The user Frau Hirsch seems to know a bit about this group, so you might ask her if she shows up. You might also consider posting this question on the Research board.

Mag =)