[Pedro Paulo Gaião]

British Library, Royal 14 D VI f. 84v

This manuscript illuminature's representing the landing of french troops in North Africa, during the Barbary Crusade. Oddly enough, Louis II, duke of Bourbon, is being shown in a set of gilt harness. If you have some acquaintance at looking manuscripts, you probably know other representations of royal figures being displayed in set of gold-covered armour (e.g. King of Jerusalem, Duke Charles the Bold), but this is the first one I have seen to represent a non royal nor sovereign noblemen in such type of harness. Before that, I though there was some regulation or traditional consensus that only kings could wear gilt armour; Graham Turner said Richard III probably had a gilt or silver-covered armour at Bosworth Field, justifying what he painted in two occasions).

I want to know if it was common for Medieval n' Early Modern - Era princes to wear gilt or silver covered ; if any noble could actually wear a gilt harness without having problems with local customs or military legislations and; if such armour was actually used for wars, instead of simply being used in tournments as a parade armor.

I'm actually convinced of some sort of military restriction because: the lengh of sabaton's was regulated according to the nobliarquical status of the wearer (Emperor, Count, Knight etc) as well as spurs (only knights could wear golden spurs, squires having silver ones).

If someone knows something about silvered , then I would be glad to hear. I had an photo of a 14th century coat of Plates covered in a silver (the plates, not the cloth), which preserved it until nowadays.

[Peter Spätling]

are you sure that the plates in the cop were not tinned?

As for gilded armour, the Treytz workshop made a gilded armour for the King of Scotland in the 1460's I believe (either '50s or '60s). It was meant as a present to the King by Sigismund of Tirol who married his sister if I remember correctly. More can be found in Reitzensteins "Der Waffenschmied".

There is a 14th century kettle hat from France which is believed to have belonged to the King of France, the whole thing is gilded.

[Pieter B.]

The Scottish Guard of the Valois Kings supposedly had silver gilt swords and leg protection. Gilt or brass trimming does show up on funeral effigies of knights and extant 16th armor meant for nobles or even princes.

[Philip Dyer]

[Pedro Paulo Gaião]

[Peter Spätling]

the plates on this find have been cleaned thoroughly by the finder (!sadly! (that idiot...)), probably with an acid. It can no longer be said whether these were tinned or not. Everything that remains are iron/steel plates. And the plates themselves were mounted on the inside of a coat of plates. The outside was covered with a textile, so gilding doesn't make any sense as the gold would not have been seen.

Tinned = covered with tin
Gilded = covered with gold

[Pedro Paulo Gaião]

[Luka Borscak]

Covered with silver is simply said "silvered". There is a silvered mail shirt from Bulgaria, 10th century supposedly. Probably byzantine manufacture.