Knight Suit Plate
Knight Suit Plate
Medieval Knights: Did they wear full chainmail under full plate?
A friend of mine is putting together a suit of armor. He would like to make it authentic and something more along the lines of “parade” or tournament plate. He would like to know if chain make was worn underneath the plate and if so, to what extent. For example, does a knight wear a full suit of Chain Mail underneath his Plate Mail? OR, did they simply use swaths of chain in areas that were exposed between plates?
Also, for those who might know, what would a tourney style plate mail (of around 14 gauge thickness) weigh for someone who is approximately 6′2 tall and 245 pounds (bodybuilder type build)?
They didn’t use chain main underneath armour (massively uncomfortable, no insulation on cold mornings) What they did use underneath the plate armour was a quilted padding that absorbed some of the shock from really hard blows.
The Knights who turned Crusaders in the Holy Land dropped the plate armour wearing habit if they survived there any length of time. Wearing your own personal solar oven is not good for long term survival in the Middle East. They went the mostly chain mail with helmets and some regular armour reinforcement. with clothing under and over to keep sweat away from rust-able metal and as insulation for swiftly heating metal.
Though the styles seem standard in real life they weren’t. The weight would depend on the style. The style would depend on the era and the locality, and fashion. Mostly custom fitted and not off the rack. The full body plate armour that looks so nice in illustrations hit its peak in the sixteenth century just about the time the matchlock gun was invented and we know what that did to armour.
Watch any movie rendition of Henry V for a good idea of what the armour your friend wants would have looked like. Also note what longbow men of Wales did to it.