Kettle Hat (*also known as chapel de fer in French)
Strong yet light open-faced helmet popular with both knights and infantry throughout the 1300-1500 period, having a conical crown and wide brim. (Wise, Terence. Medieval Warfare, 249)
*term definition retrieved from Netserf’s Medieval Glossary (http://www.netserf.org/Glossary)
William of Tyre, the Archbishop of Tyre and Chancellor of the Kingdom of […]
Filed under: Arms and Armor, Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on December 4th, 2009 | No Comments »
Arbalest
[ahr-buh-list]
Etymology: Middle English arblast, from Anglo-French arblaste, arcbaleste, from Late Latin arcuballista, from Latin arcus bow + ballista — more at arrow
1) A crossbow with a steel box stave. (Wise, Terence. Medieval Warfare, 246)
The arbalest was similar to the crossbow, but it was much larger and more powerful than the crossbow. It also had a […]
Filed under: Arms and Armor, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on November 20th, 2009 | No Comments »
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 in the public domain and […]
Filed under: Arms and Armor, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on June 8th, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Basinet or Bacinet
[bas-uh-nit, -net, bas-uh-net]
Etymology: Middle English bacinet, from Anglo-French, diminutive of bacin
Relatively light helmet with a rounded or pointed top. It might be fitted with a visor.
(Prestwich, Michael. Armies and Warfare in the Middle Ages: The English Experience, 347)
*term definition retrieved from Netserf’s Medieval Glossary (http://www.netserf.org/Glossary)
Filed under: Arms and Armor, Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on June 5th, 2009 | No Comments »
Gambeson:
Quilted linen jacket stuffed with flax or rags, worn as a body defence by infantry and over the hauberk by poor knights and sergeants.
(Wise, Terence. Medieval Warfare, 248)
*term definition retrieved from Netserf’s Medieval Glossary (http://www.netserf.org/Glossary)
Filed under: Arms and Armor, Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on May 16th, 2009 | No Comments »
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 tends be on medieval England and […]
Filed under: Arms and Armor, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on February 16th, 2009 | 3 Comments »
Heater Shield
Semi-cylindrical shield with a flat top edge. The shield was about 95 cm. long in the first half of the fourteenth century but was shortened later in the century. (Wise, Terence. Medieval Warfare, 249)
*term definitions retrieved from Netserf’s Medieval Glossary (http://www.netserf.org/Glossary)
**image retrieved from wikipedia.org
Filed under: Arms and Armor, Medieval Timeline, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on December 12th, 2008 | 2 Comments »
“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, facing about, attacked them, […]
Filed under: Arms and Armor, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on August 2nd, 2008 | No Comments »
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 over a padded tunic. The […]
Filed under: Arms and Armor, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on July 6th, 2008 | 3 Comments »
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 did not go into battle without […]
Filed under: Arms and Armor, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on June 28th, 2008 | No Comments »
