Interesting Armour Quotes from "The Crown" c. 1230

[Gerhard von Liebau]

Alas, this is from an English translation and I have not the time or skill to render these passages from their original form in High Middle German. The Crown was written by Heinrich von dem Turlin c. 1230 and is a relatively obscure Arthurian tale of epic proportions, focusing on the renowned character of Gawain. During the course of my recent reading of J.W. Thomas's excellent prose translation (1989), I ran across a couple of interesting references to armor that I think might be appreciated here, so I've decided to share them.

p. 205 "When the time came the following morning for every man to get ready for the tournament, many were plainly concerned with the contests ahead, because they dressed slowly and with care. They put on stockings, greaves over them, then a jerkin and a collar. They had to have a hauberk, of course, and two or three squires to tie on the coif and arrange the armor so that it fit well. After that they needed an unbreakable metal plate in front of their chest: they had to have one in the arena since it was very useful in a joust. After everything was covered by a doublet or a silk surcoat, they were indeed dressed like knights."

p. 248 "The storytellers at once began their fables and tales, while boards for chess and other games were carried into the hall. At the same time, shields were hung along the walls, armor was cleaned in tumblers, helmets were decked uot with costly ornaments, palfreys and chargers were carefully washed and groomed, and preparations were made for jousts and a tournament..."

Although there are many other detailed references to armor and arming in The Crown these two stuck out to me for the obscurity of two points. First is the use of "unbreakable metal plates" and second is the use of tumblers to clean armor. It would of course be very interesting to find the original HMG in order to confirm the translation, but now is not the time for that on my part... Cheers!

-Gerhard

[Ernst]

Good references. An 1852 edition is available online. If you have line numbers rather than page numbers, it might be easier to locate. https://archive.org/details/diucrnevonheinr00trgoog

[Keegan Ingrassia]

Very interesting! A fascinating possibility, on both points. Thanks for sharing!

[Ernst]

Perhaps?

855 Zwên helme sam ein Spiegelglas
Und veste sam ein adamas.
Als nû der harnasch brâht wart,
Her Keiî ez niht langer spart,
Er gurte den lendeniere.

860 Dar nâch wart er vil schiere
In sîn îsergolzen geschuocht;
Ein wambeis wart ime gesuocht
Von einem buckeram blanc,
Einer spannen von der gürtel lanc,

865 Under sînen halsperc.
Diu ors wâren vür den berc
Brâht ûf ein eben,
Dâ in diu stat wart gegeben,
Ûf ein wîtez gevilde,

870 Und lanzen unde schilde.
Der coifen und des colliers,
Wâfenrockes, helmes und tschilliers
Der wart er vil snelle gar.
Ez beleip ab der ritter bar,

[Ernst]

185 An dem andern morgen
Vil gar unverborgen
Manie belt ze velde san,
Der sîn hosen schuobte an,
Dar über sin schellier;

190 Ein wambeis unde ein collier
Muost er haben dar nâch:
Hie mite was ime niht gâch;
Sô muost ein halsperc wesen dâ bî,
Dar nâch zwên knappen oder drî,

195 Die ime die coifen stricten
Und daz wâfen alsô schicten,
Daz ez im wære behende;
Dar nâch an dem ende
Gehôrte vür die brust ein blat:

200 Was er iht an der ritter stat,
Dêswâr, sô muostz dà vur:
Des gewan er michel gevüer,
Ob er wolte stechen;
Ouch sei er niht zebrechen,

205 Ein wambeis sol dar über sîn,
Oder ein wâfenroc sîdîn:
Sô vüer er wol in ritters schîn.

p. 205 "When the time came the following morning for every man to get ready for the tournament, many were plainly concerned with the contests ahead, because they dressed slowly and with care. They put on stockings (hosen)- mail chausses, greaves (schellier) - knee cops over them, then a jerkin (wambeis) - gambeson and a collar (collier). They had to have a hauberk (halsperc), of course, and two or three squires to tie on the coif (coifen stricten) stricken = "knitted" and arrange the armor (wâfen) so that it fit well. After that they needed an unbreakable metal plate in front of their chest (vür die brüst ein blat): they had to have one in the arena since it was very useful in a joust. After everything was covered by a doublet (wambeis)- gambeson or a silk surcoat (wâfenroc sîdîn), they were indeed dressed like knights."

There are many Germanized French loan words here, including the collier or collar, coifen or mail coif, blat or plate, and schellier (Wolfram uses schinellier) or genoillier - knee cops. I think the hosen are mail chausses as they appear to be in Tristan. Circa 1230 would be very early for any kind of schynbalds.
French Loan words into MHG: http://www.jstor.org/stable/287960?seq= ... b_contents
Previous thread discussing Tristan: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=170585

[Sean M]

Its always a good idea to check Google's OCR of old texts, because it seems to have been 'trained' on English texts in modern fonts without accents over any letters. That text uses circumflex â even if it may not have umlaut ä.

p. 205 "When the time came the following morning for every man to get ready for the tournament, many were plainly concerned with the contests ahead, because they dressed slowly and with care. They put on stockings, greaves over them, then a jerkin and a collar. They had to have a hauberk, of course, and two or three squires to tie on the coif and arrange the armor so that it fit well. After that they needed an unbreakable metal plate in front of their chest: they had to have one in the arena since it was very useful in a joust. After everything was covered by a doublet or a silk surcoat, they were indeed dressed like knights."

That would be good to put next to the William de Barres quote which everyone knows from Blair (and from Dan's Maille: Unchained). When you just have one source its hard to be sure about many things, but when you can put a few together ...

When I look through the Middle English Dictionary corpus, I see many years of work for someone who likes arms and armour and does not mind sitting down for a weekend with an Arthurian tale from the Early English Text Society, a notepad, and a pencil.

[Ernst]

That would be good to put next to the William de Barres quote which everyone knows from Blair (and from Dan's Maille: Unchained). When you just have one source its hard to be sure about many things, but when you can put a few together ...

Philippidos, Book III, Guillaume le Breton's original Latin:
http://remacle.org/bloodwolf/historiens ... ppide3.htm

490 Non tamen exspectat illum, sed it obvius illi ;
491 Fraxineamque viri propensis viribus hastam
492 Sub medio figit umbone, nec ipse minorem
493 Ictum Richardi, dextra feriente, recepit.
494 Utraque per clypeos ad corpora fraxinus ibat,
495 Gambesumque audax forat, et thoraca trilicem
496 Dissilit. Ardenti nimium prorumpere tandem
497 Vix obstat ferro fabricata patena recocto,
498 Qua bene munierat pectus sibi cautus uterque.
499 Hic dum ferre nequit impulsus utraque tantos,
500 Frangitur, et clarum dat lancea fracta fragorem.

Guillaume died c. 1225, so the account is likely contemporary with the German text, even though the events might be a few decades earlier.
The ash lances, striking beneath the bosses (umbone) penetrate both shields (clypeus), the gambeson (Gambesum), and the "thrice-woven" mail (thoraca trilicem). (Dan Howard and I have been around the bush on that phrase several times. "Thirce-woven" in his view could only mean "well made". John France has argued it implies 6:1 mail. Burlap is described as "thrice-woven" so it might only describe a coarse textured strong fabric, like mail. I have read that iron trellises, medieval burglar bars, are likewise described.) At any rate the lance is stopped by the worked iron plate or dish ferro fabricate patena.

[RandallMoffett]

Lovely find Ger. Seems like plate was indeed popping up earlier more often than thought. Still looks to be elite of the elite but a good find sir!

RPM

[Ernst]

For comparison, The Norwegian King's Mirror/Speculum Regale/Konungs-skuggsjá, usually dated c. 1250 calls for a good breastplate to be worn under mail.

English: https://archive.org/stream/kingsmirrors ... t_djvu.txt
Old Norse: https://books.google.com/books?id=6L4FA ... ra&f=false

The rider himself should be equipped in this wise:
he should wear good soft breeches (góðar hosur) made of soft and
thoroughly blackened linen cloth, which should reach
up to the belt; outside these, good mail hose (góðar brynhosur) which
should come up high enough to be girded on with a
double strap; over these he must have good trousers ((góðar brynbrœkr) - good mail-breeches?! cuisses? earliest brayettes!?!
made of linen cloth of the sort that I have already (might be covered or lined (görvar) -meaning uncertain to me.)
described ; finally, over these he should have good knee-
pieces (góðar knébjargir) made of thick iron and rivets hard as steel. Above
and next to the body he should wear a soft gambison (blautan panzara),
which need not come lower than to the middle of the
thigh. Over this he must have a strong breastplate (góðar brjóstbjörg)
made of good iron covering the body from the nipples to
the trousers belt ; outside this, a well-made hauberk (góðar brynju) and
over the hauberk (brynju) a firm gambison ] (góðan panzara) made in the manner
which I have already described but without sleeves.

[RandallMoffett]

I wish we had a better description or a bit of art showing us what these should look like. I do not do German but the Latin above is rather vague on design or shape.

[Ernst]

Most plates, dishes, pans are round (L. patina, patena, paten used at communion, etc.) but that's not a guaranteed descriptor.

[Ernst]

Its always a good idea to check Google's OCR of old texts, because it seems to have been 'trained' on English texts in modern fonts without accents over any letters. That text uses circumflex â even if it may not have umlaut ä.

Quite so, but I took the expeditious route by downloading the "Full Text" version.
https://archive.org/details/diucrnevonheinr00trgoog

The PDF download of the printed text has the relevant section on book pages 223-224, PDF 278/573 and following.

I think I've edited all of the more relevant passage with the correct diacritical marks, and corrected some spelling errors. I'll work on the rest as I get time.

[Ernst]

https://archive.org/details/diucrnevonheinr00trgoog
PDF page 330/573, book page 273

I'm fairly certain this is Gregory's second passage:

111 Fabel unde mære
Die fabelierære
Begunden sâ ze hant sagen.
Ouch wurden ûf den sal getragen

115 Schàchzabel unde spilbret;
Und wurden sâ zuo der sfet
Gehangen zuo den wenden
Die schilte, und in den grenden
Diu sarwât gereinet,

120 Und die helme beleinet
Mit rilichen zimieren;
Tjostiuren und turnieren
Wart dà ze hant ûf geleit;

p. 248 "The storytellers (Die fabelierære) at once began their fables and tales, while boards for chess and other games were carried into the hall. At the same time, shields were hung along the walls, armor was cleaned in tumblers, helmets were decked out with costly ornaments, palfreys and chargers were carefully washed and groomed, and preparations were made for jousts and a tournament..."

Line 115 has the chess sets (G. Schachspiele, MHG. Schàchzabel) and gameboards (G. Spielbrett, MHG. spilbret). Line 118 the shields (schilte), . Line 120 the helms (helme). The shields are hung along the walls or edge of the hall, and grenzen is a border or edge. The tumbling or cleaning of gear must be in the line:
Diu sarwât gereinet,
Not so specific as tumbled, but the Nuremburg Housebooks list several mail-makers as sarwürker and gereinigt is cleaned. I think our translator projected that mail is tumbled to clean it, though the text doesn't seem so explicit.

[Sean M]

I wish we had a better description or a bit of art showing us what these should look like. I do not do German but the Latin above is rather vague on design or shape.

I think that things which are only worn between other things will always be poorly documented. But it seems that paintings and sculptures give us a good idea of the fashionable male silhouette in the 1220s, and that enough work in sheet iron from the early 13th century must survive to allow a plausible guess of how a 13th century smith would have approached the problem of fitting a defense to the chest against lances. It would be a creative interpretation not a reproduction, but it might be close enough that a 13th century person would figure it was made in a foreign country or by a smith who did not usually make armour. Plate armour in the fourteenth century was so diverse ...

It sounds like we are still left with the Magdeburg St. Maurice as the earliest clear depiction of a pair of plates, but I suspect that there are things sitting in Italian archives which would help.

Someone with some German and patience to track down citations might enjoy:
Hugo Palander, "Der Franzözische Einfluss auf die deutsche Sprache im zwölften Jahrhundert," Mémoires de la Société Néophilologique de Helsinki 3 (1902, reprinted 1963) pages 75-204
Hugo Suolahti, "Der Franzözische Einfluss auf die deutsche Sprache im dreizehnsten Jahrhundert," Mémoires de la Société Néophilologique de Helsinki 8 (1929) pages 1-310

They are basically lists of all the citations for various words of Romance origin in German literature which he could find, organized by word and by century. I do not have time to work with these articles yet myself; modern German is tricky enough.

[RandallMoffett]

Sean,

But the problem I am seeing is the tense. Very often the term is plural. Early on it is singular. That strikes me as odd. That said I have found a few later ones that are singular but plates is in most accounts I have seen more/most common.

I have very limited availability in German sadly but I'd look at tense there as well. If it is plate over plates that could be a design description.

RPM

[Sean M]

I can think of a few differences between these descriptions (patena singular in Guillaume le Breton, ein blat singular in Heinrich von dem Turlin, góðar brjóstbjörg translated as singular in the Speculum Regale) and pairs of plates of the Wisby/Romance of Alexander period.

- The plates in the early texts seem to just protect the front. Later pairs of cuirasses and pairs of plates protect both front and back.

- The early texts describe one large plate on its own, but later pairs of plates consisted of many small plates attached to a lining.

It seems to me that there are some sources for armour of small uncovered plates in the thirteenth century, so I do not think we need to assume that a “plate of iron” worn over or under the haubergeon was built like a later “pairs of plates” worn over or under the haubergeon. Trecento Italian sources seem to contrast petto “breast” and peza “piece” which are typically bare and mainly protect the front with corazza “cuirass” and corazzina “little cuirass” which are typically covered and wrap all the way around the body.

[RandallMoffett]

Yes that is exactly my thinking. This sit he reason a MS illustration would be nice.

[Ernst]

Sean,

But the problem I am seeing is the tense. Very often the term is plural. Early on it is singular. That strikes me as odd. That said I have found a few later ones that are singular but plates is in most accounts I have seen more/most common.

I have very limited availability in German sadly but I'd look at tense there as well. If it is plate over plates that could be a design description.

RPM

.... góðar brjóstbjörg probably singular in the Speculum Regale) and pairs of plates of the Wisby/Romance of Alexander period.

Not an area of expertise for me, but Icelandic is the most closely related language to Old Norse which Google is able to translate. Icelandic seems to change the vowels for plurals, much like English mouse to mice, or tooth to teeth. In Icelandic we have dog to dogs, hundur to hundar, and cat to cats, köttur to kettir. The literal translation reads breast-rocks. With rock to rocks making the change bjargi to björg. So plates seems likely to be a better translation, IMHO.

It's the mail breeches that have me baffled, and the relation of the fabric (canvas, not linen) to them.

[Sean M]

Ok, I have not studied Old Norse either, so lets put that one aside until someone who has pipes up. I think that Old Norse björg is related to Modern German burg. Ein blat is definitely singular.

There is another passage in Guilliame book 11

Tot ferri sua membra plicis, tot quisque patenis
Pectora, tot coriis, tot gambesonibus armant.

“So many arm their own limbs with plicae of iron, so many each their breasts with plates, so many with leathers [Curies?], so many with gambesons.”

[RandallMoffett]

Ernst,

That actually is great. See those are 1250 or so. I suspect early on there is one plate but as time goes on they are adding more and more around. So having a later source use a plural is great. I'll have to see if I can get someone to look at the original text. I did Anglo-Saxon but it has been

RPM

[Ernst]

Ok, I have not studied Old Norse either, so lets put that one aside until someone who has pipes up. I think that Old Norse björg is related to Modern German burg. Ein blat is definitely singular.

There is another passage in Guilliame book 11

Tot ferri sua membra plicis, tot quisque patenis
Pectora, tot coriis, tot gambesonibus armant.

“So many arm their own limbs with plicae of iron, so many each their breasts with plates, so many with leathers [Curies?], so many with gambesons.”

The plicis / plicae are interesting. "Folds of iron" on the limbs? Scale armor? draping mail?

As noted, I'm not an expert either, but the change in modern Icelandic seems pretty consistent:
plate > plates = plata > plötur
rock > rocks = bjargi > björg
mountain > mountains = fjall > fjöll

So I'm fairly confident that björg is plural or a pair of plates.

[Sean M]

Ein wambeis wart ime gesuocht
Von einem buckeram blanc,
Einer spannen von der gürtel lanc,
865 Under sînen halsperc.

A gambeson was found for him,
Of a buckram white,
A span long from the belt,
Under his hauberk.

A span (ie. the greatest distance you can cover with your little finger and your thumb) down from the 'natural waist' is barely butt-covering at a time when tunics normally brushed the knees.

The Norwegian King's Mirror says that "Above [the leg armour] and next to the body he should wear a soft gambison (blautan panzara), which need not come lower than to the middle of the thigh."

Edit: The murderers in a Massacre of the Innocents in Verona also wear very short quilted garments, only 3-4 fingers longer than the waist https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... hlehem.jpg