Foot- & leg armor

In the Middle Ages, knights and warriors developed an extensive system of leg armor to protect themselves from blows, arrows, and lance attacks. The legs were a vulnerable target during battles on foot and on horseback, which made specialized armors such as cuisses, poleyns, schynbalds, greaves and sabatons an important part of a complete armor.

Cuisses

Cuisses were the thigh armor and formed the basic of the leg protection. They connected under the cuirass and offered protection against attacks from below—a known weak spot for knights. Over time, cuisses were forged from a single steel plate for optimal strength. Often, poleyns were directly attached to the cuisses for complete knee protection.

Poleyns

The poleyns, or knee pieces, were among the first armor components to evolve from mail to plate steel. In later Gothic armors, poleyns had characteristic wings on the side for extra protection during lateral blows.

Schynbalds or greaves

For the shin, two types of protection emerged. Schynbalds were early steel panels that only covered the front of the leg and were secured with straps. Later, they gave way to greaves, fully enclosing shin plates that completely surrounded the lower leg with hinges and buckles. This type of armor offered superior safety during prolonged battles.

Sabatons

The armor was completed with sabatons, the steel foot pieces worn over the shoes. These consisted of multiple lames so that the foot could remain flexible, yet protected against swords, horse hooves, and heavy projectiles.

Our range at Celtic WebMerchant includes all these components, in authentic medieval styles, suitable for reenactment, LARP, HMB/Bohurt, and decoration. With our top brands such as Marshal Historical SPQR and Deepeeka, you can fully assemble your leg armor as you wish.