How Cumbersome Was Medieval Armor?
And other commonly asked questions about fighting inside a tin can
The knight in shining armor. Whatever you might think of his social skills, you’ve got to admit; wearing all that gear had to be a tough gig. I mean really, how does a guy manage in all that metal?
How does he move? And what happens when you’ve got to heed the call of nature? These are interesting questions, but before we dive into it, let's talk about armor itself.
A little bit about armor
When you think of armor is there an image like this in your head?
This seems to be the stereotypical picture we all have. However, it took a while for full suits like this to come along. In the beginning, the basic pieces of armor included just a few items. Henry II of England declared in 1181:
“Let every holder of a knight’s fee have a hauberk, a helmet, a shield, and a lance.”
The hauberk was a long shirt of mail that either went to the elbow or down the length of the arm. So a shirt, helmet, and…
