Probably every person who is interested in the history of weapons and armor of the Middle Ages has heard about Milanese armor. Photos of this defense allow us to evaluate the skill of blacksmiths of the 15-16th centuries, to understand how much effort and time they spent on creating just one full armor. But he provided the maximum possible protection, protecting the owner from many dangers in battle - starting from arrows, ending with a powerful blow of a hammer or ax. Therefore, it will be useful to learn more about it.
History of creation
Milanese armor appeared in Italy around the end of the fourteenth century (according to other sources, at the beginning of the fifteenth). It is worth noting that at this time it was Italy that became a kind of trendsetter in the field of creating armor. Which is not surprising - quite a lot of craftsmen lived here, accustomed to fulfill such orders. And wars often swept through northern Italy, forcing local soldiers to seriously think about providing maximum protection to survive in the most fierce cabin.
The best masters, according to many experts, lived in Venice, Milan (the city that gave the name to the new armor) and Florence. They gained considerable popularity not only in Italy, but also practically throughout Europe. Most often, the manufacture of armor was practiced directly in the place where they would be sold. However, the development of industry (for example, the emergence of a blast furnace) allowed to increase productivity. Good craftsmen had surpluses that went well for export to other countries - France, Germany and others. We will talk about this a bit later.
Great influence on the creation of Milanese armor had new swords. They have evolved over the centuries. At the beginning of the fifteenth century, the sword became exactly what it used to be shown in films and many books. Long, rather narrow, with sharpening at the end and along all sides, it was perfect for chopping and stabbing. Knights and just wealthy warriors sought to provide themselves with maximum protection - the average soldier could not afford it.
Well, the Milanese armor provided a high level of protection, while at the same time relatively weakly constrained the warrior's movements, allowing him to chop not only on a horse, but also on foot.
Key Features
Now it is worth briefly telling what the standard Milanese armor of the 14th century was.
This term is called full combat armor designed to protect almost the entire surface of the body. For this, large rounded steel plates were used. If you compare it with earlier versions, as well as armor made in other countries, you can notice a greatly changed cuirass. It became rounded, instead of the almost flat plates used earlier. Wide shoulders with large sides are also striking - this made it possible to reflect the blows of the enemy spear.
The armor was not symmetrical. For example, the shoulder pad on the left was especially massive, and the plates protecting the shoulder and forearm were one piece. This provided maximum protection from blows to the left (which most often happened - after all, there were fewer left-handed people at all times than right-handed people). True, because of this, the mobility of the left hand decreased, but for most knights this was not so important - the left hand was used mainly to hold the shield, while the right one remained fighting.
In general, photos of Milanese armor make it easy to study them. Anyway, quite a few instances of such protection have survived to this day. Today, at least ten sets are known that have been preserved in almost perfect condition. Of course, it has come down to our time that there are much more, but others were seriously damaged, underwent certain alterations at a later time, or for various reasons lost some of the elements.
Fifteenth Century Armor
The Milanese armor in the 15th century was very popular. Photos of these perfect lat can be seen in the article, and live they have the opportunity to explore when visiting many European museums.
One of their main distinguishing features was a powerful helmet with a visor - often in the form of a sparrow beak. Often the visor did not just rise, but leaned back, so as not to interfere with the owner. The neck was protected by a powerful plate collar providing good mobility.
A special emphasis was often placed on the bib for a spear - for a long time it was difficult to hold a heavy, long weapon even for an experienced war-hardened warrior.
The breastplate protected not only the torso - a kind of plate skirt consisting of several segments (usually 4-6) served as a continuation. This addition is called "Tasset" and has become one of the distinguishing features of Milanese armor. Mobile tassettes allowed the knight to sit on a horse with comparative comfort, reliably protecting the buttocks and hips.
The bracelets were made quite massive - more and more knights abandoned the usual shield, fettering movement, and providing reliable protection was still very important. Elbow pieces (or, as is commonly called, chippers) were heavy, and were massive. The right chipper was more massive, but at the same time difficult to manufacture, which made it possible not to reduce the mobility of the warrior. The left elbow was not made so large. But on top of it a special elbow piece was often attached. This is a fairly large shell-like structure, which was supposed to partially play the role of a shield in protecting the knight's left side.
To ensure greater mobility during hand-to-hand combat, greaves were made more mobile - from several moving segments.
As you can see, the armor was highly complex. Even a group of experienced craftsmen who distributed responsibilities took several weeks to create it. Of course, even with some progress in the field of steel processing, this significantly increased the cost of armor - not every knight could afford such a purchase, not to mention ordinary soldiers or mercenaries.
How it changed in the sixteenth century
However, progress did not stand still. Changed tactics, weapons, combat techniques. Therefore, even the most perfect armor of the fifteenth century was forced to change, providing protection even after a century. Thus appeared the Milanese armor of the 16th century. No radical changes took place in it, as, for example, in Germany, where the Gothic armor was completely supplanted by Maximillian. Still, the protection developed in Milan remained one of the foremost. But there were quite a few minor changes that often eluded the layman’s gaze.
So, how did the Milanese armor of the last quarter of the 16th century differ from its predecessor?
For example, masters no longer equipped the bracers with massive chippers. They not only decreased in size, but also began to be made symmetrical - it became vital for a knight to be able to fight not only with his right hand, but also with his left.
The standard smooth and noticeably rounded cuirass received a stiffener in the middle, as well as goose breasts - tapul. This form made it possible to increase slippage when stabbing with a sword in the chest or abdomen.
Tassettes began to be made more complex. Previously, they consisted of 4-6 segments, but now from a larger number. Yes, manufacturing complexity has increased. But the level of protection remained the same, and the mobility of the knight increased significantly.
Instead of the usual helmet, which had a flat visor, bourguignot began to come more and more often. It had a more rounded shape and, accordingly, turned out to be safer - some of the stabbing (and sometimes chopping) strokes slid off without causing serious damage to the knight.
If you study the photo of the Milanese armor of the last quarter of the 16th century, you can see that it was he who in many ways became the basis for the creation of Reitar armor, as well as other types of armor, used much later, when firearms appeared in Europe. Of course, the old helmet disappeared, replaced by a more modern one, and indeed the armor has undergone many changes. But the expert’s trained eye will quickly identify many similar points.
Helmet features
Now, in order to better understand the structure of the armor, it will be useful to talk in more detail about its various elements. Let's start with the helmet.
It was massive, completely enclosed (or, as experts say, “arme”). Only narrow slots remained for the eyes - a review that significantly reduced, but the risk of getting a spear, sword or arrow into the eye was reduced to a minimum. Slots or holes were often made on the visor, allowing the knight to breathe more or less freely.
The visor was attached to the helmet with wing nuts. The collar was made of two or three movable plates, partially sliding over each other. Yes, the device is quite complicated. But the knight could freely turn his head, looking around, evaluating the course of the battle.
Appearance of the cuirass
Of great importance was the cuirass. Most early armors used separate plates to protect the chest and stomach. Of course, the forged cuirass provided great protection, while almost without restricting the movement of the knight. At first it was almost flat, it only curved a little to fit tightly around the body. Later, as mentioned above, acquired a ledge in the middle.
Tassettes were used to protect the hips - first less mobile, then longer, more complex, less constraining movements.
Briefly about the Shoulders
Shoulders had a very complex construction. The masters paid special attention to the elbows - they should provide mobility to the knight, making it possible to actively use their hands for defense and attack.
Shoulders were attached to the collar using straps. Bracers were also attached to the shoulders. The elbow was protected by a movable elbow, consisting of three plates. On the front side was a heart-shaped coater.
A little bit about gloves
Perhaps one of the most difficult parts of any armor is plate gloves. And Milanese armor is no exception. After all, gloves must meet a number of requirements: be strong, lightweight and at the same time allow the knight to hold the weapon tightly in his hands.
Therefore, Italian craftsmen used bell-shaped cuffs, as well as a variety of rivets and plates. As a result, they managed to create really high-quality gloves that do not constrain movements at all, while being able to withstand a fairly strong blow without harming the fingers.
How much did he weigh?
Many people who study the history of weapons are seriously interested in the weight of Milanese armor. It is not surprising, because in recent years there have been many real legends around medieval armor that have not been backed up by practically nothing.
Milan armor was one of the last in history to be used specifically for combat, and not for knightly tournaments. And, as you know, over time, the weight of the lat increased. Indeed, the mass of such a set averaged from 25 to 30 kilograms, depending on the size of the knight, the skill of the blacksmith. Decent weight, but a warrior trained from childhood could freely not only walk in such armor, but also run, jump, even climb the ladder.
Armor Decoration
Of course, over time, armor became not only a reliable defense, but also a status thing. Noble people - counts, barons and princes - did not fit to fight in ordinary iron. Therefore, many Milanese armor were covered with the finest coinage, and in some cases even gilded. However, in most cases, such armor was used during tournaments; cheaper and easier to manufacture analogs were intended for battles.
Armor for export
The skill of the Milanese experts was famous throughout Europe. It is not surprising that many knights, especially from the border France and Germany, ordered armor in northern Italy.
This can be called a very non-standard step - in most cases, armor was made in the immediate vicinity of the customer. However, this only proves once again that the armor in Milan and Venice did really high-quality.
How much is known about armor?
As mentioned above, about ten perfectly preserved sets of lat, as well as a large number of damaged ones, have survived to our days. This allows you to describe them as accurately as possible, to identify the main advantages and disadvantages. But the armor itself is not the only evidence. Experts also study numerous paintings and engravings depicting knights and courtiers in appropriate armor, and manuscripts that have survived to this day in quite a large number.
Conclusion
Our article has come to an end. Now you know everything you need about the main advantages of Milanese armor. And also learned about the development of protection in the fifteenth to sixteenth centuries.