The medieval armor was metal sheets placed on the body that helped protect the knights during battles and tournaments, but the armor didn't allow very much movement. Before sheet armor (which is the armor I have described above) knights used chain mail. Chain mail did not provide as much protection as the suits of armor. Click here to see a picture of a chain mail ring. Later in the fifteenth century medieval armor was more flexible than it looked because joints were designed to permit more movement.

During battle and tournaments knights would wear suits of armor. Click here to visit our knight page.

The knight's head was protected by a helmet. The helmet used by knights was a close helmet. The close helmet was fitted to the face and had connecting neck guard plates called gorget plates.

The armor for the upper body was the pauldron which was the shoulder armor, vembrance (upper arm armor), cowter (elbow armor), gauntlet (hand armor), and breastplate (armor that covers torso and chest), The backplate that covered the back. The backplate and breastplate were connected by straps. Skirts and taskets were extended from the breastplate and added protection for the thigh and abdomen.

The protection for the lower half of the body was the Cruise (upper leg protection), Greave (lower leg protection), the knee was covered by a series of plates called poleyn. The poleyn was knee armor and the Sabton was protection for the foot.

Click here to see a picture of a suit of armor.

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