Unusual medieval armor

The lobster-tailed pot worn by 17th century cavalry was originally a Turkish helmet. It was probably a Polish invention copied from armor captured during the Polish-Ottoman Wars.

Originally posted by Nick1986 The armor of the Russian knight was interesting. This one resembles the helmets worn by the Pechenegs

Other Russian armor looked Viking, Middle Eastern or Asian in appearance. Several knights in the background wear Norse Spangenhelms and one wears Mongolian scale armor

Armored gauntlets would have required considerable skill to make. Each piece had to be forged, riveted, guilded and engraved by hand

Or what about Samurai dog armor? This suit was fully functional but it was more likely used for parades

Originally posted by Kanas_Krumesis Some example of strange medieval helmet

It's another piece of Maximilian armor, but a lot more ornate than the typical example. Judging by the eye slits, two-piece visor and comb, this was intended for combat as well as for show

Wow! Just how great is that?

As the monster/Governator said in the movie?

You folks might like this site.

Paddy..., did you read my above post? I was probably revising it when you posted above?

If I were to bet, I would guess you hale from Irish roots?

Regarding fully armoured knights.

While it might well seem that certain features were exagerrated, perhaps one should consider that in those times, wars were scheduled to occur during the mild to colder times of the year. Why, you might well ask? Well just place youself in one of these metal containers and stand in the Sun on a day where the temperture was above 80 F. It was much easier to control being warm inside one of these tanks, than it was to keep cool. Urination would also present some problem, unless that "codpiece" was there for a reason, maybe to make it easy to pee?

And, the expanded chest, etc., was necessary because these knights had to be padded both as extra protection (padding) from blows, etc., but from contact with the metal itself. During cold weather, to have a part of your body in contact with very cold steel, etc., what like placing a "heat-sink" in a computer or other electrical device, or a radiator in an engine. Contact with it would drain the body's heat, and fast, but on very warm sunny days, it would merely make the wearer hotter.

Heat exaustion and the lack of water on the battle field, were probably immense problems, especially if the area was hot or merely warm. Walking around in one's own personal sauna, is not something to think kindly about, unless you need to loose a lot of weight very fast.

Today, the invention of "cool suits" would solve a lot of the problems encountered at times by these walking tanks of the past.

Thus in battle scenes preserved upon the walls of certain temples in Egypt, most every fighter wears only a short kilt, etc.! Only "dead" men went into battle on very warm days wearing full armour.

And, as well it serves to me, as a point concerning the use of Chariots in the supposed Trojan war. That is, it seems the fully armoured knights were taken to the front in said conveyances, attended to by squires, and armourers, etc., and placed near the fron lines. Then, when they were almost in dispare due to water loss, and heat, they would call for their aids, mount the chariot/wagon and be removed from the field of battle. It is very similar to having to re-fuel a modern tank. It does no one much good if it runs out of fuel and thus effectiveness.

The eventual placement of these knights upon armoured war horses, made this much easier, unless the knight was "un-horsed!", then he would usually be a much easier target, since it might not be easy to get out from under a downed horse without aid. Or even to stand up after surviving the fall. Small thin knive blades could be easily slipped inside the layers of metal that made up the joints, etc. Even a few well placed cuts, whould lead the knight to slowly bleed to death as well as possibly sever the tendons to his arms and legs, much less his neck.

Certainly a knight in such a postion would be vainly trying to protect his face, and visor, which would for sure lead to death if removed.

Regards,

Edited by opuslola - 12-May-2011 at 18:27

Originally posted by opuslola   Nick, some really good points above. However I really doubt that the average "knight" was much smaller than the average man today, that is about five feet eight/nine inches tall. Perhaps those so called "small" samples we see today are really "samples?" Regards, Ron