European Late Medieval Chestplate

Description of the Product

Plate armor had already been in use in Roman times, but the knowledge and skill to make it was lost when Rome fell. For almost a millennium combatants resorted to mail and sometimes armor made of small pieces of iron. Eventually armor began to transition back to plate. The re-introduction of plate armor to enhance mail was incremental. At first only the most vulnerable areas got extra protection. Plate was at first used in coat-of-plates types of constructions from circa 1250 onwards. Late 14th C. saw the first single plated torso armor and by the early 15th C. technology and armoring skill had evolved far enough to produce the full plate armor.

A warrior fully clad in plate armor was a walking tank and protected from almost all weapons of the day. Smooth round surfaces deflected the force of strong attacks away and weaker attacks did no more harm than scratch the armor. However most soldiers using plate armor used only a breastplate as full-body plate armor was reserved for the most wealthy heavy cavalry knights. Breastplate gave protection to your most vulnerable vital parts but didn't weight much. Also adding a breastplate to your protection didn't cost nearly as much as a full plate armor. Basic infantry armed with spears, swords, axes or halberds would be especially lucky to get a breastplate as even these were expensive in the medieval era. Armor started to become more available during the late 1400's and 1500's and even regular soldiers started sometimes to get their hands on breastplates.

Due to its simple design, this breastplate is suitable for a long time period, weather you are a conquistador colonizing new territories, searching for the elusive El Dorado and shipping the unfathomable riches home to Europe, or fighting for your religion on the battlefields of northern Europe in the 30 Years War. These types of breastplates would have typically been worn over a gambeson or a jack.

Made of 1,6mm steel. Steel thickness may vary due to the handcraft methods used in manufacturing. Length approximately 45cm. Made by Marshall Historical.

The plate comes with an extra set of straps, in case the plate is used with shoulder pieces with a buckle. These can be removed if not needed.