Aqtai
Sergeant Knight at Arms
This is another spin off from Amman de Stazia’s poll. I’ve done it because plate armour seems to be the most popular choice at the moment. This is to clarify what styles of plate armour would be most popular with the M&B community for the next version of Mount & Blade. the names for some of these armours are not necessarily the actual names, but the names in widespread use at the present time.
Types of plate armour:
1. Transitional harness: Used circa 1375-1400 AD. Mixture of mail and plate. Usually worn with a bascinet, although great helms were also worn for jousts and tournaments. The cuirasses of this type of armour were often worn under short, tight-fitting padded surcoats called jupons or had a velvet cover riveted on to them. Earlier examples of transitional armour had coats-of-plates to protect the torso instead of breastplates.
2. Early 15th century plate armour (“Alwite armour”), Used circa 1400 to 1450. The earliest form of ‘full plate harness’. Characterised by a rather plain appearance with a one piece breastplate and very long ‘fauld’ (plate skirt) over the abdomen. This is the type of armour that would have been used by many of the noblemen and knights who fought on both sides at the battle of Agincourt. Normally worn with a bascinet or later with a ‘great bascinet’.
3. “Milanese” armour. Manufactured in Italy and exported to the rest of Europe. Used circa 1430 to 1500. Characterised by simple yet elegant appearance and curved surfaces allowing arrows, swords etc to glance off. The cuirass from the default M&B ‘plate armour’ is quite similar to Milanese armour. It was normally worn with an armet type helmet.
4. German “Gothic” armour. Manufactured in Southern Germany and exported to the rest of Europe. Used circa 1460 to 1500. Characterised by ornate look with multiple grooves and fluting and ‘spiky’ appearance. Normally worn with a German style sallet.
5. English armour. Used circa 1450 to 1510. Had features of both Milanese and Gothic armour. Known only from funerary effigies and brasses as no actual examples survive. It was normally worn with an armet or a sallet.
6. “Krug” style cuirasses. This type of armour was used in the Ottoman Empire, Mamluk Egypt, Iran and Russia from the late 15th to the early 17th century. Although lighter and more flexible than Western European armour, it still provided a high degree of protection. The Russian variant was called a zertsalo
7. Renaissance armour. Used throughout Europe in the early 16th century, influenced primarily by Italian styles. The default M&B ‘black plate armour’ cuirass looks similar to this. IMO This and Maximilian armour would not really fit in with Vanilla M&B as they are quite advanced and come from a time when pikes and gunpowder were coming to dominate warfare in Europe and the Near East.
8. Maximilian armour. A variant of early 16th century armour introduced during the reign of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. It was characterised by elaborate fluting. Although the purpose of the fluting was mainly decorative it was also supposed to make the armour stronger. The fluting was very labour intensive to produce and therefore expensive. This type of armour was used mainly in Germany from circa 1510 to 1530. IMO This and Renaissance armour would not really fit in with Vanilla M&B as they are quite advanced and come from a time when pikes and gunpowder were coming to dominate warfare in Europe and the Near East.
9. Others: Far-Eastern and Japanese armours (although plate armour was rare in Japan and not used at all in China), Ancient Greek and Roman, Indo-Persian chahar ayna cuirasses and fantasy armours. IMO these, like the two above, don’t really fit into the M&B universe in its current form, I have included this category for completeness. If you vote for this, please post pictures of plate armours in this category that you like.
- First suggestion with a picture: Greek bronze muscle cuirass
Thank you for voting.
Types of plate armour:
1. Transitional harness: Used circa 1375-1400 AD. Mixture of mail and plate. Usually worn with a bascinet, although great helms were also worn for jousts and tournaments. The cuirasses of this type of armour were often worn under short, tight-fitting padded surcoats called jupons or had a velvet cover riveted on to them. Earlier examples of transitional armour had coats-of-plates to protect the torso instead of breastplates.
2. Early 15th century plate armour (“Alwite armour”), Used circa 1400 to 1450. The earliest form of ‘full plate harness’. Characterised by a rather plain appearance with a one piece breastplate and very long ‘fauld’ (plate skirt) over the abdomen. This is the type of armour that would have been used by many of the noblemen and knights who fought on both sides at the battle of Agincourt. Normally worn with a bascinet or later with a ‘great bascinet’.
3. “Milanese” armour. Manufactured in Italy and exported to the rest of Europe. Used circa 1430 to 1500. Characterised by simple yet elegant appearance and curved surfaces allowing arrows, swords etc to glance off. The cuirass from the default M&B ‘plate armour’ is quite similar to Milanese armour. It was normally worn with an armet type helmet.
4. German “Gothic” armour. Manufactured in Southern Germany and exported to the rest of Europe. Used circa 1460 to 1500. Characterised by ornate look with multiple grooves and fluting and ‘spiky’ appearance. Normally worn with a German style sallet.
5. English armour. Used circa 1450 to 1510. Had features of both Milanese and Gothic armour. Known only from funerary effigies and brasses as no actual examples survive. It was normally worn with an armet or a sallet.
6. “Krug” style cuirasses. This type of armour was used in the Ottoman Empire, Mamluk Egypt, Iran and Russia from the late 15th to the early 17th century. Although lighter and more flexible than Western European armour, it still provided a high degree of protection. The Russian variant was called a zertsalo
7. Renaissance armour. Used throughout Europe in the early 16th century, influenced primarily by Italian styles. The default M&B ‘black plate armour’ cuirass looks similar to this. IMO This and Maximilian armour would not really fit in with Vanilla M&B as they are quite advanced and come from a time when pikes and gunpowder were coming to dominate warfare in Europe and the Near East.
8. Maximilian armour. A variant of early 16th century armour introduced during the reign of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. It was characterised by elaborate fluting. Although the purpose of the fluting was mainly decorative it was also supposed to make the armour stronger. The fluting was very labour intensive to produce and therefore expensive. This type of armour was used mainly in Germany from circa 1510 to 1530. IMO This and Renaissance armour would not really fit in with Vanilla M&B as they are quite advanced and come from a time when pikes and gunpowder were coming to dominate warfare in Europe and the Near East.
9. Others: Far-Eastern and Japanese armours (although plate armour was rare in Japan and not used at all in China), Ancient Greek and Roman, Indo-Persian chahar ayna cuirasses and fantasy armours. IMO these, like the two above, don’t really fit into the M&B universe in its current form, I have included this category for completeness. If you vote for this, please post pictures of plate armours in this category that you like.
- First suggestion with a picture: Greek bronze muscle cuirass
Thank you for voting.