Plate Armour - Tumblr Posts
Body armor, or simply armor, is protective clothing worn to shield the body from attacks. Armor could be worn by warriors and used to protect their mounts. Armor serves this function by deflecting or absorbing the impact of weapons or projectiles.
The history of armor dates back to ancient civilizations. Evidence of armor can be found as early as 2050 BC during the Bronze Age.
Around 1500 BC, ancient civilizations began wearing armor made of bronze and leather. Chainmail armor appeared around 400 BC. Later on, plate armor came into use. With the development of firearms, traditional armor gradually declined and disappeared.
A set of Arm Splints or Almain Rivets,
Length: 29.1 in/79 cm
Width: 5.9 in/15 cm
Depth: 3.5 in/9 cm
Weight: 2.25 lbs/1020.6 g
Germany, ca. 1520-1530, housed in the Higgins Armory Collection at the Worcester Museum of Art.
The progression of the Knight. It’s hard not to admire the intricacy of this armor. It’s easy to see that these men were practically walking tanks on the battlefield.
“THE PATH OF SLAUGHTER
Arms and Armour of Dark Elf Nobility
1 Main figure - Lord Yeurl of Clar Karond. Cold One Knight arrayed in full harness of war; double swords a sign of noble birth, trophy head bound in flesh thorns a symbol of taking the soul as well as the life of the victim. The knight does not arm himself but is arrayed by two squires in a ritual sequence. The leg harness (a) is strapped on first and attached at the top to an underbelt, then the rere brace (upper arm armour) is laced in position. The knight’s chest is then anointed with the symbol of Khaine in purified blood. A long, flowing robe known as a khaitan is then worn. The khaitan is often made from rich silk patterned with spells and charms. This robe is a Dark Elf symbol of war, and is worn by knights as a sign of martial status and prowess when not armoured.
2 Over the tunic, a padded aketon with mail sleeves and a long mail skirt is worn (a). Called a dalakoi (lit. strength against death), the mail is lined with soft leather such as human or doeskin. This helps hold the mail in place. Back and breast plate (b) are then laced over the upper torso, sometimes these are one piece or also laminate strips for more flexibility. A short gorget (c) is then added. The pauldrons, or shoulder guards, appear to be more aesthetic than functional (d); they are laced directly to the breastplate through the gorget. Occasionally they are one piece but normally are made from two or three connected plates; the laces are often left visible at the front, and are decorated with flesh hooks at the ends.
Long gloves with armoured hands are laced tightly to the forearm, and over these are fitted vambraces (e). These appear to be one piece and held in place purely by the spring of the metal. They are often adorned with fighting spines — razor sharp blades which can trap and hold enemy blades as well as being weapons in their own right.
3 The helmet is a composite of separate parts. The main skull (a) follows a typical Dark Elf shape. The visor (b) is laced onto rings on the helmet (note the mail collar worn under the gorget), although often this is left off in battle to allow for maximum visibility in combat. The bevor (c) is laced directly and rigidly to the breastplate and makes a very effective guard for the vulnerable neck area.
4 Daggers and swords are slung on narrow crossbelts (a). The number of weapons a knight carries is a symbol of his status at the Witch King’s court, with two blades being the most common. Shields (b) vary enormously in shape, though all seem to have a recurved tip at the base chat can be used as an offensive weapon. Lance tips (c) vary in shape and usually a long ribbon or pennant flutters beneath the tip. Runic script is often embroidered onto a knight’s pennant, proclaiming their dedication to Malekith, their great deeds in his service and the noble history of their forefathers.
Also shown are two archaic weapons, only rarely seen in battle now, which are mostly used for ritual combat and duelling between the nobility. The shorter is known as a ghlaith (d), which means spineblade, and is used for a paralysing blow to the lower back or limbs. The longer blade is called a soultaker (e), lakelui in the Druchii tongue, and is used to dispatch the foe once they have been rendered defenceless. In such duels, failure to properly immobilise the foe before death will earn the displeasure of the audience and quite often leads to summary execution of the knight.
5 Flesh hooks — a selection of. Each is shaped as a Druchii rune, and the place and manner in which they are hung can tell a lot about a knight’s allegiances, battle honours and family. With the flesh hooks are also hung janglers, known as keikalla or ‘spirit bells’, which serve a two-fold purpose. Firstly, the Druchii believe they ward away the most malicious of the magical spirits and entities that inhabit barren Naggaroth. Secondly, they serve to announce the presence of the knight, for unlike an Assassin or Shade, a knight rides proudly to battle in full view of his foes.“
From pp. 76-77 of Warhammer Armies: Dark Elves – 6th Edition, written by Gav Thorpe, Space James McQuirk and Tuomas Pirinen; art by David Gallagher
A black and white Three-quarter Armor, Nuremberg, Germany, late 16th century, housed at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum.
The field Harness of Condotierro Sforzo Pallavicini, Italy, ca. 1550, housed at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.
The so-called “Rose-Petal” Garnitures: a series of four armors and barding with a matching rotella made by Franz Großschedel for the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II for a series of tournaments held on the occasion of the marriage of Archduke Karl II to Princess Maria of Bavaria, so named for the floral motifs which feature heavily in the armors’ etchings.
Each armor is specialized for a particular tournament game: the first, a light armor for the Scharmützel; the second, a heavy jousting armor for the free tourney; the third, a light armor for the Plankengestech; the fourth and final, a tonlet armor for foot combat.
Landshut, Germany, 1571, housed at the Kunsthistorisches Musuem, Vienna.
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