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Arms and Armor History - 15th Century AD
Ahlspiess - Ahlspiess (also called Awl Pike) was a spear designed for thrusting attacks. This type of spear was used as a dueling weapon in Germany and Austria between 15th to 16th centuries. The spear measured between five to eight feet in length. The spear consisted of a wooden shaft that was about three feet long with a thin spike at the top. At the end of the wooden shaft that functioned as a handle, there was a circular metal guard. Those ahlspiess without the rondel guard were called breach pikes. The weapon was used by foot soldiers and it was used against charging cavalry to pierce and dismount the armored riders. Ahlspiess was also popular in England where it was used during tournaments.
Armet - Armet is a type of medieval closed helmet whose shape conforms to the shape of the head of the wearer and covers it in full. Armets were in use at the end of 15th century. Armets gave wearers a lot of advantages compared with other helmets as they were lighter and offered complete protection of the head, face and neck. The armets were improved adding steel gorgets. The advantage was that the weight of the helmet rested on the gorget and not on the head of the wearer.
Barbute Helm - The barbute helmets were in use during the 15th century. A barbute helmet is a visorless helmet that originated in Italy. They featured a Y or T shaped opening for breathing and vision. Their design resemble classical Corinthian Greek helmets used by hoplite warriors.
Bardiche - A bardiche belongs to the polearm family of melee weapons that was used in medieval and renaissance Europe. It was especially popular in Easter Europe (Poland, Russia). The blade of the bardiche often featured a long and cleaver like blade. The blade was attached to the pole via two sockets with one being in the middle of the blade and one on the lower end of the blade. The bardiche had a very long blade but the wooden shaft was often short compared with other polearm weapons. The weapon relied more on the heavy weight of the blade delivering heavy damage than a swing from a long pole. Because of that the bardiche is similar to Danish axe.
Bec de Corbin - A bec de corbin is a pole weapon, similar to war hammer but with a much longer shaft. This type of weapon was very popular in medieval Europe. The name, Bec de Corbin comes from Old French and it means “crow’s beak”. Although the weapon is similar to regular war hammer, bec de corbin was used differently. Regular, Lucerne war hammer was primarly used with its hammer part whereas, bec de corbin was use with the beak to attack. The beak of the bec de corbin was used to tear opponent’s plate armor apart.
Buffe - Buffe, also called a falling beavor, was a plate face guard that was worn with open helmets beginning in 15th century and on. The buffe was usually held in place by leather straps or sometimes (especially when jousting) it was bolted to the breastplate.
Eared Dagger - Ear Dagger is a dagger that was used in the late Medieval Age and the Renaissance. The dagger is named “Ear Dagger” because of its distinctive pommel shape which resembles a pair of ears. The blade of the dagger is thin and long and it ends in a sharp point. It is said that the dagger originated in Andalusia which is the southern region of Spain that was dominated by the Moors in the early medieval times.
Flail - The flail is a very ancient and widely used weapon. At first it was used as an ordinary agricultural tool to separate grain from grain chaff. It was later adopted for military use by adding weights or spikes to the shaft or by adding chains carrying weights. The flail was used in Europe at the beginning of the 13th century. The flail continued to be used until the 18th century. In addition to Europe, flails were used in China, India and Japan. Larger flails were used by knights or foot soldiers and smaller flails were used by horsemen.
Gorget - A Gorget was used mainly in the Medieval times to protect the neck of a knight. Gorgets were made of steel and often covered clavicles and sternum. At first, a gorget was designed to protect the throat against swords and other weapons. In 18th Century; however, it was used mainly for decoration of the military uniforms. In Medieval times the gorgets were worn under cuirass. The gorgets supported the weight of armor that was worn over it. During the Renaissance, gorgets were worn without the cuirass and only over regular clothing. Many times, gorgets were decorated with etchings, enamel or engraving. Gorgets were actually the last piece of plate armor that was worn on battlefields.
Corseque -
Lance - Lance was the spear used by horsemen. The lance consisted of four parts: the shaft, truncheon or staff; the head; the vamplate and the grate or grapper. Some of the lances were huge in size. For example the tilting lance was very large and heavy as it was almost 5 inches in diameter. Other lances were much lighter. These were usually ribbed to increase stiffness. The lances used for jousting had blunt tips. The conical guard on the lance was called the vamplate. It was adopted in 14th century.
Lucerne Hammer - Lucerne Hammer was a type of pole axe or pole arm that was used between 15th and 17th centuries. It was especially popular in Switzerland. The name Lucerne Hammer is derived from the place it was uncovered, namely, Lucerne, Switzerland. This type of pole arm had a hammer with four-point hammer head on one side and a single spike at the opposite end. The pole arm had also a long spike attached at the top. This type of weapon was used to dismount riders and also, it was very effective in smashing and piercing plate armor.
Runka - Runka (alternative spelling: Ranseur, Runkah, Rawcon, Ranson, Rhonca, Roncie) was a type of pole arm used in Europe between 15th and 16th centuries. The head of runka consisted of a spear blade attached to the base. The main spear blade had two, short lateral blades protruding, giving it a shape similar to a trident. The lateral blades were either straight or curved upwards in the same direction as the main, middle blade. Runka was about 6 feet in length.
Sabatons - Sabatons (also called Solerets) were the foot armor used by knights in the middle of 16th century. The sabatons only covered the upper part of the foot and were attached by straps that passed under the soles. Other names used for sabatons were "Bear Paw" or "Duck Billed" solerets.
Salet Helm - The Salet type Helmets were popular in the middle of the 15th Century. They were usually worn with a bevor and they protected the entire head. The Italian version of the salet helmet featured a long tail that covered the neck and it had a long eye slit opening. The salet type helmet was most popular in Western Europe, especially in England and Germany.
Suit of Armor - The suit of armor came into use at the beginning of the 15th Century. The suit of armor was worn over regular underclothes and was attached to the wearer using leather straps and buckles. Chainmail was used to protect areas that could not be protected with plate armor. Suit of armor usually consists of the helm, breastplate and backplate (cuirass with often attached faulds and tassets), gauntlets, pauldrons (or spaulders), vambraces, couters, sabatons (foot armor), greaves (to protect shins) and gorget, sometimes called a neckguard. The cost of the suit of armor varied by the historical periods, coverage it provided and articulation. It was usually afforded only by the nobility or professional soldiers as one full suit of armor’s cost could equal to cost of a small farm. Soldiers of lower rank usually wore less plate armor and more chain mail. A good suit of armor was comparable to today’s tank. A knight wearing a suit of armor was practically resistant to sword attack, arrows and other weapons. Swords could not penetrate even a thin suit of armor. Only arrows or bolts from bows or crossbows were able to penetrate plates of suit of armors sometimes and only if fired at very close range. Later, advancement in suit of armor production made even that feat very difficult. The only way to defeat a knight was to use weapons such as halberds or polearms. Weapons such as war hammers or maces were also used against knights in suits of armor as those weapons could transfer force through suit of armor and cause various injuries such as broken bones, internal organ bleeding or concussions and other head injuries. The other way to attack a knight in suit of armor was to aim at the weak points, especially at joints and any other small armor openings.
Suits of armor had various uses. They were used in battle, on parades and during tournaments. Suits of armor used in battle were the real deal whereas suits of armor used in parades were lighter and were adorned with ornaments. Tournament (or sporting armor) suits of armor differed in their shape (especially breastplates and helmets) to deflect lances, pikes and polearms. They were also a lot thicker and heavier. Knights wearing suits of armor were training in them since their teens to develop techniques and endurance. The weight of suit of armor was comparable to the weight of gear carried by today’s soldiers. While a suit of armor looks heavy, knights wearing suits of armor were able to easily mount or dismount a horse, run, jump and crawl. A well-made suit of armor crafted from tempered steel could weigh only 45 lbs.
Tasset - Tassets are a part of plate armor designed to protect the hip and upper leg area. Tassets were usually attached to the fauld. Tassets were made of segments of steel or from one piece that was usually fluted with ribs for increased strength. Tassets were mostly used between the 15th and 17th century.
War Hammer - A war hammer is a medieval melee weapon used in close quarters combat. The name war hammer comes from the basic shape of the weapon as it looks like a hammer. The construction of the war hammer is simple as it only consists of a wooden handle (often war hammers had handles seared and blackened with flames) and a metal head made of steel or bronze. The handle of the war hammer varied depending on use. Short handles were used in close combat situations whereas long handles that were comparable to polearms in length, were used against horse mounted enemies. Bec de Corbin is the best example of such a weapon. In later periods war hammers featured spikes at the head of the hammer. War hammers as a weapon were used against evolving plate armor that featured hardened plates. The sword blows against hardened plate armor would simply ricochet or glance resulting in weaker blow; however, attacks with war hammers could transfer their energy through the plate without penetrating the suit of armor. The spike of the war hammer was used to attack the weakest points in the suit of armor as it was able to penetrate through the armor. The spike or the hook of the war hammer was also used to simply “peel away” pieces of suit of armor by attacking armor joints and straps.
History of Arms and Armor | Arms and Armor Origin Timeline
