Andy Goddard (a.goddard@strath.ac.uk)
Fri, 22 Oct 1999 15:01:51 +0100
Hi all! Just to put a few points straight:
Paul wrote:
>The move from kite shields to heaters was almost certainly due to the
>introduction of effective leg armour (possibly chausses, but more likely
>plate)...
No, definitely "just chausses". We have good evidence of chausses (and
almost immediately padded cuisse and then poleyns) reflecting/leading the
introduction of smaller heater shields in the early 13th century.
Greaves/shynbalds as the earliest leg plate armour follows around the
1250s(seemingly rare)/1300s(more common), a point by which small heaters
were long-established.
>The introduction of plate chest and abdomen protection
>(either as a coat of plates or a breast plate) would have helped, but
>this is much later than I.33...
Again, no. There's mention of "espaliers" in French records in the
early/mid 13th century, and there's iconographic evidence of oddly "raised
shoulders" on the surcoats of knights during similar dates. (See any
Macieowski Bible picture detailing surcoated knights for an example of this).
These are presumably leather shoulder/upper body armours at first, but soon
get augmented with steel and develop into the full coats of plates we see
later. Even if I.33 is as early as the mid 1290's, then chest protection
above "mere mail" is *well* underway at that point. (I wonder if you're
thinking of the coats of plates from Wisby which follow I.33? These are
highly developed items - not "newly invented and fresh from the armoury" by
any means).
>but the best approximation I have seen is a face flap of mail
>designed to hinge around the top edge so that it can be pulled up to
>cover the front opening on the mail shirt, and to attach to the coif
>around nose level. On a warm day, or after exertion, it is likely to
>have been detached to allow free breathing.
I agree with this interpretation: it really does seem to make the most
sense given the limited source information.
Regards!
Andy Goddard
Circa:1265
Glasgow, Scotland
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