A coat of plates (also known in the European Middle Ages as a pair of plates^[1]) is a form of torso armour consisting of metal plates sewn or riveted to a cloth or leather backing. The plates number anywhere from eight or ten to the hundreds depending on their size. The plates overlap but usually only enough to guarantee full coverage even when moving around and fighting. The coat of plates is similar to several other armours such as scale armour and brigandine. Unlike scale armour which has plates on the outside or splint armour in which plates can be inside or outside, a coat of plates has the plates on the inside of the foundation garment. It is generally distinguished from a brigandine by having larger plates though there may be no distinction in some examples. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Modern leather-working tools Leather is a material created through the tanning of hides and skins of animals, primarily cattlehide. ... Dacian scale armour on Trajans column. ... A brigandine, a form of body armour, is a cloth garment, generally canvas, lined with small oblong steel plates riveted to the fabric. ... Splint armour, also referred to as splinted armour, is a form of armour primarily from Medieval Europe. ...

The coat of plates makes a fairly brief appearance in the history of European armour during the era of transitional armour, during a portion of the 14th century. The coat of plates was normally worn with a mail hauberk, a helmet of either the bascinet or great helm style (or both). Additionally limb defenses of hardened leather armour, plate armour and/or splint armour, frequently over mail, would be worn to complete the harness. David rejects the unaccustomed armour (detail of fol. ... Hauberk, Museum of Bayeux. ... The bascinet was a Medieval European open-faced military helmet, typically fitted with an aventail and hinged visor. ... This article may be confusing for some readers, and should be edited to enhance clarity. ... Leather Armour is a form of warfare protection created with animal hides that have been cured or tanned. ... Gothic armour Plate armour is personal armour made from large metal plates, worn on the chest and sometimes the entire body. ... Splint armour, also referred to as splinted armour, is a form of armour primarily from Medieval Europe. ...

The coat of plates is known amongst the history re-enactors as Visby armour due to archaeological findings of this type of armour in Visby, Sweden. One of the best resources about coats of plates are the mass graves from the Battle of Visby. The Visby coats of plates display between 8 and some 600 separate plates fastened to their backings. ^[2] The mass grave from a battle in 1361 has yielded a tremendous number of intact armour finds including 24 distinct patterns of coat of plates style armour. Many of these were older styles similar to the armoured surcoat discussed below. Visby is the largest city on the Swedish island of Gotland;it is arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, and has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. ... Image:Mass Grave Bergen Belsen May 1945. ... Combatants Denmark Sweden Commanders unknown unknown Strength 2500 unknown Casualties 100 1800 The Battle of Visby was fought in 1361 in Visby on the island of Gotland, between the forces of Sweden and Denmark. ...

The coat of plates likely developed from the armoured surcoat, such as seen on the 1250 St. Maurice coat.[1] These consisted of metal plates rivetted to the inside of a surcoat, or between two layers of textile or thin leather. The plates did not overlap but the armour is otherwise similar. This type of armour is also documented in norse written sources from around 1250: Tbe Konungs skuggsjácalls it a Briost Bjorg and specifies that is should cover the area between the nipples and the belt, and the later Hirdskraa of the 1270s calls it a Plata. The former source informs us that the armour should be worn beneath the Hauberk, which can explain why this form of armour so seldomly appears in illustrations and statuary before the late 13th century. The classic knights surcoat is on the left; the knight on the right has a different style A surcoat was an outer garment commonly worn in the Middle Ages by both men and women. ... A page from Konungs skuggsjá. Konungs skuggsjá (Old Norse for Kings mirror; Latin: Speculum regale, modern Norwegian: Kongespeilet) is a Norwegian educational scripture from around 1250, dealing with politics and moral. ... The Hirdskraa is an assembly of laws regulating many aspects of the royal Hird of late 13th century Norway. ... Hauberk, Museum of Bayeux. ...

The coat-of-plates is an especially popular body armour amongst re-enactors, SCA and LARP players. It is simple to make and protects the torso well against both sword blows and blunt weapons. It can be made either onto leather or fabric backing and with either metal or cuir-bouilli plates, and it is easy to dress on. It is collapsible and can be stored in very little space. It allows swordplay, fencing, archery and polearm fighting reasonably well. Its only major drawback is that it is fairly rigid, and does not allow well bending the torso. The Society for Creative Anachronism (usually shortened to SCA) is a historical reenactment and living history group approximating mainly pre-17th century Western European history and culture. ... A live action role-playing game, or LARP as it is commonly known, is a form of role-playing game where the participants perform some or all of the physical actions of the characters they play the role of. ...

See also

• Scale armour
• Lamellar armour
• Brigandine

Dacian scale armour on Trajans column. ... Japanese Samurai Odoshi Armor. ... A brigandine, a form of body armour, is a cloth garment, generally canvas, lined with small oblong steel plates riveted to the fabric. ...

External Links

• Reconstucted examples of 25 coat of plate armours from the Visby find

Notes

References

• Edge, David; John Miles Paddock [1988] (1993). Arms & Armor of the Medieval Knight, Crescent Books reprint, New York: Crescent Books. ISBN 0-517-10319-2. 
• Thordeman, Bengt [1939] (2001). Armour from the Battle of Wisby, 1361, Chivalry Bookshelf reprint, Chivalry Bookshelf. ISBN 1-891448-05-6. 
• Counts, David. "Examination of St. Maurice Coat of Plates", The Arador Armour Library, retrieved 3/22/07