Arms and Armor

Medieval History Term of the Week: Kettle Hat

Steven
December 4, 2009

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,… Read More »

Medieval History Term of the Week: Arbalest

Steven
November 20, 2009November 20, 2009

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)… Read More »

What Do Different Heraldic Symbols Mean?

Steven
June 8, 2009
2 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… Read More »

Medieval History Term of the Week: Basinet

Steven
June 5, 2009

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… Read More »

Medieval History Term of the Week: Gambeson

Steven
May 16, 2009May 16, 2009

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.… Read More »

Suits of Armor in Medieval History

Steven
February 16, 2009May 6, 2009
3 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 —… Read More »

Medieval History Term of the Week: Heater Shield

Steven
December 12, 2008May 6, 2009
2 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… Read More »

The Medieval Warhorse

Steven
August 2, 2008June 18, 2015
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… Read More »

The Making of Mail Armor

Steven
July 6, 2008May 6, 2009
3 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… Read More »

The Medieval Sword

Steven
June 28, 2008May 6, 2009

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… Read More »