Introduction
The armour of a knight (or man-at-arms) looked different throughout the medieval period. In this blog we give you a look at the equipment of an English man-at-arms in the late fifteenth century to help you choose your own composition.
The 'Wars of the Roses' was a series of civil wars that took place in England between 1455 and 1487. These wars came as a direct result of the Hundred Years' War between England and France, because England had gotten deeply into debt as a result and a large part of the royal house had died. This led to a succession crisis, in which two major branches of the Plantagenet dynasty came into conflict with each other: the house of Lancaster and the house of York. The end of the wars after the Battle of Bosworth brought the fall of the French Plantagenet dynasty in the English royal house and the rise of the Tudor dynasty. It is seen with this transition as the end of the Middle Ages in England.
Armour Developments
In the fifteenth century, clear regional differences emerged in the shapes of aristocratic full plate armour, but the equipment of ordinary soldiers remained much alike.
The Brigandine consisted of small steel plates that overlapped each other and were nailed to an outer layer of cloth (usually wool) or leather. It could be put on by a soldier himself and was cheaper than a breastplate or cuirass. This form of protection was developed from the coat of plates in the fourteenth century, but became increasingly affordable for ordinary soldiers in the fifteenth century.
The bascinet was adopted in France, Italy and England by the sallet and armet. The armet remained exclusively available for the aristocracy, but the sallet was worn by both ordinary soldiers and knights. In the Holy Roman Empire, the sallet was almost exclusively used as part of the gothic style. The sallet had integrated neck protection at the back and was worn with a bevor to protect the front of the neck. This combination was easy to adapt to the situation where the wearer found themselves, especially if the sallet had an adjustable visor. This could be worn low or high on the head to provide either protection or better visibility. The bevor was usually set halfway down when the sallet was worn low on the head.
NB: This composition is based on the equipment of a man-at-arms in the War of the Roses in England, although similar equipment was used by men-at-arms in France, Italy and the Holy Roman Empire.
Elric's Composition
The year is 1485. Elric is a poor man-at-arms in the war of the roses, loyal to the Yorkists. He keeps watch in York, but has heard news of a large advancing Franco-Scottish and English force under Henry Tudor in Wales. Elric suspects that his king, Richard III, will soon send an army against them. The period of Yorkist rule in England that he has known his whole life would soon come to an end at the Battle of Bosworth, a battle where Elric himself would fight.
Wars of the Roses outfit
When Elric is not wearing his weapons and armour, he wears trousers with a shirt or doublet and ankle boots. On his head he wears a red cap or a bycocket with the symbol of his king. At his belt he carries a dagger for self-defence.
Headwear
The Bycocket (also known as the type of hat worn by Robin Hood) was a popular headwear in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. This was worn with or without a hood by the peasantry, bourgeoisie and nobility. Elric wears a small badge of a boar on his hat, a symbol of King Richard III. This shows his allegiance to the house of York. After the fall of this house, almost all badges of this type would be destroyed by the Tudor dynasty.
Another option is a red cap that was also widely worn in Southern Europe.
Trousers
In the late fifteenth century, men wore trousers and hose (chausses) had largely gone out of fashion. Elric wears mi-parti trousers with a fly. Under them he wears his braies, a medieval undergarment.
Undershirt / shirt
In the Middle Ages people preferred bright colours, contrary to how this period is often depicted. If they could afford it, their clothing was richly decorated, but even without decoration, clothing in the Middle Ages was very expensive. By wearing a shirt or undershirt, it got dirty less quickly from the body and the outer layer needed to be washed less often, which meant it also faded less quickly. Often the shirt was also worn loose, especially by men of lower status.
Arming Doublet
In the fifteenth century, fashion changed from long, flowing garments to short, tight-fitting clothing. Men began wearing doublets, which ended around the hips and emphasized the chest and waist. Full-length trousers began to become increasingly fashionable as a result.
A gambeson provides a layer of padded 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 padded variant that also matched the fashion of the day, the so-called arming doublet. To this tight-fitting variant of the gambeson, armour parts could be attached that fit well on the body.
In Italy, the arming doublet was even worn as a normal garment by civilians and non-military nobility to give a warlike appearance, comparable to wearing combat boots or camouflage clothing in our present day.
Belt
Elric wears a belt with a dagger. People from all levels of society hung pouches and other useful items from their belt. When putting together your outfit, think about what you would find important to bring with you in your daily life as a knight or man-at-arms, such as your eating utensils but also your sword.
Ankle boots
In the fifteenth century, 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 shoes was much more modest, so soldiers wouldn't trip over them during a fight.
Armour
Elric's armour consists of a helmet with bevor, a brigandine over a mail hauberk, shoulder armour or jackchains, gauntlets and upper leg armour.
TIP: Knights had squires or other servants throughout the Middle Ages 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 armour.
Mail hauberk
The haubergeon, the mail hauberk with short sleeves, came into increasing use in the fifteenth century due to developments in arm arm
