Introduction

The armour of a knight (or man-at-arms) looked different throughout the Middle Ages. In this blog we give you a glimpse of the equipment of a French knight in the late fourteenth century to help you choose your own composition.

The second half of the fourteenth century was a period of conflict and great change in weapons and military technology. The Hundred Years' War between France and England played a major role in this development. This conflict over the succession of the French throne lasted from 1337 to 1453 and had long periods of war interrupted by short peace, which both countries needed to rebuild themselves after intense fighting.

Although knights and men-at-arms primarily fought on horseback, they were increasingly deployed as heavy infantry in the English army of the fourteenth century. To counter French cavalry they fought alongside English archers equipped with the longbow, which with the Bodkin arrowhead could pierce chainmail shirts. Pole weapons such as the bill were developed to pull riders from their horses. This led to plate armour being further developed and increasingly used to protect French heavy cavalry. The French army used powerful crossbows and the heavy lance against the English men-at-arms, causing them to become even more heavily armoured. The war thus sparked an arms race between England and France, which had a major influence on the development of European plate armour in the late fourteenth century.

Armour Developments

Due to new military developments, a transition was made from chainmail shirts and coat of plates to full plate armour. The famous North Italian Churburg Armour from around 1360 is a good example of armour from this period of transition.

Early armour was still intended to be worn with a full chainmail shirt. The breastplate was small and simple and had no 'faulds', moveable plates that protect the hips, although this part of the armour was under development. The construction of the breastplate itself came from the coat of plates from the early fourteenth century and still consisted of several large, riveted plates that connected to each other.

The arms, shoulders and legs were protected with pieces of plate armour that moved with the body and provided hard protection over a chainmail shirt. Gauntlets were no longer half-gloves worn over chainmail gloves, but now consisted entirely of steel plate armour in the shape of the hourglass glove.

The bascinet had evolved from a simple helmet worn in the early fourteenth century under the 'great helmet' to a helmet with a visor that could be used on its own. The development of the visor offered complete head protection, but was much lighter and more practical to use than the great helmet. Knights and men-at-arms no longer had to remove or put on a heavy helmet to switch between visibility and protection. Bascinets from this time did not offer neck protection themselves, but were often worn with a chainmail collar, the so-called aventail.

Guillaume's Composition

It is the spring of 1360. Guillaume is a French knight in the Hundred Years' War between England and France. He fights on the battlefield as a mounted knight, but stands guard in the French city of Chartres for the abbot of Cluny. He spends a large part of his time in the city's cathedral to prevent news of a defeat near Paris and an overwhelming advancing English army from discouraging him. His weapon equipment is always at hand and he sees a passing hailstorm as a bad omen: it seems the French will lose the city. That same hailstorm, however, would lead to years of peace between England and France in the coming days.

NB: Guillaume's composition is based on the equipment of a knight from the middle of the Hundred Years' War, but similar equipment was used in Italy, the Low Countries and the Holy Roman Empire.

Outfit

When Guillaume is not wearing his weapon equipment, he follows the fashion of the late fourteenth century. He wears a long woolen cotehardie, braies with leg wraps, pointed shoes and a bycocket as a headdress. When he is in a more military setting but does not want his full equipment to be put on by his squire, he wears his gambeson. He carries a purse and a dagger on his belt.

Hat and Coif

The Bycocket (also known as the type of hat worn by Robin Hood) was a popular headdress in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. This was worn with or without a coif by peasants, townspeople and nobility.

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Cotehardie

In the fourteenth century, long, flowing garments were fashionable. Guillaume wears a blue woolen cotehardie over a light undershirt. People preferred bright colours, in contrast 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 an undershirt, the outer layer didn't get dirty from the body as quickly and didn't need to be washed as often, so it didn't fade as quickly either.

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Underpants with Leg Wraps

In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, leg wraps (chausses) were generally worn. These were attached to the underpants (braies) and worn under long garments.

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Belt

People from all walks of society hung pouches and other useful items from their belt. When putting together your outfit, think about what you would consider important to bring with you in your daily life as a knight, such as your cutlery but also your sword.

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Shoes

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

TIP: To give your outfit an authentic look, you can choose to add your own accessories and modifications. People often decorated their hats with feathers and brooches. They displayed not only their wealth with jewellery, but also their status: for example, nobility wore signet rings to sign important documents. French knights in the late fourteenth century who were members of a knightly order wore a special chain to indicate this status. The accessories you choose help tell your own story.

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Churburg Armour

The armour that Guillaume wears consists of several layers. Over his undershirt he wears his gambeson and chainmail shirt. Over this he wears a tunic in mi-parti colours and his plate armour.

Click here to read more about what you wear under your armour.

TIP: Throughout the Middle Ages, knights had squires or other servants to help them put on their armour: plate armour was almost never made so the wearer could put it on alone. We recommend asking someone to help you fit, dress and adjust your armour.

Click here to read how to put on armour.

Gambeson

Much clothing in this period was also worn in a half-and-half colour pattern, also known as Mi-parti. This can be seen in the gambeson that Guillaume wears both loose and under his plate armour. A gambeson provides a layer of padded protection under mail and plate armour, but was worn by poor soldiers on its own. The gambeson of this period was long and thick to provide sufficient protection under a chainmail shirt and early harnesses. However, a gambeson was not a comfortable garment in summer, so if Guillaume can help it, he prefers to wear his cotehardie.

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Armour Belt

Often a gambeson was equipped with points to attach armour for the lower body, but this was not always the case. To attach leg pieces and chainmail skirts to the body, an armour belt was therefore often worn.

TIP: Check when choosing your protection what fits with your armour. Unsure? Feel free to contact us!

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Dogface Bascinet

On his head he wears a dogface bascinet with an adjustable visor, allowing him to easily switch between full face protection and an open helmet for giving orders and surveying the battlefield. The pointed 'nose' and top of the helmet help deflect weapons and arrows. The bascinet was usually worn with a chainmail 'aventail' attached to it to protect the neck, but Guillaume wears a bishop's mantle in this composition for the same purpose.

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Breastplate

The breastplate that Guillaume wears consists of several moveable plates that fit the body. This construction comes from the coat of plates from the early fourteenth century.

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Hourglass Gloves

To protect his hands and wrists he wears hourglass gloves with protection for individual fingers. This form of plate gauntlets provided good mobility for the wrists and fingers. Over the course of the fifteenth century they would be largely replaced by early plate gauntlets, although some knights also preferred the dexterity of individually armoured fingers.