Clothes for ... chain mail
On the pages of the VO, it has already been repeatedly told that there were three epochs in the development of armor, that is, of protective weapons used in the Middle Ages. These are the “age of chain mail”, “the age of chain mail and lamellar armor” and the “age of white metal armor”. And the general term of all these three epochs is long enough. From the 1066 of the year, that is, the battle of Hastings, and up to the 1700 of the year. Of course, we can say that the cavalry riders are found in miniatures from St. Galen, that the soldiers of Charlemagne, and he himself is described as people "dressed in steel." But ... only "their steel", that is, the armor was not chain mail.
Aquamanil ("Aquarius") - a vessel for water from Lower Saxony 1275 - 1299. Museum of the Middle Ages, Boulogne.
There is a lot of evidence that these were metal plates sewn on the skin, but the chain mail at that time did not have a mass distribution. Actually, they became popular among Vikings as locally popular armor, because they were comfortable to row, and through them they spread to Europe, where after the Avars were defeated, the threat from horse archers weakened dramatically, which allowed the chain armor to move into first place.
Whatever it was, on the Bayesian canvas you see warriors, with whom she covers her leg and then - just in front. As a rule, such equipment have kings, but not ordinary warriors.
However, by the 1170 year, that is, by the time of the killing of Thomas Becket, the figure of the warrior was almost completely covered with chain mail: his head, arms, legs — all these parts of his body were now covered by chain mail. Helmets were painted and it was the only “bright spot” against the general background of this “metal figure”, which was the equestrian warrior of this era.
Knight 1190 g. Angus McBride drawing. On it, as you can see, a figure is shown in metal, but with outward-looking rich clothing and again in chained stockings, covered with fabric!
However, over time, the "bare mail" begin to fade, or rather, they begin to hide behind clothing, which receives the name surco. It is believed that surco in the era of the Crusades to the East, the Europeans took over the custom of Muslim soldiers to wear protective weapons, covering it with clothes made of cloth, because otherwise it is very heated in the sun. For example, in the drawings from the “Winchester Bible”, dating back to the middle of the XII century, warriors in caftans, called in French surco, are already depicted. The first samples of such clothing were a long-sex apparel with cuts both in front, and behind, and without sleeves (which, by the way, is reported in Wikipedia). In the thirteenth century she gained special popularity and became, one can say, almost the most conspicuous part of the knightly "costume." It seems that the functional significance of this outfit is quite obvious - to protect the wearer from the rain (and his chain mail from rust) and the sun. But historians D. Edge and D. Paddock believe that such a wide distribution of surcot is still not entirely explicable. It is possible that this was a kind of tribute to fashion and a means to stand out for the quality and richness of the fabric, as well as embroidered heraldic images, which then began to cover it.
Thumbnail from the Bible of Macieus. OK. 1250 g. On it we see riders both in surcoats and in “bare” chain mail. (Pierpont Morgan Library, New York)
K. Blair also points out that in the middle of the XII century. the practice of military affairs of the knightly class included the wearing of a long cloth garment, called surco. And he notes that at different times and different scientists put forward different ideas about the reasons for his appearance, but none of them has enough good reasons. That is, for about a hundred years the knights were content with clothes of chain mail, and then for some reason they suddenly began to close it. Opinion that surco protected from the weather, is based on such knightly poetic work, like "Confession of King Arthur", which literally reads the following:
Clothes green
So that the armor is clean
The vagaries of rain are not terrible.
It is only doubtful that such loose and long clothes, and even without sleeves, could effectively perform such a function. Well, what if it was a way to demonstrate the coat of arms of a surcoe? Yes, indeed, the system of heraldry, like Surco, appeared about the same time. However, it is known that images of coats of arms and coat of arms on them were far from always. And it often happened that the surco had one color, the horse blanket had another color, and the coat of arms had completely different colors. It is possible that the fashion for these clothes was born under the influence of the church, since the body-mail of the chain mail too “anatomized” the body of the one they were wearing.
Capitalized miniature in the Northern French manuscript 1280 - 1290, depicting knights with heraldic shields in their hands and the same horse blankets, but in a surcoat of a completely different color that does not coincide with the color of the coat of arms. (National Library of France, Paris)
A miniature from the same manuscript and with a similar image of blankets and surcoat!
So it may be that walking just in chain mail has become "indecent." K. Blair also says that the spacious outerwear covering the armor could have been taken over by the Crusaders in the East from the Muslims and after that appear in Europe.
Miniature from “The novel about Tristan”, 1320 - 1330 (National Library of France, Paris)
The most ancient image of Surco, the British historian C. Blair, found on the seal of Valeran de Bellonte, Count Mellan and Count Wooster, who was on his letter, roughly 1150 of the year. It is important that not only his earliest image, but also the fact that this garment itself is of a rather unusual appearance. So, he has sleeves, and they reach the wrists. Such a cut became characteristic only for the second half of the 13th century. and spread in the second half of the XVI century, although on the whole it was encountered rather rarely. A traditional surcoat is a cloak with a hole for the head. It is not sewn at the sides, so it freely falls from top to bottom. At the same surcoat to the thighs, it fits snugly enough to the body, but then in the form of a wide skirt it diverges to the very ankles, and has cuts for riding, that is, it is not so primitively tailored. Sleeves to wrists fit very tightly, then expand and form something like long pennant-like ribbons.
Miniature 1250 town of “Roman about Alexander” Abbey of St. Albanos. (University of Cambridge Library)
Similar to Surco, albeit without sleeves, we see on a painted screensaver from the Winchester Bible (Joshua's book), approx. 1170 of the year, and also on the Great Seal of King John, referring to the 1199 of the year. Until 1210, surcoat on miniatures is quite rare, but then almost no miniature can do without it. From about 1320, it looks like a robe of loose fit without sleeves and with large armholes and a “skirt” with a slit that extends to the middle of the calf. But there were also options up to the ankles and even to the knees. Somewhere from 1220, there can also be a surcoat with sleeves up to the elbows, although such images to the second half of the 13th century. few.
Soissonsky Psalter 1200 - 1297 (National Library of France, Paris). A timeless topic, isn't it? David kills Goliath and cuts off his head. But another is interesting - Goliath is an exact copy of a knight of that time. The fact is that the concept of temporary changes did not exist at that time, these were pre-Deutscheville times, and even the distant past of artists was imagined as “the present”.
British historians D. Edge and D. Paddock also believe that such a wide distribution of surcoe is not entirely explicable. In their opinion, it could be just a tribute to fashion, and a means to stand out, because surcoe often sewed from expensive fabrics. In addition, heraldic images were also embroidered on them (although not always). On the other hand, it was the white surco from the usual canvas that gave the tsar the best protection from the sun, and with the crosses sewn on it he expressed the very essence of the crusading movement. E. Oakeshott does not use the term Surco in her works, but calls him Cotta, indicating that she was not in general use until 1210, although some of her samples were known before the end of the 12th century. In his opinion, its exact purpose is still unknown. It is believed that it was brought from the Holy Land by the Crusaders, where such a thing was simply vital, so that the scorching sun did not overheat the chain mail. But then it turns out that the Cotts in the West were unknown and did not even think about it until the 1200 year. But the soldiers of Christ began to return from the East already in the same 1099 year, that is, a century before the deadline. So why then Kottu not use much earlier? It is possible, according to E. Oakshott, to assert that this piece of clothing was used for identification purposes, since it was the coat of arms of the owner. This is also a very likely assumption, since the cotta became fashionable almost simultaneously with the advent of heraldry. But ... the coats of arms were not always depicted on the Cotte Surco. It happened and so - and the images of those years confirm that the cotta could be of the same color, the shield of the other, and the horse blanket of the third! “I think,” continues E. Oakshott, “that the cotta was a tribute to fashion; of course, it was used for practical purposes, since it really covered most of the surface of the chain mail from the sun and to some extent from moisture and provided an excellent opportunity to display the emblems; this garment was invaluable in cases where it was necessary to identify the victim on the battlefield, because the helmet could easily roll away, and his face from being wounded to become unrecognizable. However, no matter what the purpose of the cotta was from the point of view of vital necessity, it was a cheerful and colorful outfit that turned the sullen and stern knight in dark brown-gray mail into a gallant and brilliant figure - and this was quite consistent with the flourish that reached its end XII century. funny science of chivalry.
Walter von Metz with miniatures from the Manesky Code.
Johann von Brabant with miniatures from the Manesky Code (in a helmet with a dragon's head). As you can see, over time it has become a tradition - to wear clothes with the image of a coat of arms and the same horse blanket with coats of arms to cover your horse.
The cut of the cotta often changed, but it depended not only on the era, but on the knight’s personal preferences: in the 13th century. it could sew very long or, on the contrary, very short, as with sleeves or without them. In general, this is a simple robe, like a nightgown, sleeveless, but with a slit from the hem and almost to the waist in front and behind, so that its owner can easily sit in the saddle. Although in nine cases out of ten it was sewed without sleeves, emphasizes E. Oakshott, there were also known cotts with sleeves, and some of them had sleeves only up to the elbows, and some even to the wrists.
Effigia Berengar de Pujvert (1278). Well, this knight decided to stand out among others, dressed in rich cloth!
Richard Wellesborn de Montfort (1286) It looks strange, doesn’t it? In surco, the “rising griffon”, on the shield, the “cowardly rising lion” ...
That is, over time, the cotta or surcoat acquired the character of "uniform". Moreover, the known copies, sewn of velvet and even brocade, and yes even generously embroidered with coats of arms. And, in fact, why not wear such knights? It was essentially the only outerwear for them that they could afford, and therefore had to use all their imagination to show their wealth and nobility. Kotts made from fabrics of bright colors embroidered with silver and gold nicely contrasted with purely military "metal clothing" and allowed the feudal lords to demonstrate their wealth and subtle artistic taste (or its complete absence - VO). "
By 1340, knightly protective gear has become much more difficult, but surco is still worn! Fig. Angus McBride
Miniature "The Chronicles of Versailles" 1370 Regensburg. Bavarian State Library, Germany). As you can see, Surcoeus is no longer on the Knights, but nevertheless, their armor for the torso is covered with colored fabric!
Later, Surco gave way to a shorter jupone jacket that looked like a jacket tight to the armor, barely reaching the hips. However, with all the changes dictated by fashion, the heraldic nature of this garment remained unchanged. This is evidenced, for example, by a jooper that has come down to our day, which belonged to the Black Prince, made from velvet of red and blue colors with golden lilies of France and English “leopard lions” depicted on each field of the corresponding color.
Aquamanil ("Aquarius") - a vessel for water from Lower Saxony 1275 - 1299. Museum of the Middle Ages, Boulogne.
There is a lot of evidence that these were metal plates sewn on the skin, but the chain mail at that time did not have a mass distribution. Actually, they became popular among Vikings as locally popular armor, because they were comfortable to row, and through them they spread to Europe, where after the Avars were defeated, the threat from horse archers weakened dramatically, which allowed the chain armor to move into first place.
Whatever it was, on the Bayesian canvas you see warriors, with whom she covers her leg and then - just in front. As a rule, such equipment have kings, but not ordinary warriors.
However, by the 1170 year, that is, by the time of the killing of Thomas Becket, the figure of the warrior was almost completely covered with chain mail: his head, arms, legs — all these parts of his body were now covered by chain mail. Helmets were painted and it was the only “bright spot” against the general background of this “metal figure”, which was the equestrian warrior of this era.
Knight 1190 g. Angus McBride drawing. On it, as you can see, a figure is shown in metal, but with outward-looking rich clothing and again in chained stockings, covered with fabric!
However, over time, the "bare mail" begin to fade, or rather, they begin to hide behind clothing, which receives the name surco. It is believed that surco in the era of the Crusades to the East, the Europeans took over the custom of Muslim soldiers to wear protective weapons, covering it with clothes made of cloth, because otherwise it is very heated in the sun. For example, in the drawings from the “Winchester Bible”, dating back to the middle of the XII century, warriors in caftans, called in French surco, are already depicted. The first samples of such clothing were a long-sex apparel with cuts both in front, and behind, and without sleeves (which, by the way, is reported in Wikipedia). In the thirteenth century she gained special popularity and became, one can say, almost the most conspicuous part of the knightly "costume." It seems that the functional significance of this outfit is quite obvious - to protect the wearer from the rain (and his chain mail from rust) and the sun. But historians D. Edge and D. Paddock believe that such a wide distribution of surcot is still not entirely explicable. It is possible that this was a kind of tribute to fashion and a means to stand out for the quality and richness of the fabric, as well as embroidered heraldic images, which then began to cover it.
Thumbnail from the Bible of Macieus. OK. 1250 g. On it we see riders both in surcoats and in “bare” chain mail. (Pierpont Morgan Library, New York)
K. Blair also points out that in the middle of the XII century. the practice of military affairs of the knightly class included the wearing of a long cloth garment, called surco. And he notes that at different times and different scientists put forward different ideas about the reasons for his appearance, but none of them has enough good reasons. That is, for about a hundred years the knights were content with clothes of chain mail, and then for some reason they suddenly began to close it. Opinion that surco protected from the weather, is based on such knightly poetic work, like "Confession of King Arthur", which literally reads the following:
Clothes green
So that the armor is clean
The vagaries of rain are not terrible.
It is only doubtful that such loose and long clothes, and even without sleeves, could effectively perform such a function. Well, what if it was a way to demonstrate the coat of arms of a surcoe? Yes, indeed, the system of heraldry, like Surco, appeared about the same time. However, it is known that images of coats of arms and coat of arms on them were far from always. And it often happened that the surco had one color, the horse blanket had another color, and the coat of arms had completely different colors. It is possible that the fashion for these clothes was born under the influence of the church, since the body-mail of the chain mail too “anatomized” the body of the one they were wearing.
Capitalized miniature in the Northern French manuscript 1280 - 1290, depicting knights with heraldic shields in their hands and the same horse blankets, but in a surcoat of a completely different color that does not coincide with the color of the coat of arms. (National Library of France, Paris)
A miniature from the same manuscript and with a similar image of blankets and surcoat!
So it may be that walking just in chain mail has become "indecent." K. Blair also says that the spacious outerwear covering the armor could have been taken over by the Crusaders in the East from the Muslims and after that appear in Europe.
Miniature from “The novel about Tristan”, 1320 - 1330 (National Library of France, Paris)
The most ancient image of Surco, the British historian C. Blair, found on the seal of Valeran de Bellonte, Count Mellan and Count Wooster, who was on his letter, roughly 1150 of the year. It is important that not only his earliest image, but also the fact that this garment itself is of a rather unusual appearance. So, he has sleeves, and they reach the wrists. Such a cut became characteristic only for the second half of the 13th century. and spread in the second half of the XVI century, although on the whole it was encountered rather rarely. A traditional surcoat is a cloak with a hole for the head. It is not sewn at the sides, so it freely falls from top to bottom. At the same surcoat to the thighs, it fits snugly enough to the body, but then in the form of a wide skirt it diverges to the very ankles, and has cuts for riding, that is, it is not so primitively tailored. Sleeves to wrists fit very tightly, then expand and form something like long pennant-like ribbons.
Miniature 1250 town of “Roman about Alexander” Abbey of St. Albanos. (University of Cambridge Library)
Similar to Surco, albeit without sleeves, we see on a painted screensaver from the Winchester Bible (Joshua's book), approx. 1170 of the year, and also on the Great Seal of King John, referring to the 1199 of the year. Until 1210, surcoat on miniatures is quite rare, but then almost no miniature can do without it. From about 1320, it looks like a robe of loose fit without sleeves and with large armholes and a “skirt” with a slit that extends to the middle of the calf. But there were also options up to the ankles and even to the knees. Somewhere from 1220, there can also be a surcoat with sleeves up to the elbows, although such images to the second half of the 13th century. few.
Soissonsky Psalter 1200 - 1297 (National Library of France, Paris). A timeless topic, isn't it? David kills Goliath and cuts off his head. But another is interesting - Goliath is an exact copy of a knight of that time. The fact is that the concept of temporary changes did not exist at that time, these were pre-Deutscheville times, and even the distant past of artists was imagined as “the present”.
British historians D. Edge and D. Paddock also believe that such a wide distribution of surcoe is not entirely explicable. In their opinion, it could be just a tribute to fashion, and a means to stand out, because surcoe often sewed from expensive fabrics. In addition, heraldic images were also embroidered on them (although not always). On the other hand, it was the white surco from the usual canvas that gave the tsar the best protection from the sun, and with the crosses sewn on it he expressed the very essence of the crusading movement. E. Oakeshott does not use the term Surco in her works, but calls him Cotta, indicating that she was not in general use until 1210, although some of her samples were known before the end of the 12th century. In his opinion, its exact purpose is still unknown. It is believed that it was brought from the Holy Land by the Crusaders, where such a thing was simply vital, so that the scorching sun did not overheat the chain mail. But then it turns out that the Cotts in the West were unknown and did not even think about it until the 1200 year. But the soldiers of Christ began to return from the East already in the same 1099 year, that is, a century before the deadline. So why then Kottu not use much earlier? It is possible, according to E. Oakshott, to assert that this piece of clothing was used for identification purposes, since it was the coat of arms of the owner. This is also a very likely assumption, since the cotta became fashionable almost simultaneously with the advent of heraldry. But ... the coats of arms were not always depicted on the Cotte Surco. It happened and so - and the images of those years confirm that the cotta could be of the same color, the shield of the other, and the horse blanket of the third! “I think,” continues E. Oakshott, “that the cotta was a tribute to fashion; of course, it was used for practical purposes, since it really covered most of the surface of the chain mail from the sun and to some extent from moisture and provided an excellent opportunity to display the emblems; this garment was invaluable in cases where it was necessary to identify the victim on the battlefield, because the helmet could easily roll away, and his face from being wounded to become unrecognizable. However, no matter what the purpose of the cotta was from the point of view of vital necessity, it was a cheerful and colorful outfit that turned the sullen and stern knight in dark brown-gray mail into a gallant and brilliant figure - and this was quite consistent with the flourish that reached its end XII century. funny science of chivalry.
Walter von Metz with miniatures from the Manesky Code.
Johann von Brabant with miniatures from the Manesky Code (in a helmet with a dragon's head). As you can see, over time it has become a tradition - to wear clothes with the image of a coat of arms and the same horse blanket with coats of arms to cover your horse.
The cut of the cotta often changed, but it depended not only on the era, but on the knight’s personal preferences: in the 13th century. it could sew very long or, on the contrary, very short, as with sleeves or without them. In general, this is a simple robe, like a nightgown, sleeveless, but with a slit from the hem and almost to the waist in front and behind, so that its owner can easily sit in the saddle. Although in nine cases out of ten it was sewed without sleeves, emphasizes E. Oakshott, there were also known cotts with sleeves, and some of them had sleeves only up to the elbows, and some even to the wrists.
Effigia Berengar de Pujvert (1278). Well, this knight decided to stand out among others, dressed in rich cloth!
Richard Wellesborn de Montfort (1286) It looks strange, doesn’t it? In surco, the “rising griffon”, on the shield, the “cowardly rising lion” ...
That is, over time, the cotta or surcoat acquired the character of "uniform". Moreover, the known copies, sewn of velvet and even brocade, and yes even generously embroidered with coats of arms. And, in fact, why not wear such knights? It was essentially the only outerwear for them that they could afford, and therefore had to use all their imagination to show their wealth and nobility. Kotts made from fabrics of bright colors embroidered with silver and gold nicely contrasted with purely military "metal clothing" and allowed the feudal lords to demonstrate their wealth and subtle artistic taste (or its complete absence - VO). "
By 1340, knightly protective gear has become much more difficult, but surco is still worn! Fig. Angus McBride
Miniature "The Chronicles of Versailles" 1370 Regensburg. Bavarian State Library, Germany). As you can see, Surcoeus is no longer on the Knights, but nevertheless, their armor for the torso is covered with colored fabric!
Later, Surco gave way to a shorter jupone jacket that looked like a jacket tight to the armor, barely reaching the hips. However, with all the changes dictated by fashion, the heraldic nature of this garment remained unchanged. This is evidenced, for example, by a jooper that has come down to our day, which belonged to the Black Prince, made from velvet of red and blue colors with golden lilies of France and English “leopard lions” depicted on each field of the corresponding color.
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