I'm a 6'2" guy that portrays English nobility in the war with the Scotts (late 13th C, since they went around a few times). I don't like long sleeved maile so I went with short and wear hardened leather vambraces. I haven't been able to afford custom maile leggings or hosen so I am making a pair of greaves based on the Maciejowski Bible David and Goliath. I will be wearing them with a pair of padded chausses that are being made for me by our group's seamstress, who in exchange for dues exemption, does work for the group at cost (and in her own good time, which is still fairly quickly). I figure if that configuration worked for a giant, it can work for someone just slightly taller than average :p . But these choices left me without defence for my knees and elbows. Our group doesn't require the use of knee and elbow protection, but it really is a good thing to have, especially as nobility. Any suggestions would be helpful. Links and pictures too. I'm no expert, but I can make a few armor pieces, but I have trouble finding reference material for these pieces in that era.

Thanks,
Sir Didymous LaRoth, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Rouse Clan

Here are a few suggestions:

For the knees:
http://www.merctailor.com/catalog/product_inf...ucts_id=95

Same but with a round plate on the side:
http://www.merctailor.com/catalog/product_inf...cts_id=118

For the elbows same styles:
http://www.merctailor.com/catalog/product_inf...ucts_id=94

http://www.merctailor.com/catalog/product_inf...cts_id=117

Good morning Justin,

You may already be aware of Effigies and Brasses, but I thought I'd throw it out there anyway. This is a very good site for preliminary research.

Very nice start to your kit by the way! :)

Effigies and brasses is a great ressource for such things. When you have your design you can also go full custom. I got a pair of elbow cops from Jiri Klepac at a very reasonable price.

Sander is correct!

And for the knee and elbow cops... In 1250 they were - as far as I know - not yet invented. Take a close look at the knights and footsoldiers in the mac bible (which can stand as a source only for france): they don't wear those cops but padded/quilted armor around the upper tighs (called Diechlinge in german) or maille. These could later in the 13th century be reenforced with leather or small metal plates at knee level.

Best wishes, Thomas

greaves are anachronistic for late 13th century, but schynbalds (pretty much greaves without a back plate) were used in the early 14th century.

Let me know if you want any info on how to hammer knee cops like the ones jean posted from plate if you want to make your own. I've done quite a few and actually hold regular crafts classes in the subject.

Also, if you're not supposed to have knee cops for the time period you're depicting you could still sneak low profile knee protection under the maille or clothing. I've made several SCA armours with practically invisible armour like that (as in I've gotten stopped by markshalls trying to enter the list seemingly unarmoured), and I guess these you use could be made less joint encompassing that those, showing even less. Again, just let me know if you want any pointers on how to make them.

Look for Ralph Nesle's equipment for late 13th nobility. The guy had a full suit of armour of ten by the time he is killed in 1302.

The top tier of nobles had access to more or less full armour of plates by the 1290s. Not as refined as those of 1330 or there after but still they had armour of plate head to toe.

RPM

In what little time I've had to search this I found this.
http://www.13c.ru/texts/blair.pdf
Pages 37-52 were of particular interest to me, though I found many of his statement to be speculative, and many of his sources are un-named. He also didn't take the time to translate his French quotations. This is a problem because my French is just good enought to get my face slapped.

Any thoughts?

I think that the period thing you can have for knee protection in your era are those padded/splinted thigh defences that go over your maille legs, with attached disc-like knee protection. I'll see if I can find a picture of what I mean.

Take a look here:

http://www.themcs.org/armour/14th%20century%20armour.htm

The earliest good view of knee cops (although there are many more shown) seems to be Sir John D'Abernon which it indicates died at 1277.

You'll note though, that the prevailing style for the period is full mail sleeves and chausses. The non-mail armour seems to be supplementary to a full-mail core (my opinion is that it patches the weaknesses of mail - which is when streched tight over bent joints like the knee and elbow).