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Period: Jan 1, 1066 to Dec 31, 1400
Knights
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Oct 14, 1066
The Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings took place and the battle was between the English and the Normans. The leader of the English was Harold Godwinson while the leader of the Normans was William, Duke of Normandy. -
Jan 1, 1100
The start of the knight's armour
In the early 1100's, the knights were given new armour. They consisted of cone-shaped helmets with nose strips full of protection, long-chain mail suit with sleeves made by thousands of metal rings (hauberk), a huge kite-shaped shield and a padded woollen tunic (gambeson). -
Dec 1, 1100
The armour improves in the late 1100's
The helmet is now rounder than the nose band which is wide. A loose surcoat is now worn to protect the chainmail from the sun. There is a new symbol for the knights called the "coat of arms." The hauberk now covers the neck and now is attached with leather strips to the helmet and the hauberk also contains mittens for the chainmail while the hauberk gets shorter. Shield is medium-sized and is shaped like a triangle. The chain mail leggings protect by covering feet. -
Jan 1, 1300
The armour gets better after 2 centuries
A light-steel helmet called a bascinet is created now with a visor that can be lifted up or down. New hammered iron plates are now added to the armour. If a knight falls down, he can't get up as the weight of the chain mail and plates are really heavy. To protect your hands, there are iron gloves called gauntlets. To add on, padded stockings with iron braces are worn. The hauberk is really short. And a shield is slightly curved and smaller for protection. -
Jan 1, 1400
The armour of the 1400's
The whole suit weighs 25 kilograms, but is more flexible than any other armour. Helmets which are lighter (barbutes) are worn.The hammered iron plates now cover whole body. Shield is of no use and shoes are now made out of iron.
