Gothic plate armor
The Gothic plate armor (also Gothic armor , Gothic field armor or Gothic armor ) is a form of plate armor that emerged in Europe in the late Middle Ages and was particularly prevalent in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation . It replaced the so-called chest armor . The so-called Gothic armor style (based on the Gothic art epoch ) emerged in the second half of the 15th century . At that time, the art of armorer of Gothic plate armor in the armorer workshops of Augsburg , Nuremberg and Landshut reached its peak.
description
The Gothic armor was quite slim and filigree. They were made of steel. The chest part was shifted and the iron shoes with their long, detachable tips mimicked the beak shoes customary at the time . The streamlined sallet completed the armor . A sallet offered very good protection, but in connection with the chin guard - the so-called beard - restricted breathing, so that many knights did without the chin guard. Several traditions show that this recklessness led to the knight's death from a hit in the face. The armor covered the whole body (full armor) and offered the wearer the best possible protection. The porters mostly did without a shield and fought with two-handed swords , armored stabbers , maces , war hammers and other armor-piercing melee weapons. The armor could be worn on and off equally well and offered the knight a high degree of freedom of movement.
In the 16th century , the Gothic armor became the Riefel armor . Since the 19th century , the name Gothic armor has been used for the type of armor that emerged in southern Germany in the middle of the 15th century with reference to the late Gothic. A distinction is made between German and Italian Gothic plate armor. Fully preserved specimens are extremely rare.
gallery
Gothic armor
Armor in the Neue Burg in Vienna. Two Gothic armor can be seen in the foreground
Mounted Gothic armor
German book illustration from 1483
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See also
literature
- The Knights - History - Culture - Everyday Life by Andreas Schlunk and Robert Giersch, p. 47, Theiss Verlag, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-8062-1791-2 .
- Gerhard Quaas (Ed.): Iron clothes. Armorer work from three centuries from the collection of the German Historical Museum. Exhibition of the German Historical Museum in the Zeughaus Berlin, March 12th - July 6th 1992. Building blocks. Vol. 7. Berlin 1992.
- Stephen Bull: An Historical Guide to Arms & Armor. Facts on File, New York 1991. ISBN 0-8160-2620-3
- George Cameron Stone : A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor. Dover Publ., Mineola NY 1999. ISBN 0-486-40726-8
Web links
- Michael Störmer's armory, German and Italian Gothic armor, pp. 78–82.
- "Iron clothes. Armorer work from three centuries. ”Exhibition of the German Historical Museum in Berlin (detailed literature).