This thread is the third, and probably the least useful, in a series on arming garments in the late 14th century (for part 1 see here, and for part 2 see here).
As always, I would like to focus on sources (including scholarly comments on those sources) over people's experience. Most people on this forum have found a solution which works for them, and many are familiar with diverse sources, but there are not so many systematic discussions of the evidence.
I have a few things already. What evidence do you know about? What places might be good to look? I will continue to edit this post to add evidence as people provide it, but I am too busy to do much more work on my own.
Key Question
Most English-speaking scholars and re-enactors follow How a Man Shall be Armed and posit ordinary braes, common hosen, a pair of shoes with cord on the soles to help grip and points on top to tie the sabattons down, and some blanket wound about the knee to pad it. Does all the evidence fit this theory?
Written Sources
Assorted Norwegian and German sources (1215-1370): Several sources mention a garment called a lendenier which was wrapped around the waist and held up the mail chauses. Fourteenth century sources specify that these were made from quilted cloth, while earlier texts do not give these details. See here and on a Swedish forum on a Swedish forum where the Old Norse King's Mirror is also cited.
Unknown, tr. Bertus Brocamp wrote: zwô hosen wîz ûz îsen
hiez er im ane brîsen
vaste, niht swaere,
wan er gerne lîhte waere.
er vuor in stricken als ein tier.
ein harte guoten lendenier (a hard good loin belt)
den bant er umde die huf (this he bound around his hips)
und nestelte die hosen darûf (and laced his hosen to this)
ame lendenier si entstricket wart (From the loin belt they unlaced)
von der hurteclichen vart, (because of the quick canter)
Diu iserhose sanc uf den sporn: (The iron hosen sank to his spurs)
des wart sin blankez bein verlorn. (thus he lost his white legs)
Unknown document with parallel German and French, c. 1371 Bruges, tr. Bertus Brocamp wrote:Donaes, de pourpointstickere, sal mi maken een wambies ende een lendenier.
Donas, le pourpointier, me fera un pourpoint et unes estraintes.
"Donaes, the doubletmaker, shall make me a doublet and a 'lendenier'".
Limburger Chronik, c. 1370, transcribed by Bertus Brocamp, edition unknown wrote:In derselbigen zit da gingen an die Westfeilschen lendenire. Dy waren also, daz ritter, knechte unde reisige lüde furten lendenire, unde gingen an der brost ane, hinden uff dem rucke hart zugespannet unde wanten also verre als dy schufe lang was unde was hart gesteppet, bynach eynes fingers dicke. Und qwam daz uss Westfalenlande.
Anonymous formulary from Guyenne (French, 13th or 14th century, written in French) published as "Formalités des duels et combats judiciares en Guyenne dans les XIIIe ou XIIIe siècles," Bulletin trimestriel de la société de Borda Dax (Landes) (1914) Premier Trimestre pp. 73-87 link. I thank Ariella Elema of Toronto for the link and RScivias for help with vocabulary. This intriguing document lists various pieces of kit and clothing which participants in a judicial duel could be required to wear. For this thread, the most important ones are Chausses de toile (p. 81: leggings of cloth), Caleçons de toile (p. 81: underwear/shorts of cloth), Braguer ab las troissas (p. 82: short breeches with the necessary belts and hooks), Causses de lin et de drap (p. 82: leggings of linen and wool), Sabatons frachis (p. 82: the 18th century editor understood these as "souliers de fer à lames brisées" / iron stripped shoes), Esperons garnits (p. 82: spurs with the necessary accessories), Cosfas, de draps et de cambys (p. 82: I can't translate this), Culotte avec les ceintures et les agrafes garnies (p. 82: short breeches supplied with belts and hooks), Chausses de lin et de drap (p. 82: linen or wool leggings). I see no sign of paddings of thin blanket.Bertus Brocamp wrote:For the mid-late 14th century we know from the Limburger Chronicle this loin belt was still in use and was laced tight in the back, padded hard almost a finger thick, and as long as the jupon. And in a c. 1370 document from Bruges it says this belt was made by the guys who also made pourpoints, so I reckon he made them padded and quilted as well.
Anonymous, Modus Armandi Milites (English, circa 1320s): This short text lists what a man-at-arms should wear for a tournament, for war, and for a joust. Unfortunately, the second two sections are very brief, and the whole document is written concisely in a mix of Latin, French, and English. Moffat's translation goes: „First light a fire and roll out the carpet and strip to the shirt. Brush back the hair. On the feet [place] boots of leather. Arm the shins with greaves (in French mustylers) of steel or cuir bouilli. Thence quysouns on the thighs and genicularia (in French genulers). Thence aketon and thence a shirt of Chartres and a coif of Chartres, and a basin in which there ought to be a cerveylere to defend the head lest the basin come in contact with the head. Thence hauberk, cuirass, coat armour upon which will be the knights’ blazon, and gaignepains or gauntlets of baleen, his espeye that is sword, and flail, and helm that is heaume.” (Arms & Armour Vol. 7 No. 1 [2010] pp. 5-29). This knight implicitly wears braes and hosen and explicitly wears boots of leather.
Anonymous, account entry for the house of Jan van Blois (Holland, 1361/2) : Item tot eenen paer kousen sine yseren lappen op te nayen ende op te wapenen 4&½ quartier ghemenghets 18 s. "For a pair of hosen to sew and arm his iron patches on, 4&½ quarters of mixed (colourwise) cloth [cost] 18 s." (tr. Bertus Brocamp on this forum; first published as Doorninck, Pieter Nicolaas van (1899), De tocht van Jan van Blois met hertog Aelbrecht naar Gelre, Nov. 1362, naar het oorspronkelijke handschrift uitgegeven door P.N. v. Doorninck; Rekening van Jan van Blois 1361-1362. Haarlem: Van Brederode.)
Geoffrey Chaucer, The Tale of Sir Topas lines 858-868 (English, written roughly 1386-1400): Chaucer tells a silly story about a Flemmish knight preparing to fight a giant. The good Sir Topas wears fine linen braes (lines 857-9) and leg harness of hardened leather (line 875).
Johan Hill, Treatise of Worship in Arms (England, 1434). Johan Hill recommends hosen of corde without vampeys cut at the knees and lined with linen cloth, a pair of red leather shoes with thin laces fretted uderneath with whippcord and pierced. The context is a judicial duel and these instructions are meant to give the fighter every possible advantage in that context.
I do not have time right now to research and gloss his vocabulary. Link.Johann Hill wrote:First hym nedeth to have a paire of hosen of corde wtoute vampeys And the saide hosen kutte at ye knees and lyned wtin wt Lynnen cloth byesse as the hose is A payre of shoen of red Lether thynne laced & fretted underneth wt whippecorde & persed, And above withinne Lyned wt Lynnen cloth three fyngers in brede double & byesse from the too an yncle above ye wriste. And so behinde at ye hele from the Soole halfe a quarter of a yearde uppe this is to fasten wele to his Sabatons And the same Sabatons fastened under ye soole of ye fote in 2 places.
Anonymous, Traité du Costume Militaire des Français, 1446 (French, 1446): Can someone with better French than I tell us if it says anything relevant? Link
Anonymous, How a Man Shall be Armed (English, circa 1450): Texts are very easy to find online. The knight should wear a pair of hosen of stamyn sengill, a pair of short bulwarks of thin blanket to wear about his knees for the chafing of his legharness, and a pair of shoes of thick cordwain with points on top and two patches of whipcord sewn to the bottom of the soles. What is the best edition and commentary? ffoulkes has one on page 107.
Published Opinions
Singman and McLean
Ffoulkes
Blair pp. 53, 77
Douglas "Talbot" Strong, Armour Archive Forum Post, 2006-2007: "Some of the surviving pieces from the 14th century have lining rivets on the inside. There are quite a few surviving 16th century armours that are full lined with gamboised linings. ... As I have handled more and more extant 14th century pieces I am begining to see a trend of rivets set on the insides along the edges indicating bands to which linings were once sewn. I saw more than one example of this in my recent European trip. I am becoming more and more convinced that much (most?) 14th century armour was fully lined, possibly like the example above. This is especially true of legs. ... I have seen some suggestions of linings on legs in Leeds, Higgins, Statens Historiska and elsewhere." Link.