Arms and Armor

Melissa Snell has an in depth post on her blog regarding the heraldic symbols of the medieval period and what those symbols mean. The information is taken from W. Cecil Wade’s The Symbolisms of Heraldry or A Treatise on the Meanings and Derivations of Armorial Bearing, a document that is… Read More »What Do Different Heraldic Symbols Mean?

Metal Body Suits vs. Weapons of Medieval Destruction discusses the evolution of armor through the Middle Ages. While it is a very brief overview — focusing more on late medieval plate armor — the article does provide a host of images to supplement the text. The focus of my studies… Read More »Suits of Armor in Medieval History

“Observing this, [Duke] William gave a signal to his troops, that, feigning flight, they should withdraw from the field. By means of this device the solid phalanx of the English opened for the purpose of cutting down the fleeing enemy and thus brought upon itself swift destruction; for the Normans,… Read More »The Medieval Warhorse

Mail, often referred to as “chain mail” (a term later applied to this type of armor in the Victorian era), was the armor of choice worn by the medieval knight. Constructed of small rings of iron wire linked together, the mail coat formed a flexible metal mesh that was often worn… Read More »The Making of Mail Armor

For purposes of this post, I will focus on the medieval sword of Western Europe, namely England and France and Scandinavia, from the 10th to the 13th century. The sword was an instrumental weapon for the knight during the Middle Ages. As most combat was conducted up close hand-to-hand, you… Read More »The Medieval Sword

One of the most important advances in military technology came with the invention of the stirrup. The stirrup allowed warriors on horseback to use the power of horse and rider to deliver more powerful spear thrusts from a mounted position. With the stirrup, riders could rest the lance between the… Read More »The Diffusion of the Stirrup into Medieval Western Europe