Medieval Weapons

    To protect his head and neck during battle, a medieval knight would don a chainmail coif. These coifs were made of interwoven iron rings. As you can imagine, they could be painful to wear, so knights would wear thick padding beneath the coif.

A chainmail coif is not impenetrable. Sharp objects hurled with enough force can pierce the metal chain. The coif also does not protect against broken bones and concussions. Still, for the medieval knight, it was a much-needed form of protection, even after the advent of plated armor.

Armor is protective covering used to prevent damage from being inflicted to an object through direct contact. Personal armour is used to protect soldiers during war. Armour has been used throughout history. Armour has been made out of a variety of different types of materials.

In present time, armour has become more wearable. Wearable armour is not as heavy plated as it was in the middle ages. Ballistic vests also known as flak jacket are common among police force. The US Army has adopted Interceptor body armour which has been adapted to stop a range of ammunition.

During the Middle Ages social strata played an immense role in fashion trends. In fact, you could instantly tell a person’s station in life based on the clothing they wore. For instance, only the wealthy could afford fabrics such as velvets, furs, silks, and taffeta brought from the Middle East and Italy. They were died vibrant hues with extracts from rare plants.

Peasants were not so fortunate in their style of medieval clothes. Peasant men wore knee length tunics of plain colored fabrics, tied with a belt. Women of the peasant class also wore the coarse materials as long dresses. The only similarity between the two classes in terms of dress is that wearing layers was necessary to stay warm during the frigid winter months.

Today, we recognize helmets as the rock-hard outer casing that protects our heads during numerous leisure activities, extreme sports and even occupations. From horseback riding and cycling to rock climbing and construction sites, helmets are used to shield our heads, and more importantly our brains, from all kinds of potential catastrophe, no matter how likely the risk of harm.

The first kinds of helmets were used as battle helmets and can be dated back to 900BC when used by the Assyrian soldiers. These men wore dense leather or bronze helmets, which protected their heads from sword blows and other blunt objects as well as the risk of arrow shots while in fierce combat. Today, soldiers still wear helmets in while in combat, however, the modern helmet is constructed of lightweight plastic materials.

The Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the Norman conquest of England, lends great insight to the military dress of the Normans as far back as 1066. From the tapestry we can tell that the kite shaped shield was used universally throughout the Norman cavalry. The large shield stretches from the upper chest down to mid-calf and was meant to protect the rider’s exposed left flank, but more often than not, knights are shown using the shields to protect their horses. On his person, a knight wore a hauberk. Made of chainmail, the hauberk was knee length, split up the front and back for riding with the two sides draping around the rider’s legs when mounted, for additional protection.

Under the chainmail hauberk, a gambeson was worn. A gambeson is typically a padded or quilted garment used to prevent chafing while riding. The garment also added a layer of protection if the knight received a particularly hard blow. Unfortunately, even with padding, chainmail was likely to dig into a knight’s flesh and potentially lead to blood poisoning.

Both the Lord of the Rings books and movies re-introduced us to the medieval setting in recent years. Even though the movies are set in a fantasy realm, much of the garb and weaponry is reminiscent of the medieval outfits we’re all so familiar with. Many products were release concurrently with the film to capitalize on this wave of medieval nostalgia.

For men, there are medieval armor and weapons that look and feel like the real thing. Although they can’t be used in battle, much of the armor is wearable and all of the accessories make awesome pieces of decor. And women will enjoy decorative displays, key chains, letter openers, and jewelry. Celtic jewelry is another trend that has been revitalize by the trilogy of Tolkien-based movies since the pieces look like they’re straight from Middle Earth.

Covering a warrior’s torso and vital organs, a cuirass was one of the most important pieces in the traditional suit of armor. Comprised of sheets of metal or other rigid materials, the cuirass is a combination of a breastplate and armor for the back. Warriors looking for increased agility and mobility often opted for leather cuirass models, which sacrificed protection for flexibility.

Although cuirass-style armor had been used throughout the ages, it wasn’t until the 14th century that the model we now recognize achieved widespread use. Since armor is inherently cumbersome, the cuirass extended down to rest on the waist. This minimized the need for bulky shoulder straps, freeing the soldiers’ arms for combat.

On a recent trip to Rome I took the obligatory tour of the Coliseum. The building has become so iconic that many people forget it was actually the stage for brutal combat and the deaths of countless gladiators and wild animals. Most people assume that the events in the Coliseum were held for the grandeur of the Emperor, or Caesar, but the truth is that they were actually for the common people.

The Emperors would dole out the money for these extravagant, daylong events as a means of entertainment to keep the masses complacent and prevent revolt. These leaders funded everything from the Roman armor to the wild animals, which were shipped in from Africa and exotic locales. Admission was free, with the seating divided by classes; the wealthiest and most influential received preferential treatment, sitting the closest, while the commoners were confined to the “nosebleeds.”

Today we think of dragons as abstract mythical creatures - hardly a pressing concern when real dangers exist around every corner. In the Middle Ages, however, myth and superstition were as good as reality. People had a tendency to believe whatever they heard, no matter how fantastical the story might be. When Crusaders returned to England from their exploits in the Holy Land, they brought with them a whole new brand of tales.

They claimed that in ancient times England had been a dangerous place where dragons roamed free. By the time St. George came on the scene, all of the dragons save one had been slain. Still the kingdom was living in fear of the last remaining dragon, and George set out in with his medieval weapons and armor to vanquish it. When he did, he was celebrated as a hero. Even though none of this ever happened, people were uneducated and gullible during the Middle Ages.

The Middle Ages were one of the darkest periods in world history - rife with disease, poverty and human cruelty. The previously enlightened civilizations of Rome and Constantinople—and their legendary armies of soldiers in Roman armor—had fallen victim to the bubonic plague, rampaging barbarian hordes and dangerous superstition. Few people could be said to enjoy life during this era: kings and land barons had it pretty good, but what about all the illiterate peasants forced to grind out a subsistence lifestyle?

Monks and other members of the clergy were often the only ones afforded a chance to learn. Of all the people alive in Europe between 700 and 1100 AD, most were unable to read and write. Monks and some enlightened kings were the rare exception, and they kept the light of logic and reason burning for future generations.