[Augusto Boer Bront]

Hi.
I was thinking about to buy these parts of armour, but a doubt caught me and I asked myself if they are right with the period (I know that is too large, but the organizators decided, not me.). As title says, the period is the XIVth cen, but earlier the better, because I have to combine those parts with a great helm.

Arms
http://www.kasto.org/355-part.html
Legs
http://www.kovex-ars.cz/routines/new_window_p...vodoznak=1
Helmet (with iron fittings, not brass)
http://www.medievalstore.net/prodotti.asp?lan..._selProd=0

Thanks alot.

[Alessio J. Orlandi]

Ciao Augusto
Let me say that I really think that those arms and legs doesn't match the right period if compared to the helm.
I think that kind of helm could be dated more or less from 1290 to 1340, whereas the protections you proposed are more XV century. If you want to reenact a early-XIV century knight and fight in safety, an armour could be constituted by:
-gambeson
-short sleeves hauberg
-small pauldrons (actually simple cup-shaped iron pieces)
-umeralia (that is: iron or leather upper arm protections)
-lower arm protection (iron or leather)
-cuisses (leather)
-greaves (iron or leather)
Here are some of my reconstructions based on paintings and frescos from the early XIV century
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33332758@N02/sets/72157621947421288/

I also stronghly recomend you to visit these sites where you can find a rich iconographic database of effiges from 1200 on.
In the second site you can narrow your research by country
http://www.themcs.org/armour/14th%20century%20armour.htm
http://effigiesandbrasses.com/

You should also take a look to the sets of this user on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/roelipilami/
Visit the different "loricatus" photo albums, you'll find a lot of stuff.

[Augusto Boer Bront]

Hei grazie!! (hei thanks!!!)

Another question: can I have hourglass gauntlets? I don't like very much the Wisby type, so I was thinking (after the things that you said) of buying components referring to the 1340 armours (1335-1345).
So: closed greaves http://www.kasto.org/221-parts.html, floating knee, this (RH 1.4) http://www.bestarmour.com/arm_harness_1.html, and hourglass gauntlets http://www.kasto.org/352-gauntlets.html.


It should be all historically accurate (I checked quite well the effigies).

Ps: thanks for the answer!

[Alessio J. Orlandi]

I think that hourglass gauntlets start appearing all over Europe more or less around 1340's. Previously, from 1300 to 1340 circa, many solutions were experimented. In a bas-relief (probably around 1320) in the Bargello (Firenze) one can see a knight wearing scaled gauntlets (in italian: guanti squamati). Scales are oriented (that is: you can "caress" them) from fingers to wrist. In other miniatures and sculptures one can see other "experiments" such as iron plates covering the hand
See here and visit the whole gallery
http://www.flickr.com/photos/roelipilami/1634...508791796/

If you want to fight safely as a early 14th century knight, you might also need some kind of body protection.
For what I've seen, there is a simple solution you can easly produce yourself: here is a fresco by Simone Martini, dating 1328
http://www.wga.hu/art/s/simone/3assisi/martin_1/42renoun.jpg
http://www.wga.hu/art/s/simone/3assisi/martin_1/40renoun.jpg
Infantrymen wear some kind of long coat where we can clearly see some rivets
It should be quite easy to make it by yourself

Another fresco by Simone Martini shows condottiero Guidoriccio da Fogliano wearing closed greaves (i presume...)
http://www.wga.hu/art/s/simone/5foglian/foglian2.jpg
(always 1320s i think)

anyway, i suggest you to take a look at www.wga.hu for other pictures

[Augusto Boer Bront]

Well, I already have a coat of mail long till my kness (hausberg?) and that covers completely my arms (not the hands).
I think that's enought for me as body protection. (also being just 16 I can't carry too much weight.)
And (very very sadly) I don't fight (already ) but however I still wanto to be "combat ready", in the case one day I learn to fight.

Thanks for the advices anf the pics!

[Alessio J. Orlandi]

I'm sending you a PM, check your myArmoury mailbox

[Randall Moffett]

Sounds like some good information you have been given. I'd like to say hourglass gaunts should be pushed back to the 1350s, maybe even to 1360 or later. Before this date we really have little evidence for them.

You can have more or less head to toe plate one way or another by 1320 or 1330 but not like those you have posted. The helmet is more age of mail, transitional age than age or plate.

RPM

[Felix R.]

I once posted some pictures when you were asking over at the armourarchive. Maybe you have a look at it again. Then there is a piece by piece descritption of a Italian knight setup for the early to mid 14the cent. timeframe. When I get back in the evening I will send it to you. Just give me your e-mail adress via PM. If you still havve questions after that, I think you didn´t read it

[János Sibinger]

Greetings, everyone!
This link might be useful:
http://talbotsfineaccessories.com/armour/effi...figies.htm
This is about england, but still provide a well organised statistics about pieces of armour.
About hourglass gauntlets: they are being presented in a Hungarian manuscript, Written in the 1360s. According to my best knowledge the widespread usage of heavy cavalry in Hungary started withy Béla the fourth, in the middle of the XIIIrd century. I don't know that this means anything, I just wanted to tell, that such pieces of equipment seems to appear everywhere at the same time.

I hope I was able to help!
Ciao!
John