[Nick Esposito]

I am contemplating starting a Knight's kit from the Wisby period around 1360, Where can I find good Images and reference material to base it on.

I thinking maybe a Haubergon, a Coat of Plates and other assorted period items, but I don't have a solid reference to base this on, or to find a place to begin.

I also do not know what country I would want to have the kit represent.

Help on this would be greatly appreciated.

[Christian G. Cameron]

Nick there are way more knowledgeable people about this than me, but as I'm doing the same (building a 1380s kit), I'll stab at it.

why do you call it "Wisby era"?

The armour and equipment from Wisby is by no means representative. It represents the cheap, quick armour made by desperate men to put some sort of a host in the field in an emergency. Just for example, the so called Wisby gauntlets, even when beautifully made, represent a technology (plate on leather) that's bound to fail in time--fairly quick time if you spar and practice every day.

1360 is the period of Poitiers, perhaps the greatest of the English victories, and of the dawn of the "Great Companies" that gave rise to the mercenaries like the White Company, etc. free Company men at arms represent a nice middle ground--you can kit out as a Free Company man at arms without having to look like a great noble....

Kenneth Fowler's book on Medieval Mercenaries will give you an intro to the period. De Charny, probably the greatest knight of the era, left us enough writings to define a chivalric ethic and philosophy. There are period romances (Vie to Prince Noir and the various 14th c. Morte D'Artur and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight) and non-romances (Chaucer, Froissart) that make the best starting reading. But here's my advice--read the real deal by men and women who lived then, not an Osprey book. Osprey books and their ilk are excellent if you want to paint little lead men (and I do, so I like them fine) but not really high enough in authenticity when it comes down to detail to use as sources for making kit for reenacting. Start with primary sources--Amazon can find you Froissart, Kaeuper and Kennedy's translation of De Charny, and Tolkien's edition of Sir Gawain--and then I suspect you'll know what you want to do. Grab a cheap copy of Chaucer and read the Knight's Tale and the Squire's tale.

Voila. You'll know a lot about the period!

[Eric Hejdström]

Why not start here?
http://www.chivalrybookshelf.com/titles/wisby/wisby.htm

[Augusto Boer Bront]

Sorry but I can't resist, but I have to link some stores online.

So, 1360 right?

Helms.
They would fit helms like visored bascitens and late great helms.
http://www.battlemerchant.com/Helmets/Battle-...:2408.html
http://www.battlemerchant.com/Helmets/Battle-...:2756.html
http://www.battlemerchant.com/Helmets/Battle-...:3317.html
http://www.battlemerchant.com/Helmets/High-me...::371.html

Arms harness.
Post 1350, so full plate harness with spaulders.
Something like this, but you can search for something different.
http://www.battlemerchant.com/Plate-Armour/Ar...:3077.html
Or the splinted version
http://www.casiberia.com/prod_Detail.aspx?id=AB0083

Torso.
Well as you said you want to wear a brigandine. You can make it easily yourself if you know someone that cuts steel with laser or in some other way.

Gauntlets.
For 1360 the hourglass has been fully developed.
http://www.kasto.org/352-gauntlets.html

Legs.
Here too fully developed plate harness.
http://www.kasto.org/221-parts.html
http://www.bestarmour.com/leg_harness_5.html (bottom of the page)
But you can search also for the splinted version too.

I hope that this helps. I've posted just some sites, but here there are the most economic I found untill now.