The Defensive Armour and the Weapons and Engines of War of Mediæval Times, and of the "Renaissance."Clephan, R. Coltman (Robert Coltman)
History
The Defensive Armour and the Weapons and Engines of War of Mediæval Times, and of the "Renaissance."
Clephan, R. Coltman (Robert Coltman)
Armor; Weapons
Fig. 14 represents this piece in chain-mail. We
are not aware of the existence of another specimen in chain-mail.
The fortunate possessor of this unique piece is Dr. Edgar von Ubisch
of Berlin, and we are indebted to his kindness for the illustration.
The garde-de-reine was a projecting piece attached to the rim of the
backplate; it was of overlapping plates, and protected the rump and
small of the back.
[Illustration: Fig. 14.--Brayette in Chain-mail, at Berlin.]
CUISSE, GENOUILLIÈRE, AND JAMB.
Up to the Conquest there was probably no leg armour in England other
than thongs, but there are early German examples. Chausses would
naturally suggest themselves after Hastings, as William bore them;
while Harold, who did not, was wounded in the leg. The term applied to
the upper leg armour, or breeches of mail, was chaussons. Soon after
the Conquest cuir-bouilli was largely used, and this was followed by
stockings of mail and sollerets of the same, as may be seen on the
seals of Richard I. Wace mentions iron chausses. Even up to the middle
of the fourteenth century it continued common in England to wear these
pieces in chain-mail with attachable genouillières. An example of
this kind may be seen on the effigy of Robert de Vere (died 1221) in
Hatfield Broad Oak Church.
The cuisse was the plate going round the front of the lower thigh,
fastened by strap and buckle. It first appeared in France and England
in the second quarter of the fourteenth century, and became general
towards the close. In armour of the latter half of the fifteenth
century it was often embellished by consecutive laminations at the top.
In the second half of the sixteenth century it was sometimes in two
detachable pieces, for foot fighting and horseback.
Genouillières (defences for the knee) were the first body pieces of
plate, except perhaps the plastron-de-fer or breastplate, and possibly
the coudière also. They were called poleyns, and first appear in the
thirteenth century; an example, about 1250, is figured in Plate XXX. of
Stothard. The side of the knee became further protected by rondelles
later in the century; and from that time these appendages became more
ornate and comprehensive. As soon as plate armour was completed,
genouillières became articulated both above and below the knee. In
armour of the second half of the fifteenth century they are specially
beautiful, assuming a shell-like form, often bivalve and butterfly
shape with escalloped edges and flutings. The chausse, or shin-piece,
was used in chain-mail, indeed earlier still in fortified leather, and
early in the fourteenth century it became plate and was termed jamb;
first only in front attached by strap and buckle, and later going round
the leg hinged, and fastened by sliding rivets. These pieces were also
called greaves. The inventory of Piers Gaveston (1313) catalogues
“three pairs of hinged jambs.” These pieces were generally plain. Both
they and sollerets disappeared with the advent of the jackboot.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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