A brigandine (sometimes brigantine) is a form of body protection that was used from the late Middle Ages into the early modern period. It's a jacket made of strong fabric, canvas or leather, with many small steel plates held in place with rivets. Unlike the coat of plates, in the brigandine the rivets and sometimes the plates are visible on the outside. Often there's a second layer of fabric on the inside as well.
Composition
Medieval brigandines were actually an improved version of the older coat of plates, but with smaller plates. Early brigandines appeared in the late 14th century, but became much more popular in the 15th and 16th centuries.
15th-century brigandines often open at the front, with rivets in triangular patterns. In the 16th century, smaller plates were used with the rivets arranged in straight rows.
The design resembles a sleeveless gambeson, with a narrow waist and rounded chest. Some plates could be larger at the centre of the chest.
With luxury brigandines, the outer fabric was made of silk, and the rivets were gilded or decorated in patterns. They were popular with wealthy nobles.
A brigandine was worn over a gambeson and often also over a chainmail shirt.
It provides less protection than a full plate steel armour, but offers much greater freedom of movement and is easy to repair yourself.
Etymology
A common misconception is that brigandines are named after brigands who wore them. This is incorrect: the word "brigand" originally meant foot soldier (common soldier), not bandit.
In reality, brigandines were actually very fashionable, even in wealthy courts.
History
Armour has existed since the earliest history. In the Bible (Jeremiah 46:4) a word that originally meant "chainmail shirt" is translated as "brigandine".
It's likely that the brigandine originated from Mongol lamellar armour, a jacket with many small scales on the inside. This type of armour came to Western Europe via Eastern Europe and developed into the brigandine of the 14th century.
Brigandines were often cheaper than breastplates. In France, archers in the 15th century were required to bring at least a brigandine into battle.
In Portugal in 1418 it was said that the cheapest armour for common soldiers was a coat of plates or brigandine.
Jack of Plates
A jack of plates (sometimes just called a "jack", though that word could also mean a regular jacket) is a type of armour that resembles a brigandine quite closely.
This armour was especially worn by common soldiers in early modern Europe and by peasant rebels, such as during the Jacquerie uprising.
Like the brigandine, a jack consists of many small iron plates, sandwiched between layers of felt and canvas (strong fabric).
The main difference from the brigandine is how the plates are fastened:
In a brigandine the plates are fastened with rivets. In a jack of plates the plates are sewn between the layers of fabric.
Many jacks were made from recycled pieces of old armour.
Damaged brigandines and broken breastplates were cut into small squares and then reused in a jack.
Use Through the Ages
Jacks remained in use until the 16th century and were often worn by the Border reivers (raiders and warriors in the border region between England and Scotland).
Although this type of armour was outdated by the time of the English Civil War (1642–1651), many English colonists still took it with them to the New World (America).
The reason: a jack provided excellent protection against arrows and weapons of Native American peoples.
A jack from 1607 was found in Jamestown in 2008, one of the first English settlements in North America.
Internal links
- About Gambeson
- Pourpoint: Medieval jacket and armour underlay
- Munition armour: Mass production of armour 15th–17th century
- The cuirass: Medieval chest and back armour
- Arming Doublet: Quilted armour jacket from the 15th century
**
Sources:
- Archaeological Find: Textile and metal remains from the Mary Rose (1545) for the Jack of Plates.
- Museum Collection: Royal Armouries, Leeds, for perfectly preserved brigandines covered with velvet.
