Osprey - General Military - Knight - The Warrior and ... - Brego-weard

Greek Corinthian helmet. Sallets could take a very similar form, forgoing
the sweeping tail in favour of a deeper more close-fitting shape. The
ubiquitous kettle hat, which had first appeared in the late 12th century, can
also frequently be seen in depictions of knightly combatants in this late
period, some of them being very deep with eye-slits at the base of the crown. These
were worn, like the sallet, with a plate bevor, a shaped defence that protected the
neck and face from collarbone to chin.
Although gothic and Milanese armour dominated the 15th century, the 16th saw
a new style emerge that mixed elements of both. Known as 'Maximilian' armour today,
named after the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I who was the driving force behind
the German armour industry which produced it, it was characterized by rounded
plates decorated with lines of fluting, and a boxy breastplate with a sharp taper into
a wasp waist. As well as drawing on preceding armour styles it reflected something
of the puffed and heavily pleated clothing of the period: the narrow-waisted coats
with large flared and pleated skirts and broad-toed shoes. This style became hugely
popular, in no small part because of the dominance of the Hapsburg dynasty, and was
widely copied, most notably by Henry VlII's Greenwich workshops, which he set up
by bringing German armourers to England.
Through the 16th and into the 17th century plate armour continued to develop,
although stylistically it did not change as dramatically as in previous centuries. One
of the major changes was the development of garnitures, collections of armour with
interchangeable elements so that the same armour could be used for combat on foot,
as light cavalry, in tournaments and so forth simply by replacing one or two pieces.
ARMS AND ARMOUR •*}*•
1 5th-century gothic and
Milanese harness. Whilst
the insect-like lines, low-
crowned sa//ef and long
pointed sabatons typify
the German gothic
(above), the Milanese
armour (top left) was
much more massive,
trading flexibility for
protection. (Mary Evans
Picture Library (above) and
(top left) the Art Archive)
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