Shoulder shield

[CalebChow]

In some of the armored combat pictures you find knights wielding two-handed weapons in full plate with also a small shield attached to the left shoulder.

What's the point of it, exactly?

If you're wearing full plate, I see little use of a tiny shield up on the shoulder and imagine it'd get in the way of fighting.

[Sal Bertucci]

If I'm thinking of what you're describing correctly...it isn't actually a small shield, it's an enlarged pauldron.

[CalebChow]

If I'm thinking of what you're describing correctly...it isn't actually a small shield, it's an enlarged pauldron.

The manuscript (it's abbreviated as "KK") shows it used sometimes as a buckler and sometimes not used at all (as in on the ground), so it looks like it's detachable.

Turns out the profile picture gallery of this forum has a picture of it:



The picture is awfully small, but you can see a rectangular thing on the guy's left shoulder. The back of the "shield thing" is shown in this pic, but the front has a cross or coat of arms.

[Sal Bertucci]

maybe it's on a strap? It mustn't be too bad if they wore it.

[CalebChow]

I just got a private message from a mysterious helper;

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Rogier_van_der_Weyden_-_Saint_George_and_the_Dragon.jpg

He said the shield is called an "ecranche" and was strapped on the shoulder when mounted to have a grip on the reins.

The notch in it was used to accommodate spear thrusts when dismounted.

[Sal Bertucci]

Coolness

[John Farthing]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ailette