“How should a military husband arm himself”
"Hector says goodbye to his wife and children and arms for his last stand." Miniature in the version from the Epistle of Otea. Waddesdon Manor. James A. Rothschild Collection
“... take a shield and armor and rise to help me;”
Psalms 34:2
Psalms 34:2
stories about weapons. Middle Ages. In one of the previous materials of our cycle, commentators were especially interested not so much in the armor itself, but in what their wearers had “under the bottom” (that is, what and how they wore under the armor). And here, to our common happiness, there is a manuscript of about 1485, where this issue is considered in great detail, but there are very few illustrations in it. This manuscript is called “How a Military Husband Should Arm”, and today we will get acquainted with its contents in great detail. True, it was written in Middle English, that is, it is simply impossible for a modern person to read it in the original, but there were good specialists among the English who translated it into modern language, and there is no problem with its translation today.
A knight putting on armor to participate in a foot tournament. A page with a miniature from the late 1485th century manuscript "How a Man Schall be Armyd" ("How a military husband should arm himself"). It is believed that this illustration is the only example of a depiction of a medieval military doublet with chain mail inserts sewn on it. "Knave" (servant) ties a chain mail "skirt" on him. The big "bascinet" of the knight is waiting for him on the table, and the short halberd and alshpis stand against the wall. The Hastings Manuscript, ca. XNUMX Pierpont Morgan Library, New York
Let's start with the fact that the knight's attire always started from the soles of the feet and then went higher and higher. First of all, he pulled stockings made of woven wool over his legs. The Hastings manuscript mentions such stockings, or wrappings, of stamin sengill, a worsted fabric made in Norfolk. Well, the shoes that should have been put on are completely described in great detail:
“... a pair of shoes made of thick cordovan leather, with three small laces ... it is appropriate to have laces from the best twine, between these laces at the heel and in the middle of the foot there should be a distance of three fingers.”
That is, shoes were laced very tightly along the leg, both in front and behind.
The end of the "epoch of mail-plate armor". All riders are wearing bascinet helmets with chain mail, colored jupons are worn over cuirasses. The horses are wearing blankets and saffron masks. "Great Chronicles of France", 1390-1405. National Library, Paris
According to the Hastings manuscript, no shirt was worn under the flannel underarmor or (as it is called in the manuscript) military doublet, which was lined with satin. But here the question immediately arises, how were the stockings supported then, since in the middle of the XNUMXth century they only reached the hips, and even later, having become longer, they were still attached to the civilian doublet with strings.
Chain mail as a means of protection is playing an ever smaller role. On the armor in this miniature, only the “skirt” of the cuirass and the aventail of one of the knights are chain mail. "History Trojan War, written in plain language, 1390-1400. Southern Germany. Austrian National Library, Vienna
Since the wearing of a civilian doublet under armor is unlikely, it is necessary to assume that the military doublet has at least a couple of loops or something similar at the bottom, to which stockings could be tied. But only in front, because from a practical point of view, the stockings should have been left loose at the back, since even under normal conditions, with a sharp forward tilt, there was a real possibility of breaking the strings. The Hastings manuscript says that the doublet had many holes, and, most likely, they served just for threading shoelaces.
Here the knight is also dressed up for battle. "Book of the Queen" by Christina of Pisa, 1410-1414 Paris. British Library, London
To protect the armpits, which the plate armor did not cover, chain mail inserts were sewn to the doublet. From the Hastings manuscript, we also learn about a "thin blanket" that was supposed to be wrapped around the knees so as not to rub the skin against the metal. The knight's throat was protected by a standing chain mail collar. Moreover, today it is believed that it was a separate piece, fastened at the back - the most reliable way, although it required the help of a servant.
Quite a “modern” knight for that time. Journey to Genoa, Jean Marot (1450?–1526). National Library of France, Paris
In addition to the sole, each foot was covered with a lamellar sabaton, made of many metal plates overlapping each other, connected with rivets. The sabaton had a loop on the outside of the leg below the ankle, and fastened on the inside with a strap and buckle. If the knight wore Italian-style chain mail sabatons (rarely seen at that time in England), then they could be attached to greaves or greaves due to the many holes along their lower edge. The greaves themselves usually had two vertical hinge-and-loop connections on the outside, and were fastened with straps with buckles on the inside, where it was difficult for the enemy to cut them. They were tied to sabatons with "ends" - laces with hard tips, similar to modern shoe laces!
Even in the era of "white armor" there were originals who wore something pretentious. "Grieving Berthe says goodbye to her fallen husband, the knight Girard de Roussillon, on the battlefield." Miniature by Jean Vauquelin, Roman de Girard de Roussillon, 1448. Vienna, Austrian National Library, Vienna
The kneecap and the "kuis" (plate gaiter) became a single piece. At the top of the "mane" or greave there was a swivel pin that passed through a hole in the lower plate of the kneecap, while the main plate of the latter and the "kuis" were held together by straps behind the knee and thigh, respectively. To fasten the “kuis”, or legguard, a leather extension with holes punched in it was riveted to its upper edge, which was tied with laces to the lower part of the “underarmor” or military doublet. Which had the same holes on the edge. This is how both legs were covered with metal.
And now it has come to the metal: here are the mail underpants of the 3,2th century (there were no older ones!). Weight XNUMX kg. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
To protect the genitals, a chain mail “skirt” served, allowing the warrior to sit comfortably. The "skirt" was tied around the waist and possibly supported by metal-tipped laces, which again were tied to the bottom edge of the doublet. Chain mail pantaloons could also be used. However, they were hardly comfortable for riding.
Chain mail of the 9th century. Nuremberg. Weight XNUMX kg. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
A breastplate was attached to the breastplate from the inside. From 1430, the lower plate split in two, and both plates began to hang on straps. These thigh pads were called "tassets", and their length was constantly increasing. The cuirass for the torso had hinges with studs on the wearer's left side, and fastened on the right side with buckle straps, and was also pulled together by straps on the shoulders of the shoulders. After about 1450, there was a trend in Germanic cuirass designs to use a belt instead of pins and buckles. In addition, the chest and back parts of the cuirass of the XNUMXth century usually consisted of two parts - the upper and lower parts, with the upper one going behind the lower one. They were also connected with straps with buckles, usually one at the front and one at the back.
Separate chain mail sleeve from the Wallace Collection, London. Such sleeves were sewn to the military doublet and served as additional protection for the joints of plate plates. Photo wallacecollection.org
"Wanbras", or bracers, were forged plates to protect the shoulder part of the arm and forearm, similar to pipes and consisting of two halves (they were called "upper / lower barrel" or "upper / lower tubes"). The arm simply slipped into the “upper barrel”, to which a leather extension was attached at the shoulder for a pair of “ends” that served to connect it with the shoulder of the doublet. The "lower barrel" had a loop-and-swivel connection on the outside and a connection with buckle straps on the inside. In England, the "lower barrel" was most likely attached to the lower edge of the "upper barrel" with metal-tipped cords, although this has not been established for certain.
Knightly armor from the Wallace Collection, 2,1th century. Between the plates of the armor, chain mail sleeves are clearly visible, as well as laces with metal tips. The weight of its constituent parts is as follows: 1,36 kg, helmet; 2,34 kg, bevor; 1,97 kg, bib; 3,64 kg, skirt; 1,5 kg, backrest; 1,2 kg, left rib, cutter and bracer; 0,3 kg, right rib, cutter and bracer; 0,34 kg, left glove; 0,17 kg, right glove; 0,13 kg, rondel (aka besagu); 1,49 kg, rondel; 1,6 kg, left gaiter (kuis); 0,85 kg, right legguard (kuis); 0,41 kg, leggings left and right; XNUMX kg, left and right sabatons. Photo wallacecollection.org
The shoulder in the first half of the century was closed with a lamellar shoulder pad, which was laced up with “ends” passed through holes in the upper edge of one of the plates, as well as a strap with a buckle at the bend of the arm. The armpits were protected by paired "besagu", hanging from the pauldron or attached to the cuirass with strings. "Besagyu" most often had the shape of a disk with a spike sticking out of the center, but there are also besagyu of the most whimsical forms. By 1440, "poldrones" or forged plate shoulders came into use, covering the back and chest, and fastened in almost the same way as lamellar shoulder pads.
Chain mail gloves that survived fashion. Hungary, 0,271th century Weight XNUMX kg. Photo wallacecollection.org
Plate gloves had bells, and the knuckles could be supplied with “gadlings” - small steel pyramids or spikes that filmmakers love to decorate their armor with today. By about 1440, the popular mitten-shaped mail gauntlets were replaced by real protective gloves made of metal plates sewn onto the skin. A sword hung from the belt on the left, and a dagger was usually on the right. If the knight was going to sit in the saddle, spurs were fixed at his ankles with the help of straps with buckles.
Quilted linen balaclava from 1484. One of the six balaclavas ordered for the tournament in honor of the second wedding of Sigismund (1427–1496), Duke of Upper Austria and Count of Tyrol, with Katherine of Saxony. Materials: quilted fabric, hemp, leather. Armory of the New Hofburg Castle (Rüstkammer), Vienna
The helmet was worn last. In 1400, many knights wore a "bascinet" with a cone-shaped and pointed visor, which could be removed by pulling out the locking pins from it. Around 1420, the “large bascinet” with a forged “necklace” or plate collar attached to it to protect the neck was widely distributed. The visor began to take on a rounded shape and look like a skimmer due to the many holes for ventilation.
Italian bascinet, more like a barbut. 1425-1450 Weight 3,237 kg. Photo wallacecollection.org
By the 1440s, helmets such as sallet and armet gradually began to replace the bascinet. Many helmets had a strip of canvas or leather riveted inside around the perimeter, to which a lining was sewn with a lining of hay, horsehair, wool or tow. Often it was cut from segments so that it was possible to pull it together on the dome with a cord and thus adjust the fit of the helmet on the head. It also happened that the lining was glued from the inside. Other metal elements of the armor also often had a lining. Sometimes warriors continued to wear the quilted cap-balaclava known from antiquity, which was pulled together with strings under the chin.
Decoration of the Wallace Collection: armor set for a rider and his horse by the gunsmith Ulrich Rambs (?), Germany, 1480. Materials: iron, low and medium carbon steel, leather, felt, canvas and copper alloy. Manufacturing technology: forging, corrugation, perforation, turning, etching, embossing and engraving. The mass of the entire armor for the rider is 27,161 kg. The mass of the entire armor for the horse is 30,07 kg. The mass of chain mail is 10,17 kg. Photo wallacecollection.org
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