Document: 1322 Count of Flanders

[Ernst]

Trying something new, with postings of inventories relevant to armor. All will be Titled as "Document:" to aid in future searches. Please feel free to correct my poor attempts at translation.

Source:
https://archive.org/stream/documentsete ... a_djvu.txt
https://ia802502.us.archive.org/6/items ... 01deha.pdf

Inventory of arms, Robert of Béthune,(Robert III), Count of Flanders, 7 Sept 1322, upon his death.



Premiers, deus paires de fier de haubergerie , de couvertures a cheval.
First, 2 pairs of iron of hauberk-work, for covering a horse. (i.e. mail trappers)
Item, un haubiert.
Item, a hauberk.
Item , un boin clavre de Cambli.
Item, a good nail of Chambly. (i.e. a hauberk. Chambly was famous for it's mail. The good (bon) might mean all-riveted.)
Item , un chamal du mesme.
Item, one camail of the same (good nailing from Chambly.)
Item , unes manches et uns pans de Cambli a plates.
Item, a sleeves and a paunce of Chambly for plates. (Mail sleeves and skirt to be worn with a pair of plates.)
Item , une gorgiere double , pour capiel de Montauban.
One double gorget for a Montauban kettle hat. (gorget also likely to be mail.)
Item, une paire de chauches.
Item, one pair of chausses.
Item, un camail caupé.
Item, one cut or short camail.
Item, un camail entir de France.
Item, a complete camail of French workmanship.
Item, un camail de Lombardie et une gorgiere de Lombardie délies.
Item, a camail and a gorget of loosened rings from Lombardy.
Item, une paire de caucons coupés.
Item, one pair of cut or short chaussons. (Mail socks or boots.)
Item , une gorgiere de Cambli.
Item, one gorget of Chambly.
Item , deus gorgieres franchoises de demi clawre.
Item, two French gorgets of half nailing. (i.e. demi-riveted mail - half solid rings, half riveted.)
Item , une paire de manches de Lombardie a plates et uns pans.
Item, 2 pair of sleeves and a paunce of Lombard mail for/ with plates.
Item , uns pans de France pour atakier a auketon.
Item, a French paunce for attaching to an aketon.
Item , une paire de wans de haubergerie de France.
Item, a pair of gauntlets of mail-work from France.
Item , un haubergon de Melan.
Item, an haubergeon of Milan.
Item, deus piechetes de fier pour atachier a uns pans.
Item, two pieces of iron for attachment of a paunce.

Item, un nuef tournikiel de gaune veluel des armes de monsingneur de Flandres , fourés de vert chendal.
Item, a new tunic of yellow velvet with the arms of my lord the Count of Flanders, lined(?) with green cendal.
Item , un tabardiel de drap des armes monsingneur semé de tramlines d'or.
Item, a tabard of a drape of arms of my lord, powdered throughout(?) of gold.
Item, un wambison des armes monsingneur, la ou il a une roit de soie.
Item, a gambeson of the arms of my lord, it's the one straight(?) of silk
Item, un tournikiel de cendal des armes monsingneur a plates.
Item, a tunic of cendal of the arms of my lord for wearing with plates.
Item, un tournikiel de chendal diaspré par places des armes monsingneur, fouré de rouge chendal.
Item, a tunic of cendal diapered in places with the arms of my lord, lined(?) in red cendal.
Item, a tunic of cendal
Item, a tunic of cendal.
Item , un noef auketon de plates, de rouge cendal al endroit, de vert al enviers.
Item, a new aketon of plates, of red cendal all over, with green al enviers(?) (à l'envers(?) -upside down, topsy-turvy)
Item, un auketon de plates rouges vies, fouré de vert chendal.
Item, a red aketon of plates, lined with green cendal.
Item, une paire de couvertures de chendal pour cheval, dyasprés des armes monsingneur.
Item, a paire of coverings of cendal for the horse, powdered with the arms of my lord.
Item, une autre paire de couvertures a cheval, wambisiés des armes monsingneur.
Item, another pair of coverings for the horse, gamboissed with the arms of my lord. (quilted barding)
Item , unes autres couvertures a cheval trayllies, couvertes de drap.
Item, another covering for the horse, trellised, covered in cloth.
Item , unes braies de fier wambisiés.
Item, a brayette of iron, gamboissed. (That this appears in the middle of the horse coverings is odd, though the inventory becomes less organized as it goes on.)
Item , une testiere a cheval en tiete.
Item a testier for the front of the horse.

Item , unes petites plates clauées d'argent , couvertes de samit de flours , et unes manches et uns wans de ce mesme.
Item, a small plates with silver nails, covered in floral samite, and sleeves and gauntlets of the same.

Item , une espée de Florence et une miséricorde sour le wainne qui est de rouge soie estoffée d'argent.
Item , une espée qui est de le main maistre Jehan d'Orgeret.
Item , une courte espée de wiere a une coroie et noir fouriel.
Item, une autre espée commune.
Item, un coutiel de Lombardie et coutiaus autres cours, de viere.
(various swords and daggers)

Item, deus makes estoffées d'argent, dont les manches sont d'ebenus.
Item, two makes the sleeves which have been filled out with silver(?)
Item , trois paires de wans de plates et une paire de wanteles de balainne , entretes (?) de blanc chendal.
Item, three pairs of gauntlets of plates, and one pair of gauntlets of whalebone, covered of white cendal.
Item , une paire de quissiens de plates et deus paires wambisiés.
Item, a pair of cuisses of plates, and two pair of gamboissed cuisses.
Item , deus paires de quissiens de fier burnis et trois paires de greues de ce mesme.
Item, two pair of cuisses of burnished(?) iron, and three pairs of greaves of the same.
Item, un bachinet a visière et le colerete deriere et deus demi visières qui y apertienent.
Item, a bascinet with visor and collar in the back, and two half visors which are related to it.
Item , un heaume a visière et a un capiel de Montauban.
(Item, a helm with visor, and a Montauban kettle hat.
Item , une paire de poulains crus.
Item, a pair of raw (unfinished?) poulaines/sabatons.
Item , une glave.
Item, a glaive.
Item , deus bachinés couviers de blanc cuir.
Item, two bascinets covered with white leather.
Item , une paire de quissiens de ballaine des armes monsingneur.
Item, a pair of baleen cuisses with the arms of my lord.
Item, une paire de quissiens de plates des armes monsingneur.
Item, a pair of cuisses of plates with the arms of my lord.
Item, une estivalles de plates couviers de blanc cuir.
Item, a pair of boots of plates covered with white leather.
Item, unes vieses greues
Item, one old greave.
Item, un boin eschu des armes monsingneur estoffé de coroies de soie.
Item, a good shield of my lord, fitted out with belts of silk.
Item , un grant escu des armes monsingneur pour targier et deus vies escus des armes vieses a labiaus
Item . une plates couvertes de un drap de soie , estinchelet de rouges moletes a manches.
Item, a pair of plates covered in drape of silk, with red calf sleeves(?)
Item , une grand siele a grant cheval des armes monsigneur a tout le frain doré.
Item , deus sieles a banieres , a deus escuchons des armes monseigneur.
Item two "sieles" banners, with two escutcheons of arms of my lord.
Item , uns avant pies des plates.
Item, one fore-foot of plates. (Plates for the top of the foot?)
Item , un bachinet couviert de blanc cuir.
Item, a bascinet covered with white leather. (In addition to the two previously counted.)
Item , deus bourses a bachines et une heaumiere.
Two purse(?) bascinets and a helm-work. (works in progress?)
Item , une coroie pour armes, estoffée d'argent, a lettres.
Item, a sword belt with silver letters.
Item, deus vieses chemises de Chartres et une de buletiel.
Item, two shirts of life of Chartres, and one of "buletiel"?
Item, trois paire d'esperons dorés.
Item, three pair of gold spurs.
Item , deus glaves a fier de Viers , et deus gouden dacb , dont il i a en l'un une broke de fier.
Item, two glaives of iron of Viers, and two goedendag(?), which has one of broken iron.

[RandallMoffett]

I wonder if there is any other info on the master John above. Very interesting account. Interesting about the Godendag as well. That would be an interesting find.

Is there much of this type of inventories in this volume? Pretty amazing.

RPM

[Ernst]

Thanks for the catch on the visors, and I've gone back and edited it. The printed text shows "gouden dacb" in italics, and they seem unsure if the transcription is readable. Coming on the heels of 3 pair of golden spurs in an inventory for the Count of Flanders, goedendag seemed like a good guess. Now we perhaps know where some of the booty from Courtrai ended.

On the sword-maker, he is apparently listed as a maker in the Inventory of Louis X also:
https://books.google.com/books?id=zWYYA ... er&f=false
I've looked at armor in that inventory, but will keep my eyes open when I go to add it here.

[RandallMoffett]

I really am starting to wonder if such weapons were far more common than just to the low countries. But there I go back to the stinking baculum again!

Master John must have been a great swordsmith to be making swords for such clients that he is referred by name in them. I have seen regions and such pretty often but the few individuals is something.

RPM

[Ernst]

Excerpt from the 1316 inventory of Louis X

Item 4. espées garnies d'argens, dont les 2. sont garnies de samit, et les deux de cuir.
Item une espée garnie d'or et de cuir.
Item une espée à parer garnie d'argent, le pommel et le poing esmaillé.
Item 8. espées de Toulouze, et deux Misericordes.
Item 17. espées de Bray.
Item une espée de Jean d'Orgeret, et 2. espées et une Misericorde de Verzi.
Item 15. espées de commun.
Item 15. coutiaus de commun, et 7. fers de glaives de Toulouze.
Item 2. de commun, et le bon fer de glaive de le Roy.

[Sean M]

Could the purses for bascinets and the helm-er be armour bags or armour boxes? It feels like a few sources for those have come up; there is a famous illumination in the Arming Garments thread, and a reference in Thom Richardson's thesis, and you brought up one in the rolling mail in sand or vinegar thread.

[Sean M]

Master John must have been a great swordsmith to be making swords for such clients that he is referred by name in them. I have seen regions and such pretty often but the few individuals is something.

RPM

There are quite a few references like that in the Italian documents I am reading. I wonder how many swordsmiths, helmers, and platteners were famous in their day amongst those who did arms or sold arms but are completely unrecorded outside of inventories and accounts and guild records.

It does bother me that cheap arms and armour, like ironbound clubs and rope helmets, get easier to document in the later middle ages when people were rich in goods and more able to afford solid kit. They have some weighty jagged smashers from the 17th century in Graz.

[Gustovic]

YES!! We need more of this!!!


Any chance for later accounts? Like from the 60's or the 70's? And perhaps from Spain or Italy?

[Ernst]

It's an open forum, and anyone is free to add. We've certainly had examples brought up in the past of regulations meeting those criteria. I don't think the "Documents:" title should only be restricted to inventories. And anyone is free to copy and add to whatever blog, database, or Facebook page they wish. I just find it easier to hash out items I don't understand on a forum like this.

[Ernst]

Anyone have ideas on this one?

Item, une estivalles de plates couviers de blanc cuir.
Item, an "estivalles" of plates covered with white leather. (I'm at a loss, here.)

[Gustovic]

In italian "stivale" means boot. Perhaps it refers to greaves.

[Andeerz]

The "estivalles" might mean something relating to summer. Perhaps some sort of piece normally worn in the summer??? Or perhaps relating to some sort of armour that was derived from a style pertaining to a place called "Estival" or something.

Curiously, in "The Armourer and His Craft", in the glossary towards the end, there is the term "estival" mentioned, which is defined as "leg-armour for a horse; exceedingly rare in MSS.; only one example of this armour exists, in Brussels"

Let's see if we can find it!

It also has a brief mention in "Critical Inquiry Into Antient Armour, Existed Europe, Particularly Great Britain, Norman Conquest Reign King Charles II" on page 150... talking about an inventory of arms of King Louis X, which talks about an "estivau de plates garnit de samit".