The Evolution of Knightly Armor and Weapons - DOCUMENTARY

the crusades era saw dramatic developments in the armor and weapons used by medieval knights from the innovations of the normans in the 11th century to the increasingly more elaborate armor of the late 13th century knights were constantly seeking ways to reduce their vulnerability on the battlefield and to maximize their ability to inflict damage on an opponent today on real crusades history we'll take a journey through the military technology of the middle ages and see how the fighting men of the era met the challenges and dangers of warfare as they armed themselves for combat this is the evolution of the medieval knights armor through the timeline of the crusades [Music] by definition a knight was a mounted warrior in most of europe's languages the word for night translates to horsemen chevalier in french ritter in german and caballero in spanish but the english word knight is rooted in an anglo-saxon term for retainer or servant referring to the feudal system brought to england during the norman conquest in which knights were retained in the service of a lord or the king the cost of breeding training and keeping war horses restricted mounted warfare to the upper ranks of society a knight's armor and weapons were expensive as well perhaps the earliest examples of knights were charlemagne's paladins in the late 8th and early 9th centuries charlemagne's paladins wore simplified versions of late roman armor the helmets were round or conical constructed of several pieces called spangenhelms by modern historians for armor they wore male halbergs that is shirts made of what we today call chainmail during the carolingian era frankish warriors sometimes wore lamellar or scale armor but mail seems to have been more common these male shirts were formed of interlinked metal rings and first appeared in the graves of celts the roman writer varro claims that the celts invented male carolingian male during the age of charlemagne was shorter and covered less of the body than the hal berks of the crusades era it was knee length or a bit shorter and was worn over a woolen tunic sleeves frequently did not reach the elbow a split ran down the center back and front from hem to groin to accommodate horseback riding in 805 charlemagne issued a decree requiring every man in possession of at least 300 acres to equip himself with a male shirt indicating that only the very wealthy could afford this armor the carolingian knight wielded a short sword meant for cutting and thrusting in a broad-bladed spear shields were round about three feet in diameter and constructed of wooden planks the surface was covered with hide or painted viking shields were brightly colored and depicted dragons and other fantastical beasts a hole was cut in the center and here an iron grip was riveted a metal boss covered the front facing center protecting the hand shields could be reinforced with metal on the rims but still they could be hacked to pieces in the violence of battle in the infantry formations of the early medieval world warriors would stand side to side shields raised to create the iconic shield wall larger round shields had a strap for the forearm to stabilize the wearer's grip this gear was the norm throughout early medieval europe [Music] by the mid 11th century normandy was the best organized state in the west and it's duke far wealthier than his nominal overlord the king of france duke williams knights were the nucleus of his army increasingly professionalized and centralized in their loyalty to the conqueror it's no surprise that our most vivid source for the arms and armor of the period comes from the bayou tapestry a work embroidered by norman noblewomen to commemorate williams conquest of anglo-saxon england in 1066. the normans are known for the conical nasal helm defined by a nasal guard that extended down the middle of the helmet to protect the wearer's face this nasal could be quite large as the bayou tapestry shows duke william raising his helmet so that his troops can recognize him the 10th century helmet of saint wenceslaus housed today in prague cathedral features a motif of the crucified christ across the nasal the conical norman helmet was quite effective and remained popular well into the 13th century the knee-length male halbrook remained the night's main defense the normans generally extended the sleeves of their male to midway down the forearm while covering the rest of the arm with a leather guard most 11th century knights did not wear leg protections although male leggings or chauces were starting to come into use the bayou tapestry shows only duke william and other high-ranking men wearing such leg protection most knights wore cloth hoes on their lower legs however the shield evolved to better protect the knights legs the elongated kite shield prized by the normans was rounded at the top then tapered down to a point at the bottom the byzantine chronicler anna kamnena states that the shields of the western christians were quite large and impressive for a foot soldier they were useful too as they eliminated the leg gap exploited in earlier times magnus barefoot king of norway called his sword leg biter these kite shields were made of wood and covered with paint or leather they were not flat but slightly curved vertically to add some protection to the sides of the body this was before the era of heraldic display and so the images depicted on the shields may have been somewhat arbitrary or held some other significance they could be painted a solid color have groups of dots a swirling cross design or even bear lion or dragon motifs some of these shields also had metal bosses like their earlier round counterparts for the 11th century night the sword symbolized status and power it was used in the ceremony of knighting and during other occasions such as the coronation of a king in this depiction from the bayou tapestry we see a mounted norman knight wielding his sword quite effectively against anglo-saxon infantry swords of the period had a broad double-edged blade around two and a half feet 76 centimeters in length with a slightly rounded point meant for cutting and slashing and not just for thrusting they were wielded with one hand good quality blades might be inlaid with copper bronze silver or gold a capable swordsmith was a highly valued man quality swords required a month to manufacture and cost more than a hundred oxen the sword was carried in a scabbard that hung on the left hip from a waist belt secured by straps or buckles spears were far cheaper and thus far more common weapons but still very effective infantry as well as cavalry employed the spear though the horseman's lance was longer and heavier the average spear hewn of ashwood extended six feet in length the bayou tapestry shows knights wielding their lances couched under the right arm and also carrying the lance under or overhand to probe enemy formations spears are even thrown like javelins one segment of the tapestry shows knights riding ahead with large couch lances as if ready to give charge while behind other knights wield lighter lances with barbed heads the battle of hastings was a clash between the older infantry fighting style of the anglo-saxons and the newer heavy cavalry of the normans the english army under harold godwinson still employed the viking age shield wall formation though they are seen using the newer kite shields standing as a solid wall harold's men kept the normans at bay with their powerful battle axes by the 11th century the most common battle axe was the scandinavian broad axe around four to five feet in length steel edged and capable of severing limbs and heads here we see a dense formation of anglo-saxon house girls wielding shields spears and axes a mace is even used as a throwing weapon the normans charge in on their war horses wielding lances and kite shields note how the nasal is seen on the helmets of both the normans and the english [Music] the armor and weapons used by western knights in the 11th century continued almost unchanged through the early 12th this night depicted in the 12th century huntarian salter is armed much like the normans of the bayou tapestry so what did change in this late 12th century depiction of the martyrdom of saint thomas beckett we see that the male halbrook is longer extending past the knees also male coverings of the lower legs are more common the arms are now fully covered with male with many hal berks made with built-in male mittens called mufflers these mufflers were slit permitting the wearer to remove them at will the shields and swords are very similar to what we saw in the 11th century conical helmets remained widely in use until the mid 12th century though they were sometimes rounded across the top or tapered forward in what is sometimes called the phrygian style toward the end of the century flat tops afforded greater protection to helmets however contemporary illustrations often show these helmets being split in half by blows from swords or axes at the very close of the century knights experimented with iron face guards these were separate pieces strapped across the face to augment the protection of the helmet and the male coiff speaking of which male coifs began to include an additional flap of male the vent tail which was strapped across the throat in the lower part of the one of the most famous innovations of the period was the widespread adoption of the surcode these are loose flowing cloth garments usually sleeveless worn over the male halberg they appear to have been first adopted by crusaders fighting in the heat of the middle east the loose flowing surcoat blocked the direct glare of the sun reducing the heat of the metal armor eventually they would be decorated with heraldry and this may explain why they became so universally popular even in colder climates the garments worn under male armor called per points grew increasingly thick and more padded again this may have been a legacy of the crusades in which western knights faced the swift mounted archers of the turks against such opponents heavy padding helped blunt the impact of arrows indeed period chronicles describe crusader knights emerging from battle bristling with arrows like hedgehogs but unwounded since the male and padded purpoints shielded the night's flesh this image is from the winchester bible from around 11 70. notice that these knights are still not wearing surcoats which were still not yet as widespread outside of the holy land as they would be in the 13th century the knights all wear male leggings and their male shirts are roughly knee length they wear rounded helmets rather than the conical helmet of the normans on the left we see the phrygian style take on the nasal helm this bronze gilt plaque is from roughly 1150 again note the similarity to the gear used on the bayou tapestry no surcoats are in use but the knights wear male halberts that reach past their knees the shields are identical to those of the 11th century however the story is different from this example from a manuscript of the life of saint guthlak 12th century these knights are still wearing shorter halbergs but their shields are also shorter and flatter across the top helmets are either rounded or flat topped [Music] at the start of the 13th century the heavily armored mounted knight still dominated warfare in both europe and the holy land working in groups western knights could deliver powerful cavalry charges that were quite difficult to resist the 13th century saw an increase in the complexity of the western knights equipment the christian west was booming economically and knights could afford ever greater augmentations to their armor additionally crusades in the eastern levant where the most dangerous opponents were the mounted turkish horse archers prompted westerners to seek an increase in the coverage and strength of armor the basic equipment of the night varied little throughout europe a male halberg with an integrated male koif to cover the head as well as male mufflers to cover the lower arms and hands male leggings or chauces to protect the legs a helmet sword lance and shield the flat-topped helmet popular in the late 12th century was in the 13th century augmented by a face guard pierced by two slits for the eyes called sights as well as holes for ventilation called breaths a padded arming cap was worn beneath both are seen here on the shrine of charlemagne in aachen cathedral created around 1207 by the 1220s the helmet had evolved a narrower fixed neck guard which extended around to attach to the face guard creating a flat topped butt cylindrical helmet famed as the great helm by the 1260s the top was given a taper to deflect sword blows this is the well-known sugarloaf helm the 13th century saw the widespread adoption of a decorative crest on the top of the helmet the first documented example of this dates to 1194 on the great seal of king richard the lionheart of england the kettle helm also gained popularity during this period and is often seen in the morgan bible it was used by knights it was especially popular among common troops such as men at arms and archers the 13th century halberd reached to around mid-thigh length the halbrook had long sleeves ending in mufflers to protect the hands to increase defensibility many knights added another garment the coat of plates that is surcoat supplemented with steel plates riveted to the material in vertical rows this coat of plates can be seen on this german statue of a sleeping guard from 1270. chainmail was very effective but it had certain limitations male was especially vulnerable to blunt trauma which could cause broken bones and other internal injuries even if the male prevented penetration as weapons became heavier and more powerful knights began to augment their male with the beginnings of plate armor by mid-century small pieces of plate armor were strapped onto the knees elbows and shoulders half greaves plate armor worn to protect the lower legs also began to appear toward the century's end with the improvement of body armor the enormous kite shield fell out of favor replaced by the smaller heater shield with the face and legs now better protected the heater shield was more practical it was triangular in shape the flat top edge allowing the knight better visibility when he held his shield raised up because it was not as long the heater shield was more easily wielded by the mounted knight as armor improved knights sought to increase the power of their weapons swords were made heavier and longer and were equipped with wider cross guards they had heavy wheel trefoil or ball shaped pommels to offset the heavier blades on average the 13th century blade extended to 40 to 42 inches in length thanks for watching now check out our video series on the life of the heroic leper king of jerusalem baldwin iv click on the video linked on your screen to watch 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Channel: Real Crusades History

Views: 132,766

Keywords: knight, medieval knight, armor, armor and swords, evolution of armor, medieval history, medieval documentary, knight documentary, knight weapons, knightly armor, norman armor, the normans, crusades armor, crusades swords, evolution of helmets, great helm, sugarloaf helmet, norman helmet, nasal helm, swords and weapons, evolution of swords, knights templar, templar armor, templar sword, history of the knights templar, knight documentary history

Id: MxCAEvkryrk

Length: 15min 48sec (948 seconds)

Published: Sat Aug 06 2022