[Pedro Paulo Gaião]

I'm kind of new here and I'm full of questions about historical equipment and historical orders of knighthood. I was very interested in the history of Order of the Garter, but I found no artistic evidence beyond conventional pictures of the founder knights, but I wonder how the order operated. If the image below has historical accuracy and if they (the knights of the garter) ever participated in important battles , how they dressed in the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries?



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[Tim Jones]

You're mistaken if you think that the Order of the Garter was an order of warrior monks in the same sense as the Teutonic knights, because it wasn't.

The entire history and other information can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Garter

[Pedro Paulo Gaião]

I'm not mistaken, they were a company noblemen and knights, but I didn't find any reference about war garment. Even if they had any group routine or if it was more a "enthusiastic society" than an Order. I became interested when I find out some portuguese soldiers and French knights who joined the Order, but they kept some tie or military duty?

I found this picture with the title of "Knight of the Garter in battle," but do not know if it's historically accurate

[David Cooper]

Pedro
Tim was correct the Knights of the Garter were and are not a battlefield order. They did not fight as a group or have a distinctive uniform. They could encircle their own coat of arms with the Garter symbol and were entitled to use heraldic supporters in their coats of arms. Other than these distinctions they would be arrayed for battle in exactly the same way as any other important and wealthy individual. They were high ranking individuals and would likely to be commanding their own men at arms and knights in any battle.

[Glen A Cleeton]

Welcome aboartd Pedro

The first image regards a rebellion by nobles against King Richard II

Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel; Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester; Thomas de Mowbray, Earl of Nottingham; Henry, Earl of Derby (later Henry IV); and Thomas de Beauchamp, 12th Earl of Warwick, demand Richard II to let them prove by arms the justice for their rebellion

Richard was actually well thought of by a lot of the lower class but during turbulent times. His grandfather, Edward III, had established the Order of the Garter. Some of the figures of the noble's rebellion were knights of the order. Not long before that, Wat Tyler had been a figurehead of the peasants revolt. Upon reaching London, Wat Tyler was killed and everyone pretty much went home and resumed business. You may have come across sites listing both with both the past and present Templars and Masonry. However, going back in Templar history, the Templars in England had been treated well when the Pope and France broke up the main body of the Knights Templar. Few in England were punished aside from loss of social status and fines. Most were absorbed into the Knights Hospitaller. As an aside, Edward and his grandson had both bought their tickets into the Linen Armourers. That is a very contracted version of the 1380s and leading up to that in England, and a couple of events worth noting. Rhicard II was deposed and later said to have been murdered during the accession to the throne by Henry IV. There is a lot of history and politics one must understand before even bothering with modern conspiracy sites offering bad history and speculation.

A complete list of those knighted can be found here.
http://www.heraldica.org/topics/orders/garterlist.htm

What they wore depends on the timeline and if at war would simply have had a surcoat supporting any heraldry they were associated with. A mantle of sorts worn for ceremonial use.

Cheers

GC

[Jeffrey Faulk]

The first picture appears to be Victorian or early 20th century, so I would not really trust it for historic accuracy.

As has been mentioned, the Order was not a wartime thing; it was for various elites to pal about with the King at fancy dinners and what not. Perhaps a knight may have worn a garter over his leg in combat, but more likely it was kept in a civilian context. Effigies do occasionally show knights wearing garters over armour such as the Black Prince's IIRC, but that could be considered 'dress uniform', not necessarily combat wear.

Also it may have appeared on heraldry, but that's also a subject of debate (how common heraldry was on the battlefield, etc).

[Glen A Cleeton]

[Lafayette C Curtis]

Note that the Order of the Garter still exists today in its original form and purpose -- that is, as a very posh social club. Then as now, it included some of the kingdom's foremost military officers and leaders, but the more martially-inclined members of the order didn't fight together in a single unit -- they're most likely to be found leading their own retinues or units.

[Lafayette C Curtis]

[Pedro Paulo Gaião]

[Glen A Cleeton]

[Greyson Brown]

[Pedro Paulo Gaião]

So I'm reviving the topic because of an issue. I've been seeing this video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tgLeMS30j8


I noticed that he wore this adornment in his helmet, which I hadn't seen in all the statues of that time. At first I thought it was just a fifteenth century trend, but the Osprey's book "Henry V and the Conquest of France" mentions that it was actually a "garter" used by the Order of the Knights. This could be a proof of some kind of prop that distinguished members of the order from other people?

[Alan E]

The garter is the blue strap buckled around his left leg below the knee, not either of the decorations on his helmet (one of which is a border to the plates, imitating a coronet, the other an orle, a decorative survival of padding betwen an inner and outer helmet). All part of the rich adornment which affirms his status.