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Nick1986
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Topic: Unusual medieval armor Posted: 22-Mar-2011 at 17:56 |
This thread is dedicated to the weirdest suits of armor of the period. Check out this kooky jousting helmet worn by the young Henry VIII and now preserved at the Tower of London
(My apologies to the mods if such a topic already exists. If it does, please merge this post in with the others)
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Nick1986
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Posted: 22-Mar-2011 at 18:03 |
According to this website Henry's horned helmet was a gift from Emperor Maximillian in 1515. It was made by Augsburg goldsmith Konrad Seusenhofer and was once believed to have belonged to Henry's jester
http://www.royalarmouries.org/visit-us/leeds/leeds-galleries/tournament-gallery/maximilian-i/the-horned-helmet-1-1
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Centrix Vigilis
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Posted: 22-Mar-2011 at 18:07 |
My gosh looks like something out of a bad sfi channel class b rerun.
2 quick questions:
a. was it functional and did he ever wear it at tourney?
b. can we estimate a value?
CV
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Nick1986
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Posted: 22-Mar-2011 at 18:24 |
From what i read on the Royal Armories site it seems to have been used for pre-tournament parades. Such an object is priceless due its one-of-a-kind design (all handmade) and association with one of England's most famous kings
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Centrix Vigilis
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Posted: 22-Mar-2011 at 18:29 |
ah very good. It's as you say a wierd one.
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Nick1986
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Posted: 22-Mar-2011 at 18:37 |
Other knights had equally weird stuff. These sabatons were based on the pointed boots then fashionable at court:
Edited by Nick1986 - 22-Mar-2011 at 18:59
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Michael Collins
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Posted: 22-Mar-2011 at 19:06 |
Welcome, mighty slayer of trolls. I think you got a raw deal elsewhere ... you know what I mean.
It's all non-functional then, is it? I recall reading somewhere that all the medieval period wore on, and gunpowder changed warfare, armour became much less functional, and often too ornate to be off much use anyway. Perhaps you can verify this.
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Is í labhairt a dteanga an moladh is mó is féidir linn a thabhairt dár namhaid.
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Nick1986
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Posted: 25-Mar-2011 at 22:16 |
The armor of the Russian knight was interesting. This one resembles the helmets worn by the Pechenegs
Edited by Nick1986 - 25-Mar-2011 at 22:16
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Arab
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Posted: 26-Mar-2011 at 00:47 |
Japanese armor was pretty weird
Teutonic armor
This isn't armor but is pretty weird anyway.. The khopesh, or sickle-sword, an ancient Egyptian weapon.
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Nick1986
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Posted: 26-Mar-2011 at 20:34 |
Michael, i don't know if Henry's helmet was functional but it's possible. Maximilan armor was definitely functional, despite its ornate design
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Centrix Vigilis
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Posted: 26-Mar-2011 at 22:15 |
Not wierd per se but I've enjoyed in the past researching it....
Here's a link on Viking Armor and Arms. From comparison and contrast to other sources it's fairly accurate.
Thanks
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Nick1986
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Posted: 08-Apr-2011 at 19:21 |
The 16th century had the ugliest armor. This one was probably worn by a dismounted knight as it would have been impossible to ride a horse:
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Centrix Vigilis
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Posted: 08-Apr-2011 at 19:29 |
Oh I dont know Nick not ugly but certainly not pretty...but when someones trying to kill ya.. pretty isnt much of a matter of consquence at the moment eh....
Ah well more specifically was a chain or padded shirt worn under and can you give me an aprox weight here?
Thanks
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Nick1986
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Posted: 08-Apr-2011 at 20:49 |
Both chainmail and a padded doublet would have been worn under plate armor. Sometimes knights had to be winched onto their horses because their armor was so heavy. If they fell from their mounts they would be helpless
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Centrix Vigilis
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Posted: 08-Apr-2011 at 21:03 |
Ah excellent..... in round figures then we might be talking in excess of 200lbs?
Thanks
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"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"
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Nick1986
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Posted: 28-Apr-2011 at 19:54 |
I'm not entirely sure. Some armor supposedly weighed the same as a modern helmet and flak vest but i'd imagine movement would be slower as it covered parts of the body unaccustomed to bearing the weight
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Nick1986
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Posted: 08-May-2011 at 12:40 |
Then you have to take into account the possibility jousting armor would be heavier and the likelihood medieval knights were smaller than their modern descendents and would have more trouble shifting the excess weight
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red clay
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Posted: 08-May-2011 at 13:49 |
Some years back I had an aquaintance that was heavily into the SCA. [Society for Creative Anachronism] He was trained in metal smithing and produced mail for himself and others. He put me in a outfit that would have been usual for an umounted warrior. Without any plate being involved, when he was done I had 140-160 lbs hanging on me. I immediately had a lot of respect for the medieval infantryman. Their leg strength and stamina must have been incredible.
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opuslola
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Posted: 08-May-2011 at 21:36 |
Dear red, you have seen the size of the legs depicted within 16th to 18th century paintings, they look like the legs of todays body-builders.
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?"
As regards the original example that opened this line of converstation, I can only respond that the person wearing this outfit, seems to have needed "glasses" to see! That would date the time of this armour to the time of "glasses", it seems.
Regards,
Ron
Edited by opuslola - 08-May-2011 at 21:38
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Nick1986
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Posted: 08-May-2011 at 21:51 |
Glasses were definitely in use during the Middle Ages, although they didn't have earpieces yet (they were tied in place with a ribbon). The helmet in the first post belonged to Henry VIII (though i'm not sure if he wore glasses)
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