It's exactly 600 years ago, in July of 1423. Late in the Hundred Years' War. We're taking a look at the clothing and weapon equipment of Llywelyn, a Welsh longbowman in the English army. The English are on their way to the Burgundian city of Cravant to help their allies against a French-Scottish invasion.
The adventurous Llywelyn was inspired as a child by the adventures of Robin Hood, performed by travelling theatre players from England. He trained with a bow his entire life, from Sunday shooting practice to sneaking around hunting in his lord's forest. Before he became a bowman, Llywelyn worked as an apprentice with a master of the blacksmith's guild in his town. His rebellious personality led to a big argument with his guild master, which made him sign up to fight in France.
The Battle of Cravant
The Hundred Years' War was a long conflict between England and France over the French crown. With temporary breaks in between, the war lasted 116 years. After the English had managed to conquer large parts of France, the war had temporarily come to a halt. The French Dauphin (crown prince) was even forced in 1420 to give up his claim to the French throne. But when the English king suddenly died, the Dauphin saw his chance to take back his country.
The French and the Scots prepared for an invasion of the English ally Burgundy, while the English queen at home hastily tried to raise an army. She eventually managed to send a force of only 2500 men to France, who had to come to the aid of the small town of Cravant against a siege of more than 8000 French and Scots.
When the English arrived at Cravant, it was clear that they were vastly outnumbered. Even with a large number of Burgundian auxiliary troops they had picked up along the way, the Franco-Scottish army was three times as large. It had positioned itself at a small bridge over a river between the English and the city. Because both sides didn't dare to cross the bridge, they ordered their bowmen to shoot at the enemy river bank. The English had the upper hand in this long-distance battle, which caused the defence of their opponents to fall apart.
Under cover of the longbow archers, the English seized their chance by crossing the river. At the same moment, the besieged Burgundians marched out from the city, right behind the enemy lines. The French panicked and ran away, while their Scottish allies were left bewildered on the shore. The Scots were now outnumbered themselves and offered little chance against the English and Burgundians, who had won against all expectations.
Basic Clothing
This is Llywelyn's basic clothing, which he wears at home in Wales or in his free time. His outfit consists of a tunic, a belt, leg bindings, a chaperon and a pair of poulaines.
Tunic from the Hundred Years' War
The tunic was the basic clothing item for men throughout the Middle Ages. They were worn all year round and came in many styles. In the fifteenth century, European tunics were mainly made of wool and linen, depending on the weather. Cotton did not grow in Northern Europe, but was available through trade with present-day Italy and Spain.
Belt
The belt ensured that both men and women had long, flowing clothing items (such as tunics and skirts) fit better on the body. Belts were also a way to show your status, not only through beautiful fittings and decorations, but also through the length of the piece of the belt that hung loosely; that signalled how much money you had to spare to spend on extra leather!
Leg Bindings
Leg bindings (Chausses) were a popular clothing item for men in the late Middle Ages. They were a kind of long socks that were tied to the undergarment (Braies) with laces. The nobility and wealthy citizens often wore their beautifully decorated leg bindings in different colours (mi parti). Our Llewelyn is not rich enough for that trendy fashion, so he wears a pair of plain red leg bindings.
Chaperon
The chaperon was an important clothing item throughout the Middle Ages that kept the head clean and dry from all social classes. By the nobility, merchants and other wealthy citizens, the chaperon was worn "inside out", like a kind of turban.
Poulaines
Turnshoes with long points (very creatively called "poulaines") were a symbol of prosperity in Llywelyn's time. To emphasize this shoe shape, the point of the shoe was often even stuffed with moss or animal hair!
Armour
Llywelyn's complete equipment consists of an aketon, a sallet with bevor, a mail collar and a pair of half-gauntlets. With this his upper body and head are well protected, but his arms have enough freedom of movement to shoot the bow effectively. As weapons he has a longbow, a war hammer and a buckler.
Depending on the role (and budget) of a soldier, he would have had a different armour and weapon equipment.
Aketon / Gambeson
The gambeson was the basis of the armour equipment of every medieval soldier, from recruit to knight. It could be used on its own as protection, but was also worn under mail hauberks and harnesses.
A variant of the gambeson, the so-called arming doublet, had special laces to attach plate armour. Although it was a military garment, ordinary citizens in parts of Europe (especially Italy) also wore this garment around, because it suggested combat experience and chivalry.
Mail Collar
Llywelyn wears a mail collar that protects his neck, shoulders and chest. A full mail hauberk he couldn't afford, and it would only hinder him when shooting the bow.
Sallet and Bevor
The sallet was a helmet worn by both common soldiers and knights during the mid to late 15th century, with or without a visor. The visor often didn't reach the chin, which had the advantage that the wearer could breathe better.
The Sallet was often worn in combination with the bevor, a steel neck guard that extended well above the chin. This protected the entire head.
Half-Gauntlets
Half-gauntlets or "demi-gauntlets" were a popular form of steel hand protection in the 15th century. They were much easier and cheaper to make than full plate gauntlets and offered more freedom of movement for the fingers.
Longbow
Llywelyn's primary weapon is the longbow, the characteristic weapon of English and Welsh archers during the Hundred Years' War. These bows were 150 to 180 cm in length and had a draw weight of around 100 lbs or higher. This made the longbow powerful enough to shoot arrows through mail hauberks with ease, while with this weapon many more shots could be fired than with a crossbow.
Note: buying a bow for re-enactment or LARP? Then check if the draw weight isn't too high! Many organisations don't allow a draw weight above 28 lbs.
War Hammer
The war hammer was a weapon of war that was effective against both unarmoured and heavily armoured enemies. The weapon had two different ends to hit with, a blunt hammer and a long claw that was called a crowbeak. Some war hammers also had a point on top to stab with.
Buckler
The buckler was the shield for both citizens and light (or poor) soldiers. It was small and cheap, could be simply forged together and was easy to carry in daily life. In a skilled hand, the buckler in combination with a weapon could protect the entire body.
Accessories
As a soldier, Llywelyn must carry many of his own supplies. He always keeps his water bottle, cup and purse with him.
