Foundation Layers

One of my goals is to be as authentic as possible even in ways that are less than visible. Along those lines I wear braies, chausss and linen under-tunics as my foundation layer for my kit. These items I typically purchase from Historic Enterprises.

The next layer up is my padded layer of gamebson and gamboised cuisses. These my lady and I construct from natural, un-dyed linen, and natural cotton batting. The pattern for the cuisses we were given by Lady Magdalena. While the gambeson is of our design from a modified tunic pattern. We typically use only one layer of batting over most of the gambeson with 2 or 3 layers in areas less protected by the armor layers above (such as the upper arms, and area covering my thighs).

I need to research the 'filling' for period gambesons and cuisses to learn more about what was used in period. I do know that it is critical to use only natural fabrics for the construction of these items.

One interesting note is that for practices I will often wear under armor or other modern wicking clothes to cut down on wear of my more period items. What is interesting is that the natural linens of the more period items wick sweat just as well as the over-enginered modern items.

Maille

Probably the single most important piece of equipement, in my eyes, is the maille shirt. Medeival warriors were very aware of status and having the proper material items of their station. For over 1000 years of European martial history the maille shirt was ubiquitous with the noble warrior class. Rather than cite each instance of maille from my sources, it should suffice to say that in fact ALL of the effigies present the warrior in maille shirts, and usually maille chauses as well.

The maille for my kit is from Master Knuut of weldedchainmail.com. It is made of welded titanium rings, and is one of the anachronisms of my kit in terms of material used in construction. I do own a shirt of riveted steel maille, but have found that coupled with the Coat of Plates (described below) I could barely register shots to my body in SCA combat while wearing the steel shirt. The titanium maille provides a look very comparable to mild steel (a duller grey than a stainless steel for instance) but being of less mass than steel does not provide the same level of protection and thus serves well in SCA combat.

Coat of Plates

Coats of Plates started to evolve in the mid 13th century and seem to be a standard item by the middle of the 14th century. When worn over top of a padded gambeson and a maille shirt a Coat of Plates can make one feel like a main battle tank. Its truly quite a feeling to walk on to a battle field feeling this well armord, and one can truly appreciate how invulnerable the medieval knight must have felt when armored thusly.

In each of the effigies cited above the various warriors are either seen clearly weaing a coat of plates, or one can surmise from other visible elements that a coat of plates must be underneath.

My particular coat of plates was constructed by myself with assistance from Master Magnus of White Mountain Armory. The style is similar to Type II Coats from the Wisby find. The coat is constructed of an outer leather shell (cut and hand stitched by myself). The plates themselves are made of 20 guage heat treated spring steel. Rivets are set with brass rosettes from Earl Brion Price's Revival Enterprises. And while the rosettes are mostly hidden from view they are important in an artistic sense to show the pride in presentation the medeival noble warrior would understand and appreciate..

The Guard Chains

When researching ideas for my kit I was totally drawn to the mid-fourteenth century obessission in German lands with chaining weapons (and sometimes shields and helmets) to the coat of plates underneath.

From my research it seems that this was done in other lands as well for a brief time, but it appears more often in art and effigy, and for a longer time frame in German lands.

Gauntlets

Finger Gauntlets

Surcoat

The particular design for my surcoat was a matter that took an inordinately long period of time to settle on. In the Strassbourg altar there are 5 figures, all with surcoats, but of 2 predominant designs. The first design appears more billowy, and has extra fabric hanging from the shoulders. The second design is more closely tailored, and is side-laced. The two side laced examples are also the two examples that make use of guard chains.

Ulrich de Huss and Ulrich von Werd, both have side laced surcoats as well, with von Werd also having guard chains. Though von Werd's surcoat is also slit up the middle to about waist height.

Since it appeared that all of the depictions of guard chains appear with side laced surcoats I have gone exclusively in that direction.

With reference to the guard chains, the surcoats have openings around chest height for the chains to come through.

The next decision was around surcoat length. Here there seems to exist another cultural or temporal sytlistic difference. Each of the effigies cited have surcoats of uniform length front and back. While the surcoats in the Romance of Alexander are typically much shorter in the front (waist length) than in the back (knee length).

In all cases though, the length of the surcoat and elements underneath result in a highly layered look, which I will come back to later in this documentation.

The surcoat also provides an opportunity for the display of one arms (as with the Romance of Alexander and Ulrich de Huss examples to the left).

Given the options here, I have constructed a number of different surcoats, all side laced, arms bearing, but varying in length (though most are modeled on the Romance of Alexander style). This is an area I feel I am still experimenting in, searching for the particular style that will look best with the rest of my presentation. Next I will be constructing a surcoat more closely resembling the Ulrich von Werd style.

Helms - Bascinet

Probably the single most recognizable part of a combat kit is the helmet, and here I was very torn. Of the 5 warriors depicted in the Strassbourg alter, 3 have open faced bascinets, one has a visored bascinet and one a Kettle helm. The other effigies near Strassbourg referenced here all have open faced bascinets with great helms for over top. In this area, in this time frame, the bascinet or cervellaire with a great helm over top seems to be the dominant style. The Romance of Alexander shows a wider variety of helms, including many visored bascinets, as depicted to the right.

In discussing options with Master Magnus of White Mountain Armory (who would build the helm), he recommended the visored bascinet as an under-represented helm on the SCA battlefield.

For a final decision I consulted with my then 4 year old son. As childern often do, he cut straight to the heart of the matter, and said, 'but Daddy, knights are supposed to wear closing helms' with closing helms being his term for visored helms. So while I am not a knight in the Society, his point was well taken and the choice was made.

The particular style was chosen from those depicted in the Romance of Alexander with a side hinged visor. One pleasant suprise was the depiction of visors with crosses on them (such as figure XX). Crosses on helms seemed to be diminishing in the art by this point in time, but as a prominent member of a crusading household this was a welcome detail to be able to document.

Helms - Cervelliere

One key note on the closed face or visored helms of this and other eras is that they were predominatly for mounted combat, with the visors being raised for foot combat, or the great helm removed. This is why many of the effigies show the warrior wearing a bascinet or cervelliere with a secondary greathelm (sometimes attached with chains per the earlier discussion).

With this in mind, I would often wear my kettle helm from an earlier kit with this armor. However, since it is much less represented in the noble warriors of the era I have added a cervelliere as an option for melee combat in the SCA, with the switch from a closed visored bascinet to an open cervelliere representing the bulk of my switch from a 'deeds' oriented kit to a 'sport' kit. I'll comment more on this later.

Sometime later I would like to have the great helm for over top of the cervelliere and be able to cast it off in battle, but for now I'll make due. :)

Weapons

Broadsword

Poleaxe

Rondel Dagger