The Armour Archive

I do a lot of 9th-14thC time periods, mostly Irish.

My big problem is that unless I go Gallowglass or English, there isn't much authentic armour I can make use of. Recently, I found in my translation of some of Giraldus Cambrensis mention of Danes attacking Dublin wearing lamellar, in the early 11th century, which really surprised me.

So, I was wondering - is there any chance I could use my splint armour (picked up cheap, at a market in Oslofijord recently) for 9th/10/11thC viking ? There were few Danes in Ireland, mostly Norweigans, and it seems they weren't big into armour at all.

john

[quote="valen"]
,...Recently, I found in my translation of some of Giraldus Cambrensis mention of Danes attacking Dublin wearing lamellar, in the early 11th century, which really surprised me.

John

Friend. If you could publish that here for us, it would be a HUGE boon!

I can Google Cambrensis all darn day, but I can't translate that stuff. I'd love to have some early 11th century lamellar proof other than Italo'Normans.

Robert.

Check out http://livinghistory.ie/~valen/history/blair.pdf for the quote I'd mentioned. Page 31 in the PDF, page 37 if you follow the index.

http://livinghistory.ie/~valen/history/ ... reland.pdf is a translation of the book itself. Though the words there are very different (the translator wasn't much of an armourer). Check page 30, in section 'The overthrow of the Danes at Dublin'.

It's basically 'artfully made plates of iron' - which could be lamellar, a coat of plates, or the norman style shield-shapes tied on over chain. It's really vauge. So, be careful.

If you like the idea of reading the book itself, see can you get a copy of 'Expugatio Hibernica', ISBN 0901714119 - every second page is an English translation of the latin. It's only 15 euro from http://www.ria.ie/shop/shopdisplayprodu ... at=History !

But its too late a reference for me to let me wear splint armour in the 10th or 9thC Ireland

John

Thank you so much.

~R