Hello,
I am trying to find out some info on the Crusades. I know they lasted a very long time so it may be difficult to answer some of my questions.

1) What armor was used? It seems to me that it was mostly mail and plate armor became popular near the 1300's. Is this accurate?

2) What polearms were popular during the Crusades?

3) What type or classification of swords would be used?

Oh by the way I am asking about the Europeans. I already know a good deal about the Islamic forces but I now want to try looking at the crusades from the European side. If anyone knows of any good books or first hand accounts about the subject it would be much appreciated.

Thanks alot,
-James

Speaking in broad generalizations: :)

At the beginning of the Crusades, armour would have basically what we saw during the Norman conquest: mail with a simple helm, likely conical. This what we see in the Bayeux Tapestry. As the Crusades wore on, helms with flatter tops came along, many with face masks. These were the early great helms. By the end of the Crusades, armour would be much like what is seen in the Maciejowski Bible, with occasional reinforcing of mail with plates on the legs, knees, etc and fairly well-developed great helms.

Bayeux Tapestry image:
[ Linked Image ]

Maciejowski Bible:
[ Linked Image ]

As for sword, single-handed Type X, XI, and XII swords would have been in use. Late(r) in the Crusades, you could have seen early great swords of Types XIIa, XIII, and XIIIa, and a progressive person might have had an early Type XIV. Since we know of an effigy from circa 1280 that shows a diamond cross-section blade, an early Type XV is theoretically possible.

As for polearms, we know spears, lances, and maces were in use as were what we now call Danish axes. I don't know that halberds, poleaxes, etc. were in use by then.

Dan,
I assumed that same thing after reading Usamah's first hand account several times(I absolutely love that book). It seemed like the Moslems weren't too different from the Christians, but not knowing much about the Christians it was hard to tell. Thanks for the references.

Chad,
Thanks for the info. I am surprised that a type XIV and XV could possibly be seen this early.

-James