Avant-Style Harness Armor (1420-1460)

Introduction

The armour of a knight (or man-at-arms) looked different throughout the Middle Ages. In this blog, we'll give you a peek at the equipment of an Italian man-at-arms in the middle of the fifteenth century to help you choose your own outfit.

The Hundred Years' War between England and France would continue until 1453. Periods of war were interrupted by brief periods of peace, which both nations needed to rebuild themselves after intensive fighting. In Italy, a series of long-lasting conflicts was also brewing. The rise of great rivals like Venice and Genoa had caused a kind of cold war between two major alliances in Northern Italy in the late fourteenth century. This would erupt into hot war in 1423, in the form of the Lombard Wars between the Republic of Venice and the Duchy of Milan. These wars would divide Northern Italy into a number of major power blocs, which emerged from the patchwork of individual city-states from the centuries before. The arms race between the alliances that fought in them led to the development of the characteristic 'Milanese' plate armour and the Avant armour.

Armour Developments

Throughout the fifteenth century, clear regional differences emerged in the forms of plate armour. The Northern Italian (Milanese) style that emphasized large, rounded shapes can be seen in the Avant Armour from the castle of Churburg in Northern Italy.

The bascinet was replaced in the middle of the fifteenth century in France, Italy, and England by the armet. This helmet had a complicated hinged construction to fit better on the head. The early armet had a bevor that was fastened over the helmet to provide extra protection for the neck. The armet remained exclusive to the aristocracy, but the sallet, another helmet that had replaced the bascinet, was worn by both ordinary soldiers and knights. In the Holy Roman Empire, the sallet was used almost exclusively as part of the Gothic style.

The arm harness underwent great developments during this period. Pauldrons became more robust to protect the collarbone, and in the Milanese style, shoulder plates were often asymmetrical. The elbow was covered with a plate that protected it completely, but still allowed enough freedom of movement. Gauntlets developed into a form of mitt where the fingers couldn't move individually, but a hybrid form with individual finger protection was still often used.

Giorgio's Outfit: Avant Armour

The year is 1440. The Milanese knight Giorgio fights in the Lombard Wars under the mercenary general Niccolò Piccinino. The army is on its way to the Tuscan town of Anghiari, where a Venetian-Florentine alliance awaits the Milanese army. Giorgio disagrees with the poor discipline of the mercenaries marching with him: he thinks they seem more interested in their wages than victory, which he sees as an example of the sorry state of military troops in his time.

Outfit

When Giorgio is not wearing his weapon equipment, he follows the fashion of the early fifteenth century. He wears his arming doublet, a mi-parti hose, pointed shoes, and a coif as a headpiece. On his belt, he carries a pouch and his sword, a symbol of his military status that he likes to show off on the streets of Milan. He wants his outfit to convey a warrior-like character, even without armour.

Coif

The coif was a medieval garment that was originally intended as a cap to protect the head against rain and cold. In the fourteenth century, it became fashionable among the nobility and bourgeoisie to wear the coif as a kind of turban by turning it inside out.

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Arming Doublet

In the fifteenth century, fashion shifted from long, flowing garments to short, fitted clothing. Men began wearing doublets, which ended around the hips and emphasized the chest and waist. Full hose began to become increasingly fashionable as a result.

A gambeson provides a layer of quilted protection under mail and plate armour, but was worn by poor soldiers on its own. With developments in armour, thick gambesons became unnecessary for knights, and they began wearing a thinner, lighter quilted variant that also matched the fashion of the day, the so-called arming doublet. To this fitted variant of the gambeson, armour parts could be attached that fit well to the body.

In Italy, the arming doublet was even worn as ordinary clothing by citizens and non-military nobility to give a warrior-like appearance, similar to wearing combat boots or camouflage-print clothing in our time. Giorgio likes to display this and wears his arming doublet in everyday life as well.

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Hose

In the fifteenth century, there was a slow transition from wearing hose to full hose. Giorgio wears a mi-parti hose with a codpiece. Underneath, he wears his braies, a medieval undergarment.

Hose were long stockings that were attached to the undergarment and usually worn under long garments. It's a personal choice whether to wear chausses or hose, but hose were already falling out of fashion during this period.

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Belt

People from all walks of society hung pouches and other everyday items from their belt. Think about what you would consider important to carry with you in your daily life as a knight when assembling your outfit, such as your eating utensils and also your sword.

TIP: Medieval belts were extra long, often as a status symbol to show how much leather the wearer could 'afford' to waste. To wear these kinds of belts comfortably, a small loop was made at the buckle which allowed the long belt end to hang down.

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Shoes

In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, men wore pointed shoes. Over time, the fashion trend became to make these increasingly longer and more pointed. On the battlefield, form followed function, and the pointiness of the shoes was far more modest, so one couldn't trip over them during a fight.

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Mail Shirt

Although Giorgio himself doesn't wear a mail shirt, many knights did during this period. The haubergon, the mail shirt with short sleeves, came into increasingly common use in the fifteenth century due to developments in arm harness. Italian knights would continue to use full mail shirts until the end of the fifteenth century, while in the Holy Roman Empire the mail shirt was split into voiders and mail skirts to save weight.

TIP: You can adjust your mail shirt to your own size by removing rings, but a simple way is to tie the sleeves with leather cords at your elbow.

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Armour

Giorgio's armour consists of a cuirass, armet, arm and pauldrons, gauntlets and full leg armour.

TIP: Throughout the Middle Ages, knights had squires or other servants who helped them put on their armour: plate armour was almost never designed to be put on by the wearer alone. We recommend asking someone to help you with fitting, dressing and adjusting your armour. Click here to read how to put on your armour.

Cuirass

Giorgio wears a cuirass that protects his entire torso. Unlike earlier breastplates such as those from the Churburg armour, the lower abdomen and hips are protected with articulated steel plates. These can also be detached from the cuirass.

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Armet or Open Helm

Giorgio wears a closed helmet, known in this period as the armet. The helmet has a hinged construction that fits snugly to the head when closed with the help of a squire.

During this time, open helmets were also frequently worn to give the wearer a better field of vision and to help with giving orders. This was especially done when the threat from the enemy wasn't imminent. It was often also a matter of personal preference whether a knight wore an open helmet or one with a visor. In Italy, the Sallet and Barbute were popular forms of open helmet at this time. The Barbute was based on helmets from ancient Greece, a period that received renewed interest due to the rise of the Renaissance in the early fifteenth century. You can choose for yourself what kind of helmet you use in your outfit. Here are examples of open helmets from this time period:

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Gauntlets

Giorgio uses newly developed gauntlets to protect his hands. Underneath, he wears loose leather gloves. Other knights in this period continued to prefer gauntlets with individual finger protection. The choice of which form of gauntlet you use in your outfit is up to you.

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