Fully articulated plate armor

[Raman Amirthalingam]

Was there any disadvantage to fully articulated plate armor? I'm referring to armor like the type worn in the 1500s for foot melee in tournaments.

http://img222.imageshack.us/i/dsc0074.jpg/

The joints were completely covered with overlapping articulated steel plates to allow movement, rather than just having the padding underneath exposed or goussets. The entire body was covered with plate steel with the exception of the inside of the hands. I can't find a good rear-view picture online but if you have David Edge's "Arms and Armor of the Medieval Knight" you can find a great rear view photo of the type of armor I'm talking about on page 169.

Now my question is, was this the pinnacle of plate armor or was there some disadvantage? For instance, tournament jousting armor offered much better protection than regular armor but no knight would actually go into combat with it due to weight and mobility issues which outweighed the protection it provided. Is this the same case? Or was there no hindrance to mobility and this was the final, ultimate form of the plate armor? The biggest disadvantage I can see is that it might be uncomfortable to ride a horse but I guess I just wanted to see if anyone had any experience with these type of plate steel joints and if movement is hindered more than say, a regular type of open joint from the 1400s covered in chainmail.

My other question was how would combat have differed from Ringeck's or Fiori's armored combat? They relied on thrusting for open spots but effectively non exist on this type of armor. Would combat styles have been different or would the same style have been employed?

[CalebChow]

Hey Raman! Welcome.

Each suit is unique and probably custom-made to the individual, so I think it really depends. If a certain piece makes riding or whatever more difficult, or if there's a battle where horses won't be so effective, the knight could make adjustments to his gear to fit the situation.

It's the same today; soldiers are given standard-issue equipment, but they can still modify their setup to some degree to fit their personal or situational needs.

The "ultimate" form of plate armor will never exist, just as there probably will never be a "perfect" sword. Ceramic plate inserts (if you consider that plate armor) are capable of stopping rifle rounds, but coverage is less because the material and necessary thickness makes it heavy. So, you tradeoff area coverage for necessary protection.

As for experience with armor, I think Shane Smith has a 14th century harness while Aaron Pynenberg has a Gothic suit; you could try asking them about it.

All plate armor in the Medieval/Renaissance periods had holes; some less than others, but ultimately no armor makes anybody invulnerable to everything (eg mordhau).
Obviously, Ringeck and Fiore would have assumed that their readers would have the common sense not to try stabbing into a protected area even if most armors at the time didn't have that area protected.

Hope this helps...sorry if I misunderstood your question!

[Peter Goranov]

That seems to be a display from the Royal Armories in Leeds.

I went there two years ago, and just this December I saw the Wallace collection.

The main difference between tournament armour and battlefield one (if there can be such a term) that I saw was the amount of engravings and other cosmetic additions. Reference the Lion Armour in Leeds. Whether those influence combat performance I cannot say.

The most impressive pieces I have seen (though, mind you, no small number of the museum displays are amalgamations of several pieces of armour gathered together, all from differed time periods) are of German make, around 1500s or so. And Henry VIIs armour (for when he was 22), though obviously a King could commission the highest available quality. All had some weak spots (elbows, one armpit or the back of the neck).

I think the bigger difference for tournaments is the hollow tournament lance and the blunted swords rather than the armour used. Keeping separate suits of armour could be expensive unless one was of noble birth.