Introduction

The armour of a knight (or man-at-arms) has looked different throughout the Middle Ages. In this blog we'll give you a peek at the equipment of a Gothic knight in the late fifteenth century to help you put together your own outfit.

The late Middle Ages were a period of great wars across all of Europe: the Hundred Years' War between England and France spanned from 1337 to 1453, and Italian city-states were constantly in conflict with one another. Wars were also fought in the Low Countries: the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries saw the Hoeksche and Kabeljauwsche feuds in full swing. This series of civil wars between two factions in the Holland government had begun in the mid-fourteenth century but wouldn't end until 1490. The two great parties, the Hoeks and the Cods (as the conflict was named after), had allies outside the Low Countries who were often drawn into their wars. The Cods were allied with the Burgundian and Austrian Habsburg dynasties, but the Hoeks with the French Dauphin. Because of this, the war materials used were very diverse and different characteristic armour styles were seen in this series of conflicts.

Armour Developments

In the fifteenth century, clear regional differences emerged in the forms of plate armour. In the Holy Roman Empire, the Gothic style was developed, a style of ribbed armour with lots of decoration and pointed shapes. This style was heavily inspired by Burgundian fashion, which was very popular in Central and West Europe.

The armour in the late fifteenth century covered the entire body, with a few points that still had to be protected with mail. Gothic armours were very tightly fitted to the body, which gave the wearer a lot of freedom of movement. Armours in this style were considerably lighter than Milanese (Italian) armours, which often consisted of large rounded shapes and were worn over a complete chainmail shirt, sometimes even with extra mail skirt.

The sallet was the characteristic helmet of the Gothic style. In the early fifteenth century, the helmet was developed in Italy to replace the bascinet and quickly became popular throughout Europe. The sallet was worn by both knights and ordinary soldiers, in a form with or without a visor. This helmet covered the back but not the chin and neck from the front. Therefore, the sallet was worn in combination with a bevor to protect these areas. In the late fifteenth century, knights could choose to wear gauntlets with individual finger protection or 'mittens'. This often came down to personal preference.

Roderick's Outfit

The year is 1483. Roderick is a Holland knight fighting in the siege of Utrecht, which is part of the late period of the Hoeksche-Kabeljauwsche feuds. He is loyal to the Archduke Maximilian of Austria, who would later become emperor. As a knight, Roderick himself has no strong opinion about the factions of the conflict, but sees fighting as a heroic distraction from the constant political power struggle he finds himself caught in.

Clothing

When he doesn't have his armor on, Roderick wears a black shirt, a mi-parti pair of breeches and a hat with ankle boots underneath. In case he needs to be ready to put on his armour, he wears his arming doublet.

Jacket

In the late Middle Ages, short garments that hugged the body became increasingly popular. Roderick wears a light black jacket that in form sits somewhere between a shirt and a doublet.

Breeches

In the late fifteenth century, men wore breeches and leg coverings (chausses) had largely gone out of fashion. Roderick wears a pair of breeches with a fly. Underneath he wears his braies, a medieval undergarment. Much clothing in this period was also worn in a half-and-half color pattern, also known as Mi-parti. The breeches that Roderick wears have this style.

Hat

This type of hat was worn by the nobility and wealthy bourgeoisie in the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance.

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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-length breeches also began to become increasingly fashionable.

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 fit in with the fashion of the day, the so-called arming doublet. Armour components could be attached to this fitted variant of the gambeson in a way that fit snugly on the body.

In Italy, the arming doublet was even worn as everyday clothing by civilians and non-military nobility to give off a martial appearance, comparable to wearing combat boots or camouflage clothing in our day.

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Ankle Boots

In the fifteenth century, men wore pointed shoes. Over time, the fashion trend was to make them longer and more pointed. On the battlefield, form followed function and the pointiness of the shoes was much more modest, so one couldn't trip over them during combat.

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Armour

Roderick wears a sallet with bevor, a chainmail shirt, a breastplate or cuirass, arm armour with shoulder plates, leg armour and gauntlets with individual finger protection.

TIP: Knights throughout the entire Middle Ages had squires or other servants who helped them put on their armour: plate armour was almost never made to be put on by the wearer alone. We recommend asking someone if they'll help you with fitting, dressing and adjusting your armour.

Click here to read how to put on armour.

Chainmail Shirt

The haubergeon, the chainmail shirt with short sleeves, came into increasingly common use in the fifteenth century due to developments in arm armour. Italian knights would continue using complete chainmail shirts until the end of the fifteenth century, while in the Holy Roman Empire the chainmail shirt was split into voiders and mail skirts to save weight. Roderick wears a set of voiders attached to his arming doublet and a mail skirt under his cuirass and a full chainmail shirt when he only wears a breastplate. Whether you choose to wear a haubergeon yourself or attach pieces of mail to your arming doublet depends on the rest of your outfit and the region your armour is based on.

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