The Basics of Medieval Armor...?

Question

I'm working on an important project, and I just wanted to know a little bit more about the plate armor that knights wore in the Middle Ages (no particular dates/years). Now, I know that knights wore this armor to protect themselves in battle. Did they just wear it during battle, or could they wear it for any other special occasion? And how much could plate armor weigh? Was it light enough for someone of average strength to deal with, or did you have to be in shape to wear it? How easy was it to move in plate armor? Could someone in plate armor to things like sprinting, jumping on/off a horse, rolling, climbing, and even swimming? Did knights ever wear anything under their plate armor (besides underwear, of course), like basic clothing? Or did thy keep their clothing limited, to avoid getting hot and sweaty? Did putting on plate armor take the help of an extra person (like a servant) to put it on, or could someone do it by themselves? And what about gauntlets--did they cover your entire

Answer 1

You're talking about nearly a thousand years of evolution in armour...
Basically, it started out with chainmail and a few plates, to the full plate armour of the 14th century.

Armour was hot, heavy, and expensive, they wore it for battle and tourneys, and to show off.

Being heavy and stiff - I am talking about the full plate - it was mostly impossible to jump in a saddle, you can't bend in a full armour. No kung fu rolling, no climbing, and no swimming (sinking would be more likely as the Teutonic knights showed on the Peipus lake that wasn't frozen enough...). You can run in an armour, but not very fast. Besides, you're supposed to be on the back of a horse, not doing kung fu moves on the ground. Training and muscles allowed the knight not to be slowed by the armour in a fight as long as he didn't have to run as well.
A knight unhorsed was usually a dead knight. (my kingdom for a horse! shouted a certain king). You can roll back to your feet in an armour but more slowly than without and you can be certain that your enemy won't give you the time for it. Also, the helmet alone makes sure that you cannot fight multiple enemies on the ground as it narrows your field of vision.

To wear all that armour without shredding your clothes and your skin, and to act as a cushion for the blows, knights wore thick padded clothes under their armour. Forget the fancy clothes you see in films when the valorous knight puts on his armour straight on his clothes, you needed protection.

To tie all the pieces of the armour together, knights needed the help of their squire. You can do it yourself but better have someone with more flexibility make sure that everything is tied down properly. That can means life or death in a fight.

Gauntlets come in many variations, basic design is iron pieces on the back of the hand and chainmail below, either mittens (easier to make) or with fingers. More elaborate gauntlets had armour on the top of each fingers too.

Just to correct something said above. Swords did not weight fifty pounds. Eight pounds would be the heavier a knight would wield. Average weight for a sword was around five pounds.

Answer 2

Medieval knights wore thickly padded cloth under the armor to prevent chaffing. The armor was very heavy indeed (70 to 100 pounds or more) and certainly required a good level of fitness (but then again so does any combat skill). However if the armor was properly fitted, and fit was very very important as each suit of armor was made specifically for one person, one could move about quite well with practice and skill. One could sprint a short distance but that wouldn't be wise because you would be using up too much precious energy, leaving you spent for combat. A knight in armor could not mount a horse without help (thats where the squire comes in) and once off their horse a heavily armored knight would be in trouble. However on a horse and with a lance or other large weapon they were the 'tanks' of their day with nobody able to damage them much and being able to dish out a lot of punishment. Armor was certainly worn on ceremonial occassions, in fact those who could afford it had a separate set of ceremonial armor (lighter, shinier, less functional). Though armor would not be worn in day to day situations, and certainly not while resting. Swimming would be out of the question. I would guess that even getting stuck in mud would be a problem. A knight did need help putting on the armor (squire again) and the gauntlets just covered the back of the hands, wrists and forearms leaving the palms open so you could grip a weapon (though they would probably have worn a light leather glove underneath, if they were smart anyway). Overheating and exhaustion would certainly have been an issue (depending on the climate) but a little heat stroke or dehydration is still better than an arrow in the belly or an axe in the skull.

Answer 3

(N.B. - since you repeated your question, I will repeat my answer)

Medieval knights wore thickly padded cloth under the armor to prevent chaffing. The armor was very heavy indeed (70 to 100 pounds or more) and certainly required a good level of fitness (but then again so does any combat skill). However if the armor was properly fitted, and fit was very very important as each suit of armor was made specifically for one person, one could move about quite well with practice and skill.

One could sprint a short distance but that wouldn't be wise because you would be using up too much precious energy, leaving you spent for combat. A knight in armor could not mount a horse without help (thats where the squire comes in) and once off their horse a heavily armored knight would be in trouble. However on a horse and with a lance or other large weapon they were the 'tanks' of their day with nobody able to damage them much and being able to dish out a lot of punishment.

Armor was certainly worn on ceremonial occassions, in fact those who could afford it had a separate set of ceremonial armor (lighter, shinier, less functional). Though armor would not be worn in day to day situations, and certainly not while resting.

Swimming would be out of the question. I would guess that even getting stuck in mud would be a problem.

A knight did need help putting on the armor (squire again) and the gauntlets just covered the back of the hands, wrists and forearms leaving the palms open so you could grip a weapon (though they would probably have worn a light leather glove underneath, if they were smart anyway).

Overheating and exhaustion would certainly have been an issue (depending on the climate) but a little heat stroke or dehydration is still better than an arrow in the belly or an axe in the skull.

Answer 4

You've asked a LOT of questions that could take books to answer. Just like today's military that has fatigues for fighting and then things like dress white's, there were many different types of armor both in terms of quality and artistry. Generally, full armor was a significant weight issue and required not only help to put on, but help to mount an animal. Somewhat lighter elements such as chain mail could allow a person more maneuverability. Let me direct you to a more complete link that will help answer many of your other questions...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armor#History_of_armour_in_post-Ancient_Europe

Answer 5

Many occasions such as battle , jousting, ceremonies, etc.
Plate Armour used for battle would be in the 45-60 pound range and jousting Armour could be well over 100 lbs. Must be in shape to wear the Armour. Running climbing swimming is possible in the lighter plate Armour if the wearer is in shape. IN jousting Armour it would be near impossible for any of the tasks to be completed. Regular clothing worn under Armour. with jousting thick padded clothing is worn. putting on jousting Armour would need assistance and none for regular Armour . Variations of Armour would have different gauntlets most could cover the top of your hand with the bottom covered in a different material usually leather or chain mail for better movement and being able to grip objects

Answer 6

People who tell you that armour weight a ton are feeding you bull s***. If you think about it, it COULDN'T weight that much or they wouldn't be able to wear it to fight in (though it did get heavier in the age of jousting). It could weigh anything from 50+ lbs, but that isn't too much, considering you have that weight spread over your whole body.

Answer 7

Back then the survival of the fittest was much more basic to staying alive than it is now. Modern day massive professional foot ball player are trained to have explosive muscles. Knights were trained to wield fifty pound broad swords for hours if necessary. The people who did all this training and fighting were members of the highest social strata. Only those people had access to the protein necessary to bulk up. If you were noble born and slight of build you would be killed before you were out of your teens.
The plate armor was heavy. You had to have really strong legs to support all that weight. It had to be heavy in order to protect the wearer from the nassive swords with which they fought.
The armor was so heavy that they only wore it for battle. It weighed close to a hundred pounds and more. If you were a knight of average strength, you would have to be a genius to live past your 20th birthday. If a pro foot ball player had to wear it, he would have difficult moving. Those guys had to be really flexible and strong just to mount a horse and ride, waving a fifty pound broadsword over their head.
They didn't wear underwear but heavy cotton clothes to prevent chafing from the edges of the rough mail shirts they wore underneath their armor. If they tried to swim, even as strong as they were, they'd sink like a stone. Over their cotton clothes, they were mesh metal netting--mail-- then the armor on top of that.
Women died so often in child birth that a knight could have 2-3 wives before he died of old age between 45-50.
Gauntlets covered their hands up to and past the wrists.

Answer 8

many a king or prince died when they fell over in a swampy area,they weighed upwards of 80,90 lbs.
they needed help,ie. the page
chain mail was popular underneath