Plate armour

Not to be confused withArmour plate.

Full plate armour for man and horse commissioned bySigismund II Augustus,LivrustkammareninStockholmSweden(1550s).

Armour forGustav I of SwedenbyKunz Lochner,c. 1540 (Livrustkammaren).

Plate armouris a historical type of personalbody armourmade frombronze,iron,orsteelplates, culminating in the iconicsuit of armourentirely encasing the wearer. Full plate steel armour developed in Europe during theLate Middle Ages,especially in the context of theHundred Years' War,from thecoat of plates(popular in late 13th and early 14th century) worn overmailsuits during the 14th century, a century famous for theTransitional armour,in that plate gradually replaced chain mail.

InEurope,full plate armour reached its peak in the 15th and 16th centuries. The full suit of armour, also referred to as apanoply,is thus a feature of the very end of theMiddle Agesand theRenaissanceperiod. Its popular association with the "medieval knight”is due to the specialisedjoustingarmour which developed in the 16th century.

Full suits ofGothic plate armourand Milanese plate armour were worn on the battlefields of theBurgundian Wars,Wars of the Roses,Polish–Teutonic Wars,Eighty Years' War,French Wars of Religion,Italian Wars,Hungarian–Ottoman Wars, Ottoman–Habsburg wars,Polish–Ottoman Wars,a significant part of theHundred Years' War,and even theThirty Years' War.The most heavily armoured troops of the period wereheavy cavalry,such as thegendarmesand earlycuirassiers,but the infantry troops of theSwiss mercenariesand theLandsknechtsalso took to wearing lighter suits of "three quarters"munition armour,leaving the lower legs unprotected.

The use of plate armour began to decline in the early 17th century, but it remained common both among the nobility (e.g., theEmperor Ferdinand II,Louis XIII,Philip IV of Spain,Maurice of OrangeandGustavus Adolphus) and the cuirassiers throughout theEuropean wars of religion.After the mid-17th century, plate armour was mostly reduced to the simplebreastplateorcuirass) worn bycuirassiers,with the exception of thePolish Hussarsthat still used considerable amounts of plate. This was due to the development of themusket,which could penetrate armour at a considerable distance. For infantry, the breastplate gained renewed importance with the development ofshrapnelin the lateNapoleonic Wars.The use of steel plates sewn intoflak jacketsdates toWorld War II,and was replaced by more modern materials such asfibre-reinforced plastic,since the mid-20th century.

Mail armouris a layer of protective clothing worn most commonly from the 9th to the 13th century, though it would continue to be worn under plate armour until the 15th century.Mailwas made from hundreds of small interlinking iron or steel rings held together byrivets.It was made this way so that it would be able to follow the contour of the wearer's body, maximizing comfort. Mail armour was designed mainly to defend against thrusting and cutting weapons, rather thanbludgeons.Typical clothing articles made of mail at the time would be hooded cloaks, gloves,trousers,and shoes. From the 10th to the 13th century, mail armour was so popular in Europe, that it was known as the age of mail.

Early history

Further information:Coat of plates

Bronzemuscle cuirass,Italy, c. 350–300 BC

Partial plate armour, made out of bronze, which protected the chest and the lower limbs, was used by the ancientGreeks,as early as the lateBronze Age.TheDendra panoplyprotected the entire torso on both sides and included shoulder and neck protections. Less restrictive and heavy armour would become more widespread in the form of themuscle cuirassduringclassic antiquitybefore being superseded by other types of armour.ParthianandSassanianheavy cavalry known asClibanariiused cuirasses made out of scales or mail and small, overlapping plates in the manner of themanicafor the protection of arms and legs. Plate armour in the form of theLorica segmentatawas used by the Roman empire between the 1st century BC and 4th century AD.

Single plates of metal armour were again used from the late 13th century on, to protect joints and shins, and these were worn over amailhauberk.Gradually the number of platecomponents of medieval armourincreased, protecting further areas of the body, and inbardingthose of a cavalryman's horse. Armourers developed skills in articulating thelamesor individual plates for parts of the body that needed to be flexible, and in fitting armour to the individual wearer like a tailor. The cost of a full suit of high quality fitted armour, as opposed to the cheapermunition armour(equivalent ofready-to-wear) was enormous, and inevitably restricted to the wealthy who were seriously committed to either soldiering orjousting.The rest of an army wore inconsistent mixtures of pieces, with mail still playing an important part.

Japan

Main article:Japanese armour

A Japanese 16th–17th century suit of plate armour with a western-style cuirass (nanban dō gusoku)

In theKofun period(250–538),iron plate cuirasses (tankō) and helmets were being made.Plate armour was used in Japan during theNara period(646–793); both plate andlamellar armourshave been found in burial mounds, andhaniwa(ancient clay figures) have been found depicting warriors wearing full armour.

In Japan, the warfare of theSengoku period(1467–1615) required large quantities of armour to be produced for the ever-growing armies of foot soldiers (ashigaru). Simple munition-qualitychest armours (dō) and helmets (kabuto) were mass-produced.

In 1543, the Portuguese brought matchlock firearms (tanegashima) to Japan.As Japanese swordsmiths began mass-producing matchlock firearms and firearms became used in war, the use of Lamellar armour (ō-yoroianddō-maru), previously used as samurai armour, gradually decreased. Japanese armour makers started to make new types of armour made of larger iron plate and plated leather.This new suit of armour is calledtōsei gusoku(gusoku), which means modern armour.The type ofgusoku,which covered the front and back of the body with a single iron plate with a raised center and a V-shaped bottom like plate armour, was specifically callednanban dou gusoku( "Western stylegusoku") and was used by some samurai.Japanese armour makers designed bulletproof plate armour calledtameshi gusoku( "bullet tested" ), which allowed soldiers to continue wearing armour despite the heavy use of firearms in the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, warfare in Japan came to an end, but the samurai continued to use plate armour until the end of the samurai era in the 1860s, with the known last use of samurai armour occurring in 1877, during theSatsuma rebellion.

Late Middle Ages

Further information:Gothic plate armourandComponents of medieval armour

Italian suit of armour withsallet,c. 1450

By about 1420, complete suits of plate armour had been developed in Europe. A full suit of plate armour would have consisted of ahelmet,agorget(orbevor),spaulders,pauldronswith gardbraces to cover the armpits as was seen in French armour,orbesagews(also known asrondels) which were mostly used in Gothic Armour,rerebraces,couters,vambraces,gauntlets,acuirass(breastplate and backplate) with afauld,tassetsand aculet,amailskirt,cuisses,poleyns,greaves,andsabatons.The very fullest sets, known as garnitures, more often made for jousting than war, includedpieces of exchange,alternate pieces suiting different purposes, so that the suit could be configured for a range of different uses, for example fighting on foot or on horse. By the Late Middle Ages even infantry could afford to wear several pieces of plate armour. Armour production was a profitable and pervasive industry during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

Royal Armoury of Madrid,Spain

A complete suit of plate armour made from well-tempered steel would weigh around 15–25 kg (33–55 lb).The wearer remained highly agile and could jump, run and otherwise move freely as the weight of the armour was spread evenly throughout the body. The armour was articulated and covered a man's entire body completely from neck to toe. In the 15th and 16th centuries, plate-armoured soldiers were the nucleus of every army. Large bodies ofmen-at-armsnumbering thousands, or even more than ten thousand men (approximately 60% to 70% of French armies were men-at-arms and the percentage was also high in other countries), were fighting on foot, wearing full plate next to archers and crossbowmen.This was commonly seen in the Western European armies, especially during theHundred Years War,theWars of the Rosesor theItalian Wars.

European leaders in armouring techniques were NorthernItalians,especially fromMilan,and SouthernGermans,who had somewhat different styles. But styles were diffused around Europe, often by the movement of armourers; the RenaissanceGreenwich armourwas made by a royal workshop near London that had imported Italian, Flemish and (mostly) German craftsmen, though it soon developed its own unique style. Ottoman Turkey also made wide use of plate armour, but incorporated large amounts of mail into their armour, which was widely used by shock troops such as theJanissaryCorps.

Effect on weapon development

15th-century depiction of amelee.A breast plate is pierced by a sword

Plate armour gave the wearer very good protection againstswordcuts, as well against spear thrusts, and provided decent defense againstblunt weapons.

The evolution of plate armour also triggered developments in the design of offensive weapons. While this armour was effective against cuts or strikes, their weak points could be exploited by thrusting weapons, such asestocs,poleaxes,andhalberds.The effect ofarrowsandboltsis still a point of contention with regard to plate armour. The evolution of the 14th-century plate armour also triggered the development of variouspolearms.They were designed to deliver a strong impact and concentrate energy on a small area and cause damage through the plate.Maces,war hammers,and pollaxes (poleaxes) were used to inflict blunt force trauma through armour. Strong blows to the head could result inconcussion,even if the armour is not penetrated.

Fluted plate was not only decorative, but also reinforced the plate against bending under striking or blunt impact. This offsets against the tendency for flutes to catch piercing blows. In armoured techniques taught in theGerman school of swordsmanship,the attacker concentrates on these "weak spots", resulting in a fighting style very different from unarmoured sword-fighting. Because of this weakness, most warriors wore a mail shirt (haubergeon or hauberk) beneath their plate armour (orcoat-of-plates). Later, full mail shirts were replaced with mail patches, calledgussets,which were sewn onto agambesonor arming jacket. Further protection for plate armour was the use of small round plates calledbesagews,that covered the armpit area and the addition ofcoutersandpoleynswith "wings" to protect the inside of the joint.

Renaissance

Further information:Maximilian armourandGendarme (historical)

German so-calledMaximilian armourof the early 16th century is a style using heavy fluting and some decorative etching, as opposed to the plainer finish on 15th-centurywhite armour.The shapes include influence from Italian styles. This era also saw the use of closed helms, as opposed to the 15th-century-stylesalletsandbarbutes.During the early 16th century, the helmet and neckguard design was reformed to produce the so-calledNürnbergarmour, many of them masterpieces of workmanship and design.

As firearms became better and more common on the battlefield, the utility of full armour gradually declined, and full suits became restricted to those made forjoustingwhich continued to develop. The decoration of fine armour greatly increased in the period, using a range of techniques, and further greatly increasing the cost. Elaborately decorated plate armour for royalty and the very wealthy was being produced. Highly decorated armour is often calledparade armour,a somewhat misleading term as such armour might well be worn on active military service. Steel plate armour forHenry II of France,made in 1555, is covered with meticulous em Boss ing, which has been subjected to blueing, silvering and gilding.

Such work required armourers to either collaborate with artists or have artistic skill of their own; another alternative was to take designs fromornament printsand other prints, as was often done.Daniel Hopferwas an etcher of armour by training, who developedetchingas a form ofprintmaking.Other artists such asHans Holbein the Youngerproduced designs for armour. TheMilanesearmourerFilippo Negroli,from a leading dynasty of armourers, was the most famous modeller of figurativereliefdecoration on armour.

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  Suit of armour of the ItaliancondottieroRoberto Sanseverino d'Aragona
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  Painting ofCharles V, Holy Roman EmperorbyJuan Pantoja de la Cruz(c. 1605), after an original byTitian,depicting an elaborate Renaissance-era suit of armour.
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  Parade armour from 1562, belonged toErik XIV of Sweden.Made by Eliseus Libaerts andEtienne Delaune.

Infantry

Further information:Munition armourandAlmain rivet

Reduced plate armour, typically consisting of abreastplate,aburgonet,morionorcabassetandgauntlets,however, also became popular among 16th-centurymercenaries,and there are many references to so-calledmunition armourbeing ordered for infantrymen at a fraction of the cost of full plate armour. This mass-produced armour was often heavier and made of lower quality metal than fine armour for commanders.

Jousting

TheStechzeugofJohn the Constant(c. 1500)

Specialisedjoustingarmour produced in the late 15th to 16th century was heavier, and could weigh as much as 50 kg (110 lb), as it was not intended for free combat, it did not need to permit free movement, the only limiting factor being the maximum weight that could be carried by awarhorseof the period.

The medievaljousthas its origins in the military tactics ofheavy cavalryduring theHigh Middle Ages.Since the 15th century, jousting had become asport(hastilude) with less direct relevance to warfare, for example using separate specialized armour and equipment.

During the 1490s, emperorMaximilian Iinvested a great deal of effort in perfecting the sport, for which he received his nickname of "The Last Knight". RennenandStechenwere two sportive forms of the joust developed during the 15th century and practiced throughout the 16th century. The armours used for these two respective styles of the joust were known asRennzeugandStechzeug,respectively. TheStechzeugin particular developed into extremely heavy armour which completely inhibited the movement of the rider, in its latest forms resembling an armour-shaped cabin integrated into thehorse armourmore than a functional suit of armour. Such forms of sportive equipment during the final phase of the joust in16th-century Germanygave rise to modern misconceptions about the heaviness or clumsiness of "medieval armour", as notably popularised byMark Twain'sA Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.

The extremely heavy helmets of theStechzeugare explained by the fact that the aim was to detach thecrestof the opponent's helmet, resulting in frequent full impact of the lance to the helmet.

By contrast, theRennenwas a type of joust with lighter contact. Here, the aim was to hit the opponent's shield. The specialisedRennzeugwas developed on the request of Maximilian, who desired a return to a more agile form of joust compared to the heavily armoured "full contact"Stechen.In theRennzeug,the shield was attached to the armour with a mechanism of springs and would detach itself upon contact.

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  Stechzeug;note that the parts protecting the lower body and the legs were incorporated as part of thehorse armour(not shown).
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  Rennzeug
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  Armour designed for theKolbenturnier,dated to the 1480s. TheKolbenturnierwas a late form of thetournament,unlike the joust played with twoteamsusing wooden clubs (Kolben) to hit opponents' helmet crests.

Early modern period

Further information:Cuirass,Munition armour,andArmour in the 18th century

Plate armour was widely used by most armies until the end of the 17th century for both foot and mounted troops such as thecuirassiers,London lobsters,dragoons,demi-lancersandPolish hussars.The infantry armour of the 16th century developed into theSavoyardtype of three-quarters armour by 1600.

Full plate armour was expensive to produce and remained therefore restricted to the upper strata of society; lavishly decorated suits of armour remained the fashion with 18th-century nobles and generals long after they had ceased to be militarily useful on the battlefield due to the advent of inexpensivemuskets.

The development of powerful firearms made all but the finest and heaviest armour obsolete. The increasing power and availability of firearms and the nature of large, state-supported infantry led to more portions of plate armour being cast off in favour of cheaper, more mobile troops. Leg protection was the first part to go, replaced by tall leather boots. By the beginning of the 18th century, onlyfield marshals,commanders and royalty remained in full armour on the battlefield, more as a sign of rank than for practical considerations. It remained fashionable for monarchs to be portrayed in armour during the first half of the 18th century (lateBaroqueperiod), but even this tradition became obsolete. Thus,a portraitofFrederick the Greatin 1739 still shows him in armour, whilea later paintingshowing him as a commander in theSeven Years' War(c. 1760) depicts him without armour.

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  Savoyard munition armour, c. 1600
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  Christian the Younger of Brunswickwearingcuirassierarmour (1620)
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  Portrait ofCharles III of Spainin a suit of armour (1761).
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  French cuirassier armour (1854).

Modern body armour

Main article:Bulletproof vest § History

Further information:Steel Bib

Body armour made a brief reappearance in theAmerican Civil Warwith mixed success. DuringWorld War I,both sides experimented with shrapnel armour, and some soldiers used their own dedicated ballistic armour such as the AmericanBrewster Body Shield,although none were widely produced. Theheavy cavalryarmour (cuirass) used by theGerman,British,andFrenchempires during theNapoleonic Wars,were actively used until the first few months ofWorld War I,when Frenchcuirassierswent to meet the enemy dressed in armour outside ofParis.The cuirass represents the final stage of the tradition of plate armour descended from theLate Middle Ages.Meanwhile, makeshift steel armour for protection againstshrapneland early forms ofballistic vestsbegan development from the mid-19th century to the present day.

Plate armour was also famously used inAustraliaby the Kelly Gang, a group of fourbushrangersled byEdward "Ned" Kelly,who had constructedfour suits of improvised armourfrom plough mouldboards and whose crime spree culminated with a violent shootout with police at the town ofGlenrowanin 1880. The armour was reasonably effective against bullets and made Kelly seem almost invincible to the policemen, who likened him to an evil spirit orBunyipwith one constable reporting that "[I] fired at him point blank and hit him straight in the body. But there is no use firing at Ned Kelly; he can't be hurt", however it left sections of the groin and limbs exposed; during the infamous "Glenrowan Affair", gang member Joe Byrne was killed by a bullet to the groin, Kelly was captured after a fifteen-minute last stand against police (having sustained a total of 28 bullet wounds over his body), and the remaining two members are thought to have committed suicide shortly after. Although the recovered suits were almost immediately mismatched, they have since been reorganized and restored and today remain as a powerful symbol of the Australian outback.

In 1916, General Adrian of the French army provided an abdominal shield which was light in weight (approx. one kilogram) and easy to wear.A number of British officers recognised that many casualties could be avoided if effective armour were available.

The first usage of the term "flak jacket"refers to the armour originally developed by theWilkinson Swordcompany duringWorld War IIto help protectRoyal Air Force(RAF) air personnel from flying debris andshrapnel.TheRed Armyalso made use of ballistic steel body armour, typically chestplates, for combat engineers and assault infantry.

After World War II, steel plates were soon replaced by vests made from synthetic fibre, in the 1950s, made of eitherboron carbide,silicon carbide,oraluminium oxide.They were issued to the crew of low-flying aircraft, such as theUH-1andUC-123,during theVietnam War.The synthetic fibreKevlarwas introduced in 1971, and most ballistic vests since the 1970s are based on kevlar, optionally with the addition oftrauma platesto reduce the risk of blunt trauma injury. Such plates may be made of ceramic, metal (steel or titanium) or synthetic materials.

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  German body armour (Sappenpanzer;1918)
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  American cuirass of WWI after fire testing

See also

• Ballistic vest
• Components of medieval armour
• Mirror armour
• Plated mail
• Proofing of armour

Further reading

• R. E. Oakeshott,European weapons and armour: From the Renaissance to the industrial revolution(1980).
• Ortiz, A.; Carretero, C.; et al. (1991).Resplendence of the Spanish monarchy: Renaissance tapestries and armor from the Patrimonio Nacional.New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.(see index)
• Brian R. Price,Techniques of Medieval Armour Reproduction.Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, 2000.

External links

• Media related toPlate armourat Wikimedia Commons