Full Suit of Armor Italian High Medieval

Crossbows, longbows and lances were - in a quite literal sense -the most piercing arguments for further developing plate armor. From the high Middle Ages onwards people began to reinforce the mail shirts of noblemen with metal plates which in the 14th century finally culminated in the full suit of armor. The centers of production were Italy and Germany.

Armorers had to have an extensive knowledge of the human anatomy in order to produce suits of armor with maximum flexibility. Contrary to common belief it was possible to run, lie down, rise and even mount a horse unaided when wearing a full suit of armor! It is interesting to know that a suit of armor from the era of King Henry VIII. was extensively studied by NASA engineers in order to gain inspiration for the construction of an EVAC suit. Apparently rust and heat posed bigger problems than issues of weight or mobility.

Our 15th century suit of armor is a typical example of an Italian model: The plate armor is more rounded and it is slightly asymmetrical. On the whole Italian models appeared more massive than German ones. The Suit of armor consists of a hounskull helmet with visor and bevor, breast and back plate, arm and leg armor (including greaves, sabatons, armored gauntlets, elbow and knee plates and shoulder armor) and a base with a wooden stand. All steel Parts are attached to each other by leather straps and brass buckles.