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

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

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Windsor Park in 1278. In the 1322 inventory of Wigmore Castle five pairs of chamfrons<br />

are recorded, along with five pairs of \eaXx\erflancherd <strong>and</strong> pey trait, which would cover<br />

the horse 's withers <strong>and</strong> chest respectively. <strong>The</strong> Luttrell psalter image of about 20 years<br />

later clearly shows Sir Geoffrey Luttrell's mount with a chamfron. This is almost<br />

certainly of leather as it sports a fan-like crest identical to that on the banneret's helm,<br />

which would itself have been almost certainly constructed of cuir bouiili.<br />

<strong>The</strong> joust had a great impact on the development of armour. <strong>The</strong> danger of the<br />

creatures running into each other or, after its introduction in the 1420s, into the tilt barrier<br />

led to the development in the 14th century of padded buffers that sat beneath the<br />

caparison <strong>and</strong> protected the horse's chest. But again it was the metallurgical developments<br />

of the 14th century that brought about the clearest changes. <strong>The</strong> ability to create large iron<br />

blooms meant that plate armour could be made for the horse as well as his rider. Starting<br />

with the chamfron, by the mid-15th century the soft' armours had been replaced by<br />

hinged <strong>and</strong> pinned plates. At about the same time cloth bardings become relegated to the<br />

tournament <strong>and</strong> pageant field, in part because they were an unnecessary encumbrance but<br />

also, perhaps, because of the contemporary fashion amongst men-at-arms for doing away<br />

with heraldic surcoats to show off the 'white harness' underneath.<br />

<strong>The</strong> knight in shining armour of popular image, encased in a carapace of steel, was<br />

a late arrival onto the medieval scene. His wargear evolved almost continuously as<br />

armourers <strong>and</strong> weapon-smiths responded to the changing tactical needs <strong>and</strong> fashions<br />

of their clients <strong>and</strong> to the changing quality ot their metals. Developments in the power<br />

<strong>and</strong> effectiveness of weapons were countered by changes in armour which in turn led<br />

to further improvements in arms. Thus the knight of the 12th century, clad in mail <strong>and</strong><br />

a nasal helm, was as well protected from the weapons of his day as the plate-armoured<br />

man-at-arms of the 15th century, but this by no means made him invulnerable.<br />

<strong>The</strong> knight had a range of options to choose from, in terms of both the armour he<br />

wore <strong>and</strong> the weapons he used <strong>and</strong> whilst the culture of personal prowess <strong>and</strong> the<br />

expectations of fashions might direct those choices to a certain extent, a sophisticated<br />

underst<strong>and</strong>ing of tactics <strong>and</strong> battlefield also played a role. <strong>The</strong> nature of that tactical<br />

sophistication <strong>and</strong> how <strong>and</strong> where the warrior acquired it is the subject of our<br />

next chapter.<br />

ARMS AND ARMOUR •*}*•<br />

Opposite: This armoured<br />

barding for a horse, of<br />

the late 15th century, is<br />

designed to match <strong>and</strong><br />

complement that of his<br />

rider. (© Board of Trustees<br />

of the Armouries, II.3)<br />

65

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