Leopold
Pan-European circa 1360-1420
Our Leopold armour is named after the Duke of Tyrol whose region would have included Churburg castle. The armoury at Churburg has some of the most famous pieces in the history of armour, instantly recognisable to everyone who has an interest in the medieval period, categorised by number.
Our Leopold set is made up of extant pieces, effigies and manuscripts from a broad period of the Hundred Years' War. Some of them are old familiars but we wanted to include some lesser-known items like composite gauntlets and three-piece arms with rondel spaulders in the Italian style.
Breastplate
Based on the Churburg s.14, this is a globular breastplate with a stoprib. The style was ubiquitous during the late 14th and early 15th centuries. Due to its simplicity and elegance, versions of it (of varying quality) were worn by militia, men-at-arms and even French knights at Agincourt.
True to our company's values, this is a munition version. We have gone for an authentic finish - look closely and you can see fouling, the grain of the grind, file scratches near irregular rolled edges, even hammer marks here and there. On the inside, the breastplate is left rough from the hammer where you can see the armourer's skill and labour. There's true beauty in its utilitarian look.
Source:
Ruestkammer Schloss Churburg-Schluderns, s.14 [Extant]
Price: £390
Bascinet
The general shape of our bascinet is based on an Italian one dated circa 1390 at the Royal Armouries but the gap at the front of ours is narrower. This style was found in England, Scotland and Northern Italy, sometimes with a maille aventail sewn under the skull rather than attached to the outside with vervelles.
This version forgoes the maille for a lighter weight and more comfortable fit. The skull is 2mm mild steel formed of two halves. The hood and aventail has a linen outer with cotton batting and liner.
We also offer a version with maille attached as described above.
Royal Armouries item IV.497 [Extant]
Price: £400
Please nquire for prices with maille aventail.
Arm Harness
The 14th century saw the emergence of two schools of arm harness. The most visible in artwork of the time was the fully-articulated type with couters (elbows) riveted to lames which were, in turn, riveted to the upper and lower cannon.
The second type was the three-part construction. This saw the couters connected to the uppers and lowers with leathers. Although a simpler construction and not as well represented in extant pieces, this type of construction would go on to be the dominant arm harness of the 15th century.
Simple rondel spaulders complete this arm harness, most popular in Italy but seen in use throughout Europe in both the 14th and 15th centuries.
Sources:
Pistoia Cathedral altarpiece, Italy, 1376 [Effigy]
Child’s arm harness (1390), Chartres Cathedral [Extant]
Soldiers at the Holy Sepulchre, Église Saint-Nicolas, Haguenau, dép. Bas-Rhin, France, c1360 [Effigy]
Grave of Gerhard von Rieneck, 1382, Friedhof Grünsfeld, Main-Tauber-Kreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany [Effigy]