Plate Armor

The full body suit of armor that is typically conjured up when one imagines King Arthur at the Round Table didn’t come into being all at once; rather, it evolved over hundreds of years to meet the latest technological advances in weaponry. After the advent of such weapons as hand cannon and crossbows in the 1500s, warriors began adding plated armor to their battle gear, shielding more and more parts of their body with steel.

As early firearms made their way onto the battlefield, armored knights responded by adding yet more protection and plating. In a sense, the Middle Ages saw a kind of “arms race”; as weapon strength increased, so did armor strength. By the 18th century, the firepower had become so devastating that even heavy suits of tempered steel armor were no longer sufficient to protect infantrymen.

Types and Uses of Medieval Armor

The earliest form of medieval armor -- mail (a.k.a. “chain mail”) -- traces its origins back to around 500 BC. The Celtic people developed this kind of armor -- iron rings

woven together into a protective garment -- and the Roman Army later copied this engineering to protect its soldiers. In the early Medieval Ages, armor craftsmen added discs, plates, and groin caps to standard mail gear to protect vulnerable areas. Leather coats, kneecaps, underarm protectors (a.k.a. “besagews”), and skullcaps (such as early forms of the bassinet) all provided critical support for soldiers as well.

As the Middle Ages progressed, however, advanced new weapons -- like the crossbow, battle-axe, long bow, and mace -- gained popularity among warriors, making mail and even plated mail far less effective at defense.