The Armour Archive

I am thinking about an alternate persona for sca tourney fighting and such and seeing as my small library is Norse-Norman conquest type stuff, I was wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction for info about armor & lifestyle during that time period.

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It would seem fitting for a Northern folk, deriving the greater and better part of their speech, laws and customs from a Northern root, that the North should be to them, if not a holy land, yet at least a place more to be regarded than any part of the worldbeside, that howsoever their knowledge widened of other men, the faith and deeds of their forefathers would never lack intrest for them, but would always be kept in remembrance.
- William Morris

If you can get hold of "Arms and Armour of the Mediaeval knight" by Edge and Paddock, that would be a very good starting point. It gives a good overview of the evolution of these over the centuries, and a good outline of the late 12th/early 13th.

Keep in mind that the rank and file were still wearing very similar stuff to what was being worn 100 years prior, but basically the haberk was slightly shorter than before, with the tunic hem showing beneath. However, a surcoat was often worn by this time. The sleeves of the hauberk were full-length, with integral mail "mittens" (called mufflers).

The shield was in the process of changing from round topped kite via flat-topped kite to heater, via a sort of round-cornered triangular shield a little bigger than a heater. Escutcheons were simple, usually with a single "charge" on a plain field, such as an animal or a cross, or no charge at all with a field like "lozengy" or "barry".

Among the upper classes, helmets were either round or flat-topped, though conical ones were still in use as well, and metal face masks were beginning to come into use, as the helmets began their transition toward barrel helms.

Normally a warrior would wear hose on his legs, or, commonly among the upper class, mail chausses.

I have some late C12 pictures which I am emailing to you; these are probably representative of what was in common use, rather than the height of fashion, so no faceplates etc.

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Egfroth

Major Bloodnok, Queen's Forty-Third Deserters (retd.) "Do you know what it's like to be in the thick of a bloody battle, with bullets flying and sabres clashing?"
Ned Seagoon: "No."
Bloodnok: "Pity; I was hoping you could tell me . . ."
see my webpage at www.geocities.com/egfrothos

Engenulf, my email to you bounced. Do you have a problem with it?

Egfroth

[This message has been edited by Egfroth (edited 04-10-2002).]

I'm getting all the usuall things in my mail so I dont think theres a problem.
try agin or my alternate engenulf@yahoo.com
thanks for the help and info Egfroth.
engenulf

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It would seem fitting for a Northern folk, deriving the greater and better part of their speech, laws and customs from a Northern root, that the North should be to them, if not a holy land, yet at least a place more to be regarded than any part of the worldbeside, that howsoever their knowledge widened of other men, the faith and deeds of their forefathers would never lack intrest for them, but would always be kept in remembrance.
- William Morris