Sketch your future armor. It's better to focus on the basic shapes (their size and how to connect the pieces of armor) rather than on color and details, which can be dealt with later. Decide where and how the individual pieces will connect to keep the armor flexible. Simplify the design as much as you can so that many parts do not knock against each other and so that you do not have to connect them in many places (this will weaken the design). You can also look for ready-made armor templates online, and you can even print some of them.

Take measurements of the person to ensure the armor fits (mark the size of the armor, such as S, M or L). Write down all the necessary volumes that are needed to make a helmet, breastplate, shoulder armor and other various coverings. While this won't be your main guide when choosing armor size, it will be useful whenever you're cutting, joining, or making any changes that you may be unsure of.

Transfer your measurements to the armor stencil (template). You'll get through it faster if you have a friend hold pieces of flexible and rigid paper (like cardboard) in front of you and draw each detail of the sketch separately, making a rough outline so that you can later redo it as you need. It will be more accurate if you make a mannequin and assemble a paper stencil around it.

Give the stencil its final shape. Make sure you have everything necessary details and, if necessary, adjust them to size. If the template consists of 2 identical parts (two shin plates, two gloves, etc.), choose the best one and discard the other. Thus, you can use the best one as a model for the second one, so that your armor is symmetrical. When you're happy with the result, clean up and soften the outline, mark the original sketch and its corresponding part (noting which ones will be duplicated) and you can cut out.

Transfer the stencil onto the foam sheet. Trace each piece on the sheet foam with a ballpoint pen (it will glide across the foam without catching or scratching it), tracing a second time if necessary. To do very large details You may need to tape 2 sheets of foam together, preferably where it is less noticeable and can blend into the design (such as the seam down the center of the bib). Mark the back and cut out the pieces.

• To use foam more economically, trace the large parts first, and then fit the small ones around them.

If necessary, “stamp” the design on the armor. Lightly sketch the sketches with a ballpoint pen. Once you're happy with the results, go over the pen a few more times to engrave your designs into the foam (be careful not to tear the material). It is much easier to draw on foam if it lies on flat surface and has not yet been assembled into armor.

Shape and assemble the armor. Exactly how you do this will depend on the intrigue of your design. Below are several factors to address how you work. Gather your armor. How you do this will depend on the complexity of your design. Below are some tips for this job.

• Shape sheet foam to the shape of your body. Since the material is elastic, you will only have to glue the parts along the bends. However, you will need to process some parts so that the foam itself holds its shape. This can be done by heating the foam uniform, safe heat source(such as a hair dryer or stove) to soften it and manually bend it around another object, such as a liter bottle or rolling pin. You will only have a few seconds to do this, so act quickly. It's best to test your technique on leftover scraps first to learn how to heat the foam without it burning, shrinking, or bubbling.
• Glue the parts at the joints (PVA glue is suitable). In some places (for example, where there are many joints or strong curves), it will be more convenient to glue after the parts have been shaped so that they do not lose their shape. However, when you're working on pieces that don't need much bending and that don't restrict movement too much when they fit together, you can glue them together before shaping them.
• To strengthen and give rigidity to the armor, turn it over and lubricate the reverse side with liquid glue, smooth thin material (for example, gauze or mesh fabric) over the surface, and press the weave into the folds and bends with something sharp. Once the glue is dry, trim off the excess fabric and apply another layer of glue.
• Remember that you will most likely have to work gradually. If your suit has many parts, you may need to glue several of them together just to assemble one segment of one armor piece. Think about how best to fasten small parts together so that you can later make large ones out of them.
• Don't forget to leave holes. Since the foam is flexible, you will have plenty of freedom of movement: armor made from sheet foam, with a good seam position, you can easily put on and take off. However, for armor in a traditional style, you need to imitate the real method of fastening, that is, connect the parts with leather or fabric ties, which can be untied/unfastened if necessary.
• Decide how the armor will fit on you. If you don't have a one-piece suit, you'll likely have to attach different parts differently. You can wear a tight-fitting outfit under the armor and attach Velcro to the support points. If you put on the armor on the same axis with Velcro, the structure will hold up well. (For example, you can attach double-sided Velcro to the desired places on your clothing, apply armor to these places in front of the mirror, carefully separate the Velcro, and then more firmly attach each Velcro to its place on the suit using thread, stronger glue, etc. ).

Make a raised pattern if desired. To do this, simply paint over the fabric of the already highlighted design on your armor, using a pointed tube. You may need to repeat the procedure for a more obvious effect. When the pattern is sufficiently convex, leave it to dry overnight.

Paint the armor if necessary.

• Apply sealant to the foam. Because the foam has a spongy texture, it needs to be compacted before applying the adhesive. One recommended mixture is 1 part PVA glue or Sobo glue, 1 part flexible textile adhesive and 2 parts water. Apply the mixture in thin layers until the air from the foam no longer creates holes in the coating. You may even need 7-8 layers, but since they are thin, they shouldn't take too long to dry. Make sure that nothing gets into the glue, otherwise blisters may form on the armor.
• If necessary, go over the back of the armor with acrylic paint. If the armor does not fit tightly to the body (you can see what is underneath), painting the back side will make your armor look more professional.
• Paint the front part of the armor. Since the foam will flex and move with your body, it's natural for the paint to crack. Test a flexible paint (such as textile paint) on a scrap piece of foam to see if it suits you. Apply the paint in an even layer so that it does not leave streaks and paints over all the kinks and irregularities.
• Give your armor a worn look. This can be done by brushing with dark acrylic paint (for example, for a dull copper shade you need to mix black and green color) according to your armor. Before the paint has time to dry, almost all of it must be wiped off so that only the shade in the cracks remains.

You will need

• For forging plates:
• 1) Workbench with vice
• 2) Wooden hammer with rounded corners (kiyaka)
• 3) Brass hammer with rounded head
• 4) Brass hammer with a flat wedge-shaped head
• 5) Forging stump or thick layer of dense rubber
• 6) Metal scissors
• 7) Sheet metal 0.5 mm thick
• For weaving chain mail:
• 1) Two pliers
• 2) A device for winding rings (a steel rod with a diameter of 10 mm, bent in the form of a handle, with through hole at the opposite end to clamp the wire).
• 3) Steel wire 2mm thick
• For assembly:
• 1) Narrow leather straps
• 2) Leather straps 1.5-2 cm wide with buckles
• 3) Tight-fitting jacket made of thick cotton fabric (not synthetic)

Instructions

Making -underarmor. Made from an ordinary jacket. It should be made of thick cotton fabric, not synthetic, and should fit tightly to the body. To prevent the jacket from restricting movement, alter it. Cut off the sleeves at the shoulder seam. Finish the edges. Attach the sleeves back on leather straps 1-1.5 cm wide (1-2 straps on each side, should go along the shoulder, leaving a free cut at the armpits). Replace the zipper/buttons with a set of 4-5 straps with buckles. Sew these straps on the chest and stomach (the lowest one is just below the navel).

Attach the chainmail fabric to the following locations. Fasten it with lacing through the holes made with an awl in the jacket.1) fully chain mail sleeves from the shoulder to the wrist or below the elbow (including bracers)2) chain mail stripes 6-8 cm wide from the armpits to the bottom on the sides3) chain mail “wings” on the floor - round in shape at the back (covering the shoulder blades), and at the front (covering the breast? along the line covering the nipple). 4) chain mail collar with lacing at the neck.

Forging a cuirass. The semi-cancer plate cuirass consists of a chest and back plate, a segmental lumbar/abdominal part and two segmental legguards. Make patterns. The chest plate should be the length of the diaphragm and have wide semicircular cutouts at the shoulders - along a line running from the collarbone to a point below the armpits at the nipples. A cuirass with smaller cutouts will restrict arm movements. The back plate should meet the chest plate on the sides (in the area of ​​the ribs) and on the shoulders. Her shoulder cutouts should be smaller - so that the back plate covers the shoulder blades. Cut out metal plates and forge them into a convex shape, following the shape of your body (based on the jacket you are wearing). Make a stiffening rib in the center of the chest plate. The dorsal plate has a lesser degree of concavity.

The segmental abdomen/lumbar region consists of separate abdominal and lumbar parts, each of 3 stripes called plastons. Make the width of the plastons so that the abdominal part, assembled from three overlapping plastons, covers the area from the diaphragm to the pubis. Give the plastons their shape using forging. Drill holes in the finished plastons 0.5 cm from the edge and connect them with free rivets (4 rivets for each connection). Make and assemble the lumbar part corresponding to the abdominal part.

The legguards are rectangular in shape, slightly curved along the leg, and cover the thighs to the middle, in front and on the sides. The leg guards do not cover the groin area and the back of the leg. Each legguard consists of 3 rectangular ones, connected with loose rivets. Forging give them a curved shape along the leg.

Collect the cuirass. Use furniture hinges for connecting the chest and back plates on the shoulders. Connect the chest (back) plate with the abdominal (lumbar) part using loose rivets. Loosely attach the legguards to the lower plaston of the abdominal part on a strip of chainmail fabric 5 rings wide. The worn cuirass is pulled together at the waist with a belt.

Manufacturing of leggings/bracers. They must protect the legs below the knee and the arms below the elbow, respectively. The patterns for them should be narrower at the bottom (at the ankles/wrists) and widen towards the knee/elbow. The length of the leggings is from a point below the knee to protruding at the ankles. Bracer - from the point below the elbow to the wrist. Take measurements according to the jacket you are wearing. Make patterns, cut out blanks from metal and give them a curved shape. Bend the leggings stronger than the bracers (for leggings wider, since they cover almost the entire leg) and make stiffening ribs in the center. At the bottom of the leggings, make a semicircular cutout where the leg meets the foot (including shoes). Leggings and bracers are held by two straps with buckles each.

Video on the topic

note

1) All plate elements are connected to each other using movable free rivets. Such rivets should allow the parts to “dangle” freely relative to each other.
2) The chainmail fabric is attached to the jacket with laces, which gives some freedom, and is not sewn tightly.

Helpful advice

1) For stiffeners, use a brass hammer with a narrow edge. As a forging surface for the stiffeners, you can use a vice with a gap of 1.5-2 cm between the lips.
2) A decorative jacquard skirt with metallic “embroidery” looks beautiful with a cuirass. The skirt should be under the legguards and have a length equal to the length of the legguards.

Sources:

• How to make a half-cancer cuirass
• Armor illustrations, patterns

Long gone are the medieval times, when knightly armor was an everyday attribute of people's lives - today they are considered exotic vestments, which are used in historical reconstruction, theatrical productions and other costume performances. You can try to make a knight's helmet with a visor with your own hands.

Instructions

Use sheets 2 mm thick for production. Cut the steel blanks according to a pre-created template, and then beat the blank with a sledgehammer along the entire perimeter line into diameters. Hit the steel sheet with a sledgehammer, directing the blows from the edges to the center of the workpiece.

Then place the workpiece on a hemispherical mold and use a one-sided straightening hammer to beat off the edges on which small folds have formed. Beat both pieces one by one so that they are perfectly even and symmetrical.

Hitting the workpieces with a hammer, achieve a hemispherical convexity on their surface and then take a small diameter pipe and a small sledgehammer. Process the edge of the workpiece in this way, directing blows from the frontal part to the back of the head through the crown to form a bend in the edge and form a spherical appearance of the edge where the parts join.

Process the halves of the workpieces with a straightening hammer so that their surface becomes even. Bend the parts, giving them a cone shape, then try to join them. The helmet halves should fit together evenly and tightly. File the joints between the halves and sandpaper, remove protrusions, eliminate cracks.

From the inside and weld the helmet using welding machine. Then use a sanding wheel to sand the outside of the helmet and polish it with fine sandpaper. Trim the bottom edge of the helmet and drill a series of holes along the bottom edge to secure the liner.

To make a visor, cut out a steel blank and mark the places for the eye sockets on it. Roll the visor using a diameter pipe into a cone-shaped funnel. Use a small sledgehammer to knock out the eye sockets the desired shape. Punch holes for the eyes using a chisel and file the edges of the holes. Then drill the vent holes and attach the visor to the helmet using the hinges.

A festive children's carnival is a bright event, the memories of which are often kept in memory for a lifetime. Children are always very excited to choose the character in whose image they would like to appear at the holiday. Good carnival costume is of great importance for the child, but do not rush to the store to get it. Creating a fairy-tale image with your own hands together with mom and dad - what could be more exciting and fun for a child? This is a great opportunity to make even more friends and bring the whole family closer together, and a good chance for everyone to show their creativity and ingenuity.

You will need

• For a papier-mâché helmet:
• - latex balloon;
• - plasticine;
• - old newspapers;
• - PVA glue or starch paste, glue gun;
• - cardboard;
• - cord for decoration;
• - silver and black paints;
• - a piece of fabric for the aventail.
• For a plastic bottle helmet:
• - 5 or 6 liter bottle;
• - silver paint;
• - a piece of fabric or mesh.
• For a fabric helmet:
• - thick fabric, adhesive fabric, shiny fabric or mesh;
• - cardboard;
• - braid;
• - silver paint.
• For a cardboard helmet:
• - thin cardboard;
• - silver self-adhesive film;
• - fabric for aventail.

Instructions

Indeed, to make some elements of a costume, it is sometimes necessary to resort to extraordinary technological discoveries. What is the task of making a heroic helmet worth? But she also has several solutions. The first thing is to make a helmet out of papier-mâché. To do this, first measure the circumference of the child's head and inflate a balloon of that volume. Mark an approximate line for the bottom edge of the helmet, based on the size of the child's head and samples of real ones. To obtain a pointed conical shape on top of the helmet, sculpt a tip of the appropriate shape and attach it to the ball on the top of the future heroic headdress.

Then evenly cover the ball with a sharp tip using PVA glue or starch paste with pieces of torn newspaper up to the marked border (the first layer is pieces of newspaper soaked in water). Make at least seven layers of newspaper. The edges of the border may be uneven - they can be trimmed later.

Dry the resulting workpiece thoroughly. Release the air and remove it along with the plasticine tip. Refine the bottom line of the helmet and carefully trim off the excess paper. The main part of the helmet is ready. Based on the model of a real ancient Russian helmet (shelom), cut out and glue additional details to your product (nasal cap, half mask protecting the upper part of the face). For decoration, you can wrap the edges of the helmet with an embossed cord and glue it.

Paint the helmet with silver paint. To give the helmet a natural look, you can mix silver paint with black and apply the resulting color in places to the surface of the headdress. Paint the inside with black paint. Let dry.

From fabric with silver sequins (or mesh fabric) cut out the back part of the helmet - aventail (in the original - a chainmail mesh that protected the neck and shoulders). Gathering slightly, attach the fabric to the base of the helmet. glue gun. The heroic helmet is ready.

The second solution to our problem is to make a helmet from a large round plastic one. Mark along the bottom line of the helmet. From the lids different sizes and other materials, build a tip and screw it to the neck of the bottle. Cut off unnecessary parts of the bottle. Cut and glue additional cardboard pieces if necessary. Cover your helmet with silver spray paint. Cut out and attach an aventail made of shiny fabric with double-sided tape.

The third solution is a helmet made of dense fabric based on a Red Army pattern (it was the heroic helmet that served as the prototype for the Red Army headdress). This type of hat is made from 4-8 wedges. For rigidity, glue the main fabric with a thick adhesive fabric. Change the pattern of the budenovka a little so that it looks more like a helmet. Hem the bottom of the helmet from the inside with braid, and attach the rest of its parts to the base on the outside.

Using approximately the same pattern, you can make a helmet from thin cardboard, previously covered with shiny self-adhesive film. Attach the wedges cut without allowances end-to-end to each other from the inside of the product using tape or long strips of paper coated with glue. Cover the bottom edge of the helmet with a strip of cardboard and add the missing parts.

Video on the topic

note

To protect your child while riding an electric car, motorcycle, ATV, roller skate or bicycle, you must buy a children's safety helmet. Protect your child from injury - buy a children's helmet.

Helpful advice

The adjustable strap allows you to more accurately adjust the helmet to the size of your child's head. There are two types of children's helmets available: an integral children's helmet, with additional protection for the lower part of the head and jaw, and an open children's helmet, which does not have a lower, “chin” arch. The open children's helmet is characterized by better ventilation and review.

Sources:

• Hero costume
• DIY helmet

If you are going to a masquerade and have chosen a brave knight as your character, you will need an appropriate costume. Making it with your own hands is much cheaper than buying a ready-made outfit in a store. Some suitable materials can be found at home. With just a little time, you can make a realistic knight costume.

You will need

• Dark T-shirt;
• acrylic paints;
• cardboard;
• scissors;
• boots;
• knee socks;
• textile;
• brooch

Instructions

The costume can be made from. Choose a loose, long T-shirt in a dark color. The T-shirt fabric should be thick. It is advisable that it be larger than your size and resemble. Trim the sleeves of the T-shirt in a straight line. Then draw a scalloped pattern on the bottom edge of the t-shirt. Take scissors and cut the bottom using this pattern. To prevent the edges of the fabric from fraying, hem them.

Decorate the center of the tunic with a coat of arms. You can paint this element using acrylic paints. To make the outline even, cut from. The decoration can also be made in the form of an applique. Sketch a drawing by hand or find a suitable picture on the Internet. Then transfer the image onto the fabric. After cutting out the parts, sew them to the tunic.

The main pride of a knight is his heroic sword. Take thick cardboard and sketch outlines on it. Do not make the edge of the sword too sharp, especially if the costume is intended. Paint the blade with silver paint. If you don't have such paint, replace it with gray. Make the hilt of the sword brown.

The knight must be reliably protected. Therefore, the second main attribute of this character is the shield. Its shape can be round, hexagonal or any other, as desired. Cut out the selected shape from thick cardboard. Paint it black, gray or red. Then cut two small slits in the center of the shield. They must be horizontal. Thread a belt or wide ribbon through the cracks. Sew the free edges of the belt. You will now be able to put the shield on your wrist. Cut out a heraldic piece from white paper and glue it to the middle of the shield so that it covers the belt.

High dark boots are suitable for footwear. They can be further decorated. Choose black knee socks that are the same height as your boots. Sew a ring of wide fabric strip with a scalloped pattern to the edge of each golf. The pattern should be the same as on the tunic, but with smaller teeth. After putting on knee socks and boots, turn away the sewn stripes.

Make a cape from a square piece of flowing fabric. Finish the edges first, and then connect the two adjacent ends of the square with a beautiful brooch.

Wear a solid long-sleeve T-shirt and fitted sweatpants under your suit. It is best if both items of clothing are silver in color. In this case, they will look like chain mail.

People who are interested in historical restoration create for themselves exact copies of costumes from the era in which they are interested. This takes a lot of time, effort and money. If you want to recreate a costume for just one evening - for example, for a masquerade or a theme party, you should not go into detailed copying. Make a simplified version of the outfit that will simply create the look you want. So, for a hero’s costume, you can make a “toy” helmet from papier-mâché.

The Middle Ages was an amazingly beautiful era of balls, adventures and battles. Many boys are inspired by cartoons and films on this topic and dream of something like thissuit. And indeed, everyone, even the youngest representative of the stronger sex, dreams of defeating a strong dragon and becoming the bravest warrior. Moreover, creating such an outfit is very simple - the answer to the question ofhow to make a knight costume with your own handswill not require much effort. It is enough to spend just a couple of hours of time and use available materials.

What do you need for a knight costume?

Required:

Base fabric (it is better to choose velor or velvet) and lining

Braid or tape

Thick colored paper, cardboard

Dragon drawing

Scissors and glue.

Raglan, golf or any other sweater that fits in size is used as a basis for sewing the product. A cloth is applied to it, which must first be folded in half. Using pins will make the process easier. Before you start cutting, you need to outline the base using soap or a simple pencil- do not forget about allowances (2-3 centimeters) on each side.

For a knight's costume, an elongated rectangular product is cut, in which there are no sleeves. The lower part can be immediately decorated accordingly by cutting out triangles. But it is worth considering the type of fabric - this method is not suitable for material that requires additional processing of the edges.

When you're looking how to make a knight costume, it is important to make sure that the outfit is tight, comfortable and fits well; it is worth cutting out the lining and sewing it with the main product.

For decoration, you should use a drawing that was prepared in advance. A dragon, a cross, or any other element is perfect for this purpose. Ribbon or braid is sewn along the edges and around the neckline. For convenience, it is worth hemming additional garters on the sides - then the elongated tunic will not interfere with walking. Besides this perfect solution which will help you always carry with youswordor any other weapon.

Shield

A common question is whetherhow to make a knight costume from cardboard.This material will make suitable protection, because for this you just need to cut out a circle of a suitable size. If paper is used, then you need to cut out several products and then glue them together.

Apply in the middle the same symbol that is used on the main suit. Or you can even create your own family coat of arms - a children's holiday is a good reason to do this.

The finished part must be attached to the central part of the product - the design of the shield is limited solely by the imagination of its creator. You can attach a small elastic band to the inside of the product - this will make it much more convenient for the child to use it, and most importantly, the protection will not be lost during the holiday.

After that, all that remains is to buy a helmetand other elements of a knight's wardrobe - and you can safely go to the holiday. If desired, you can choose a maskor make it yourself - an ordinary hat, which is trimmed with a fabric of a suitable shade and density, is perfect as a base. You can use beautiful feathers for decoration.

The answer to the question abouthow to make a knight costume at home, more than simple. A stylish outfit for a carnival is very simple to make, does not require special skills and allows you to look impeccable at the holiday.

German armor of the 16th century for knight and horse

The field of weapons and armor is surrounded by romantic legends, monstrous myths and widespread misconceptions. Their sources are often a lack of knowledge and experience of communicating with real things and their history. Most of these ideas are absurd and based on nothing.

Perhaps one of the most notorious examples is the belief that “knights had to be mounted by crane,” which is as absurd as it is a common belief, even among historians. In other cases some technical details, which defy obvious description, have become the object of passionate and fantastic in their ingenuity attempts to explain their purpose. Among them, the first place seems to be occupied by the spear rest, protruding from the right side of the breastplate.

The following text will attempt to correct the most popular misconceptions and answer questions often asked during museum tours.

1. Only knights wore armor

This erroneous but common belief probably stems from the romantic idea of ​​the “knight in shining armor,” a picture that itself gives rise to further misconceptions. First, knights rarely fought alone, and armies in the Middle Ages and Renaissance did not consist entirely of mounted knights. Although the knights were the dominant force in most of these armies, they were invariably - and increasingly over time - supported (and countered) by foot soldiers such as archers, pikemen, crossbowmen and firearms soldiers. On campaign, the knight depended on a group of servants, squires and soldiers to provide armed support and look after his horses, armor and other equipment, not to mention the peasants and artisans who made a feudal society with a warrior class possible.

Armor for a knight's duel, late 16th century

Secondly, it is wrong to believe that every noble man was a knight. Knights were not born, knights were created by other knights, feudal lords or sometimes priests. And under certain conditions, people of non-noble birth could be knighted (although knights were often considered the lowest rank of nobility). Sometimes mercenaries or civilians who fought as ordinary soldiers could be knighted for demonstrating extreme bravery and courage, and later knighthood could be purchased for money.

In other words, the ability to wear armor and fight in armor was not the prerogative of knights. Infantry from mercenaries, or groups of soldiers consisting of peasants, or burghers (city dwellers) also took part in armed conflicts and accordingly protected themselves with armor of varying quality and size. Indeed, burghers (of a certain age and above a certain income or wealth) in most medieval and Renaissance cities were required - often by law and decrees - to purchase and store their own weapons and armor. Usually it was not full armor, but at least it included a helmet, body protection in the form of chain mail, fabric armor or a breastplate, and a weapon - a spear, pike, bow or crossbow.

Indian chain mail of the 17th century

In times of war, these militias were required to defend the city or perform military duties for feudal lords or allied cities. During the 15th century, when some rich and influential cities began to become more independent and self-reliant, even the burghers organized their own tournaments, in which they, of course, wore armor.

Because of this, not every piece of armor has ever been worn by a knight, and not every person depicted wearing armor will be a knight. It would be more correct to call a man in armor a soldier or a man in armor.

2. Women in the old days never wore armor or fought in battles.

In most historical periods, there is evidence of women taking part in armed conflicts. There is evidence of noble ladies turning into military commanders, such as Joan of Penthièvre (1319-1384). There are rare references to women from lower society who stood “under the gun.” There are records of women fighting in armor, but no contemporary illustrations of this topic survive. Joan of Arc (1412-1431) will perhaps be the most famous example of a female warrior, and there is evidence that she wore armor commissioned for her by King Charles VII of France. But only one small illustration of her, made during her lifetime, has reached us, in which she is depicted with a sword and banner, but without armor. The fact that contemporaries perceived a woman commanding an army, or even wearing armor, as something worthy of recording suggests that this spectacle was the exception and not the rule.

3. The armor was so expensive that only princes and rich nobles could afford it.

This idea may have originated from the fact that most of armor exhibited in museums is high quality equipment, and most of the simpler armor that belonged to ordinary people and the lowest of the nobles, was hidden in vaults or lost through the ages.

Indeed, with the exception of obtaining armor on the battlefield or winning a tournament, acquiring armor was a very expensive undertaking. However, since there were differences in the quality of armor, there must have been differences in their cost. Armor of low and medium quality, available to burghers, mercenaries and the lower nobility, could be bought in finished form at markets, fairs and city shops. On the other hand, there was also high-class armor, made to order in imperial or royal workshops and from famous German and Italian gunsmiths.

Armor of King Henry VIII of England, 16th century

Although we have extant examples of the cost of armor, weapons and equipment in some of the historical periods, it is very difficult to translate historical costs into modern equivalents. It is clear, however, that the cost of armor ranged from inexpensive, low-quality or obsolete, second-hand items available to citizens and mercenaries, to the cost of the full armor of an English knight, which in 1374 was estimated at £16. This was equivalent to the cost of 5-8 years of rent for a merchant's house in London, or three years the salary of an experienced worker, and the price of a helmet alone (with a visor, and probably with an aventail) was more than the price of a cow.

At the higher end of the scale one finds examples such as a large suit of armor (a basic suit that, with the help of additional items and plates, could be adapted to various applications, both on the battlefield and in the tournament), ordered in 1546 by the German king (later the emperor) for his son. Upon completion of this order, for a year of work, the court armorer Jörg Seusenhofer from Innsbruck received an incredible sum of 1200 gold moment, equivalent to twelve annual salaries of a senior court official.

4. The armor is extremely heavy and greatly limits the mobility of its wearer.

Full set battle armor usually weighs from 20 to 25 kg, and a helmet - from 2 to 4 kg. This is less than a firefighter's full oxygen outfit, or what modern soldiers have had to carry into battle since the nineteenth century. Moreover, while modern equipment usually hanging from the shoulders or waist, the weight of well-fitted armor is distributed over the entire body. It was not until the 17th century that the weight of combat armor was greatly increased to make it bulletproof due to the improved accuracy of firearms. At the same time, full armor became increasingly rare, and only important parts of the body: the head, torso and arms were protected by metal plates.

The opinion that wearing armor (which took shape by 1420-30) greatly reduced the mobility of a warrior is not true. The armor equipment was made from individual elements for each limb. Each element consisted of metal plates and plates connected by movable rivets and leather straps, which allowed any movement without restrictions imposed by the rigidity of the material. The widespread idea that a man in armor could barely move, and having fallen to the ground, could not get up, has no basis. On the contrary, historical sources tell about the famous French knight Jean II le Mengre, nicknamed Boucicault (1366-1421), who, dressed in full armor, could, by grabbing the steps of a ladder from below, on the reverse side, climb it using only hands Moreover, there are several illustrations from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in which soldiers, squires or knights, in full armor, mount horses without assistance or any equipment, without ladders or cranes. Modern experiments with real armor of the 15th and 16th centuries and with their exact copies have shown that even an untrained person in properly selected armor can climb on and off a horse, sit or lie, and then get up from the ground, run and move his limbs freely and without discomfort.

In some exceptional cases, the armor was very heavy or held the wearer in almost one position, for example, in some types of tournaments. Tournament armor was made for special occasions and were worn for a limited time. A man in armor would then climb onto the horse with the help of a squire or a small ladder, and the last elements of the armor could be put on him after he was settled in the saddle.

5. Knights had to be placed in the saddle using cranes

This idea appears to have originated in the late nineteenth century as a joke. It entered popular fiction in subsequent decades, and the picture was eventually immortalized in 1944, when Laurence Olivier used it in his film King Henry V, despite the protests of historical advisers, including such eminent authorities as James Mann, chief armorer of the Tower of London.

As stated above, most armor was light and flexible enough not to bind the wearer. Most people wearing armor should have no problem being able to place one foot in the stirrup and saddle a horse without assistance. A stool or the help of a squire would speed up this process. But the crane was absolutely unnecessary.

6. How did people in armor go to the toilet?

One of the most popular questions, especially among young museum visitors, unfortunately, does not have an exact answer. When the man in armor was not busy in battle, he did the same things that people do today. He would go to the toilet (which in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance was called a privy or latrine) or other secluded place, remove the appropriate pieces of armor and clothing and surrender to the call of nature. On the battlefield, everything should have happened differently. In this case, the answer is unknown to us. However, it must be taken into account that the desire to go to the toilet in the heat of battle was most likely low on the list of priorities.

7. The military salute came from the gesture of raising the visor

Some believe that the military salute originated during the Roman Republic, when contract killing was the order of the day, and citizens were required to raise their right hand when approaching officials to show that they were not carrying a concealed weapon. The more common belief is that the modern military salute came from men in armor raising the visors of their helmets before saluting their comrades or lords. This gesture made it possible to recognize a person, and also made him vulnerable and at the same time demonstrated that in his right hand(in which the sword was usually held) there were no weapons. These were all signs of trust and good intentions.

Although these theories sound intriguing and romantic, there is virtually no evidence that the military salute originated from them. As for Roman customs, it would be virtually impossible to prove that they lasted fifteen centuries (or were restored during the Renaissance) and led to the modern military salute. There is also no direct confirmation of the visor theory, although it is more recent. Most military helmets after 1600 were no longer equipped with visors, and after 1700 helmets were rarely worn on European battlefields.

One way or another, military records in 17th century England reflect that “the formal act of greeting was the removal of headdress.” By 1745, the English regiment of the Coldstream Guards appears to have perfected this procedure, making it "putting the hand to the head and bowing upon meeting."

Coldstream Guards

Other English regiments adopted this practice, and it may have spread to America (during the Revolutionary War) and continental Europe (during the Napoleonic Wars). So the truth may lie somewhere in the middle, in which the military salute evolved from a gesture of respect and politeness, paralleling the civilian habit of raising or touching the brim of a hat, perhaps with a combination of the warrior custom of showing the unarmed right hand.

8. Chain mail - “chain mail” or “mail”?

German chain mail of the 15th century

A protective garment consisting of interlocking rings should properly be called “mail” or “mail armor” in English. The common term "chain mail" is a modern pleonasm (a linguistic error meaning using more words than necessary to describe it). In our case, “chain” and “mail” describe an object consisting of a sequence of intertwined rings. That is, the term “chain mail” simply repeats the same thing twice.

As with other misconceptions, the roots of this error should be sought in the 19th century. When those who began to study armor looked at medieval paintings, they noticed, as it seemed to them, many different types armor: rings, chains, ring bracelets, scale armor, small plates, etc. As a result, all ancient armor was called “mail”, distinguishing it only by appearance, where the terms “ring-mail”, “chain-mail”, “banded mail”, “scale-mail”, “plate-mail” came from. Today, it is generally accepted that most of these different images were just different attempts by artists to correctly depict the surface of a type of armor that is difficult to capture in painting and sculpture. Instead of depicting individual rings, these details were stylized using dots, strokes, squiggles, circles and other things, which led to errors.

9. How long did it take to make a full suit of armor?

It is difficult to answer this question unambiguously for many reasons. First, there is no surviving evidence that can paint a complete picture for any of the periods. From around the 15th century, scattered examples survive of how armor was ordered, how long orders took, and how much various pieces of armor cost. Secondly, a complete armor could consist of parts made by various armorers with a narrow specialization. Armor parts could be sold unfinished and then customized locally for a certain amount. Finally, the matter was complicated by regional and national differences.

In the case of German gunsmiths, most workshops were controlled by strict guild rules that limited the number of apprentices, thereby controlling the number of items that one master and his workshop could produce. In Italy, on the other hand, there were no such restrictions and workshops could grow, which improved the speed of creation and the quantity of products.

In any case, it is worth keeping in mind that the production of armor and weapons flourished during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Gunsmiths, manufacturers of blades, pistols, bows, crossbows and arrows were present in any large city. As now, their market depended on supply and demand, and efficient operation was key parameter success. The common myth that simple chain mail took several years to make is nonsense (but it cannot be denied that chain mail was very labor intensive to make).

The answer to this question is simple and elusive at the same time. The production time for armor depended on several factors, for example, the customer, who was entrusted with the production of the order (the number of people in production and the workshop busy with other orders), and the quality of the armor. Two famous examples will serve to illustrate this.

In 1473, Martin Rondel, possibly an Italian gunsmith working in Bruges, who called himself "armourer to my bastard of Burgundy", wrote to his English client, Sir John Paston. The armorer informed Sir John that he could fulfill the request for the production of armor as soon as the English knight informed him which parts of the costume he needed, in what form, and the time frame by which the armor should be completed (unfortunately, the armorer did not indicate possible deadlines ). In the court workshops, the production of armor for high-ranking persons appears to have taken more time. The court armorer Jörg Seusenhofer (with a small number of assistants) apparently took more than a year to make the armor for the horse and the large armor for the king. The order was made in November 1546 by King (later Emperor) Ferdinand I (1503-1564) for himself and his son, and was completed in November 1547. We do not know whether Seusenhofer and his workshop were working on other orders at this time.

10. Armor details - spear support and codpiece

Two parts of the armor most spark the public's imagination: one is described as "that thing sticking out to the right of the chest," and the second is referred to, after muffled giggles, as "that thing between the legs." In weapon and armor terminology they are known as the spear rest and codpiece.

The spear support appeared shortly after the appearance of the solid chest plate at the end of the 14th century and existed until the armor itself began to disappear. Contrary to the literal meaning of the English term "lance rest", its main purpose was not to bear the weight of the spear. It was actually used for two purposes, which are better described by the French term "arrêt de cuirasse" (spear restraint). It allowed the mounted warrior to hold the spear firmly under his right hand, preventing it from slipping back. This allowed the spear to be stabilized and balanced, which improved aim. In addition, the combined weight and speed of the horse and rider were transferred to the tip of the spear, which made this weapon very formidable. If the target was hit, the spear rest also acted as a shock absorber, preventing the spear from "firing" backwards, and distributing the blow across the chest plate over the entire upper torso, rather than just the right arm, wrist, elbow and shoulder. It is worth noting that on most battle armor the spear support could be folded upward so as not to interfere with the mobility of the sword hand after the warrior got rid of the spear.

The history of the armored codpiece is closely connected with its counterpart in the civilian men's suit. From the middle of the 14th century, the upper part of men's clothing began to be shortened so much that it no longer covered the crotch. In those days, pants had not yet been invented, and men wore leggings clipped to their underwear or a belt, with the crotch hidden behind a hollow attached to the inside of the top edge of each leg of the leggings. At the beginning of the 16th century, they began to fill this floor and visually enlarge it. And the codpiece remained a part of the men's suit until the end of the 16th century. On armor, the codpiece as a separate plate protecting the genitals appeared in the second decade of the 16th century, and remained relevant until the 1570s. It had a thick lining on the inside and was joined to the armor at the center of the bottom edge of the shirt. Early varieties were bowl-shaped, but due to the influence of civilian costume it gradually transformed into an upward-pointing shape. It was not usually used when riding a horse, because, firstly, it would get in the way, and secondly, the armored front of the combat saddle provided sufficient protection for the crotch. The codpiece was therefore commonly used for armor intended for fighting on foot, both in war and in tournaments, and while it had some value for protection, it was used just as much for fashion.

11. Did the Vikings wear horns on their helmets?

One of the most enduring and popular images of the medieval warrior is that of the Viking, who can be instantly recognized by his helmet equipped with a pair of horns. However, there is very little evidence that the Vikings ever used horns to decorate their helmets.

The earliest example of a helmet being decorated with a pair of stylized horns comes from a small group of Celtic Bronze Age helmets found in Scandinavia and what is now France, Germany and Austria. These decorations were made of bronze and could take the form of two horns or a flat triangular profile. These helmets date back to the 12th or 11th century BC. Two thousand years later, from 1250, pairs of horns gained popularity in Europe and remained one of the most commonly used heraldic symbols on helmets for battle and tournaments in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It is easy to see that the two periods indicated do not coincide with what is usually associated with the Scandinavian raids that took place from the end of the 8th to the end of the 11th centuries.

Viking helmets were usually conical or hemispherical, sometimes made from a single piece of metal, sometimes from segments held together by strips (Spangenhelm).

Many of these helmets were also equipped with face protection. The latter could take the form of a metal bar covering the nose, or a face sheet consisting of protection for the nose and two eyes, as well as the upper part of the cheekbones, or protection for the entire face and neck in the form of chain mail.

12. Armor became unnecessary due to the advent of firearms

In general, the gradual decline of armor was not due to the advent of firearms as such, but due to their constant improvement. Since the first firearms appeared in Europe already in the third decade of the 14th century, and the gradual decline of armor was not noted until the second half of the 17th century, armor and firearms existed together for more than 300 years. During the 16th century, attempts were made to make bulletproof armor, either by reinforcing the steel, thickening the armor, or adding individual reinforcements on top of the regular armor.

German arquebus from the late 14th century

Finally, it is worth noting that the armor never completely disappeared. The widespread use of helmets by modern soldiers and police proves that armor, although it has changed materials and may have lost some of its importance, is still a necessary part of military equipment throughout the world. Additionally, torso protection continued to exist in the form of experimental chest plates during the American civil war, plates of gunner pilots in World War II and bulletproof vests of our time.

13. The size of the armor suggests that people were smaller in the Middle Ages and Renaissance

Medical and anthropological research shows that the average height of men and women has gradually increased over the centuries, a process that has accelerated over the past 150 years due to improvements in diet and public health. Most of the armor that has come down to us from the 15th and 16th centuries confirms these discoveries.

However, when drawing such general conclusions based on armor, many factors must be considered. Firstly, is it a complete and uniform armor, that is, did all the parts go with each other, thereby giving the correct impression of its original owner? Secondly, even high-quality armor made to order for a particular person can give an approximate idea of ​​\u200b\u200bhis height, with an error of up to 2-5 cm, since the overlap of the protections of the lower abdomen (shirt and thigh guards) and hips (leg guards) can only be estimated approximately.

Armor came in all shapes and sizes, including armor for children and youths (as opposed to adults), and there was even armor for dwarfs and giants (often found in European courts as "curiosities"). In addition, other factors must be taken into account, such as the difference in average height between northern and southern Europeans, or simply the fact that there have always been unusually tall or unusually short people when compared with average contemporaries.

Notable exceptions include kings, such as Francis I, King of France (1515-47), or Henry VIII, King of England (1509-47). The height of the latter was 180 cm, as evidenced by contemporaries, and which can be verified thanks to half a dozen of his armor that have come down to us.

Armor of the German Duke Johann Wilhelm, 16th century

Armor of Emperor Ferdinand I, 16th century

Visitors to the Metropolitan Museum can compare German armor dating from 1530 to the battle armor of Emperor Ferdinand I (1503-1564) dating from 1555. Both armors are incomplete and the measurements of their wearers are only approximate, but still the difference in size is striking. The growth of the owner of the first armor was, apparently, about 193 cm, and the girth of the chest was 137 cm, while the growth of Emperor Ferdinand did not exceed 170 cm.

14. Men's clothing is wrapped from left to right, because armor was originally closed this way.

The theory behind this statement is that some early forms of armor (plate protection and brigantine of the 14th and 15th centuries, armet - a closed cavalry helmet of the 15th-16th centuries, cuirass of the 16th century) were designed so that the left side overlapped the right, so as not to allow the blow of the enemy's sword to penetrate. Since most people are right-handed, most of the penetrating blows should have come from the left, and, with luck, should have slipped over the armor through the smell and to the right.

The theory is compelling, but there is insufficient evidence that modern clothing was subject to direct influence similar armor. Also, while the armor protection theory may be true for the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, some examples of helmets and body armor wrap the other way.

Misconceptions and questions about cutting weapons

Sword, early 15th century

Dagger, 16th century

As with armor, not everyone who carried a sword was a knight. But the idea that the sword is the prerogative of knights is not so far from the truth. Customs or even the right to carry a sword varied according to time, place and laws.

In medieval Europe, swords were the main weapon of knights and horsemen. In times of peace, carry swords in in public places Only persons of noble birth were eligible. Since in most places swords were perceived as “weapons of war” (as opposed to the same daggers), peasants and burghers who did not belong to the warrior class of medieval society could not wear swords. An exception to the rule was made for travelers (citizens, merchants and pilgrims) because of the dangers of traveling by land and sea. Within the walls of most medieval cities, the carrying of swords was forbidden to everyone - sometimes even nobles - at least in times of peace. Standard Rules trades, often present at churches or town halls, often also included examples of the permitted length of daggers or swords that could be carried without hindrance within city walls.

Without a doubt, it was these rules that gave rise to the idea that the sword is the exclusive symbol of the warrior and knight. But due to social changes and new fighting techniques that appeared in the 15th and 16th centuries, it became possible and acceptable for citizens and knights to carry lighter and thinner descendants of swords - swords, as a daily weapon for self-defense in public places. And until the beginning of the 19th century, swords and small swords have become an indispensable attribute of the European gentleman's clothing.

It is widely believed that swords of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance were simple tools of brute force, very heavy, and as a result, impossible to handle for “ ordinary person”, that is, a very ineffective weapon. The reasons for these accusations are easy to understand. Due to the rarity of surviving specimens, few people held them in their hands. real sword the Middle Ages or the Renaissance. Most of these swords were obtained from excavations. Their rusty current appearance can easily give the impression of roughness - like a burnt-out car that has lost all signs of its former grandeur and complexity.

Most real swords from the Middle Ages and Renaissance tell a different story. A one-handed sword usually weighed 1-2 kg, and even a large two-handed "war sword" of the 14th-16th centuries rarely weighed more than 4.5 kg. The weight of the blade was balanced by the weight of the hilt, and the swords were light, complex and sometimes very beautifully decorated. Documents and paintings show that such a sword is in experienced hands could be used with terrible efficiency, from cutting off limbs to penetrating armor.

Turkish saber with scabbard, 18th century

Japanese katana and wakizashi short sword, 15th century

Swords and some daggers, both European and Asian, and weapons from the Islamic world, often have one or more grooves on the blade. Misconceptions about their purpose led to the emergence of the term “bloodstock.” It is claimed that these grooves speed up the flow of blood from an opponent's wound, thus enhancing the effect of the wound, or that they make it easier to remove the blade from the wound, allowing the weapon to be easily drawn without twisting. While such theories may be entertaining, the actual purpose of this groove, called the fuller, is simply to lighten the blade, reducing its mass without weakening the blade or compromising its flexibility.

On some European blades, in particular swords, rapiers and daggers, as well as on some fighting poles, these grooves have a complex shape and perforation. The same perforations are present on cutting weapons from India and the Middle East. Based on scanty documentary evidence, it is believed that this perforation must have contained poison so that the blow was guaranteed to lead to the death of the enemy. This misconception has led to weapons with such perforations being called “assassin weapons.”

While references to Indian poison-bladed weapons exist, and similar rare cases may have occurred in Renaissance Europe, the true purpose of this perforation is not at all so sensational. Firstly, perforation eliminated some material and made the blade lighter. Secondly, it was often made in elaborate and intricate patterns, and served as both a demonstration of the blacksmith's skill and as decoration. To prove it, it is only necessary to point out that most of these perforations are usually located near the handle (hilt) of the weapon, and not on the other side, as would have to be done in the case of poison.

It's no secret that all boys love to play knights. All available means are used. But where can we get armor? Let's make it together from......we will need: Fabric (in our case, a regular beading), a little self-adhesive mirror film (to make the armor shine silver), shampoo bottles, thread, a thick needle and any paper (we used old newspapers). Let's start with the "armor" itself: We cut a men's T-shirt from the side. We cut out "scales" from shampoo bottles and glue them on. mirror film and we don’t sew on a “T-shirt”. We don’t sew the sides of our “T-shirt”, otherwise it will be awkward to put on clothes, but we fasten it with an elastic band or a tie. In the center of the chest we sew a made from thick paper coat of arms (at the knight's choice). But the chain mail alone is not enough - you need greaves, handguards and a shield. We will make them from the same paper.
We soak the newspapers with the usual paste on which we used to glue wallpaper (remember how strong it is?) We cut out 4 ovals from the still wet sheets (100 layers). We form the necessary bend along the “knight’s” leg and let it dry. We get a kind of papier mache, very durable. We cover them with mirror film, make holes on the sides at one end of each oval and connect them with ropes for mobility. (We tried with an elastic band, but it made movement difficult) We make 4 more holes in each part, 2 on each side, insert elastic bands (to keep them on the leg) As in the photo. We make handrails in the same way, but only 2 pieces.
The most interesting thing is ahead: shield and helmet. We make the shield from the same “papier mache”. From the resulting sheet (20-25 layers) we cut out any shape according to your desire and decorate it (we painted it with silver, formed a convex pattern from soaked newspapers and covered it with film). It's a little more difficult with a helmet



We formed it directly on the “knight’s” head, having first put on a bathing cap (but you can get by with half a bag), glued the “visor” on the back of the neck and also covered it with film. The visor is made separately. The slits for the eyes were covered with a mesh. We painted it so that there was no newspaper noticeably and attached to the helmet according to the same principle as the greaves. The knight is ready for exploits!