Medieval breastplate Isidore, 1.2 mm

Product description

A breastplate protects the front of the torso and forms the heart of a plate armour. Around the year 1000, solid plates had almost disappeared in Europe, and knights mainly wore a chainmail shirt over a padded gambeson. Only around 1340 did the breastplate return, first of wrought iron and later of steel — precisely the tradition this portable replica draws on.

This breastplate is made of sheet steel with leather belt straps that cross at the back and can be adjusted to size with buckles. Along the edges, decorative brass rivets provide a neat finish, and the generously sized armholes give your upper body full freedom of movement. In the sixteenth century, officers and nobles often had their breastplates richly decorated with etching; this version is deliberately kept sober, without engravings.

This makes the piece a fine choice for re-enactment and living history, for HEMA practitioners who want to complete their equipment, and for collectors. As an eye-catcher in a historical display, the breastplate also shows to great advantage.