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English HereticsLate Medieval Military Costume
Welcome to the English Heretics Homepage. Here we have assembled a selection of line drawings, portraying late medieval european military costume of the 14th and 15th centuries AD. The collection is by no means complete, this is not a history of european armour.
Rather, this is meant to show historical alternatives to the 'standard shirt, hose and doublet' school of medieval costume. Mercenaries in particular, widely used by most late medieval armies, would have dressed in a variety of national styles notably different from that of the 'host' army.
The drawings are based on period sources, ie. funerary brasses, paintings and manuscripts. We have not included a bibliography, as most of the descriptions state the sources on which they are based.
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Let's start with the basic peasant, reminicient of a sack of dung tied up with string (or so TV would have us believe) armed with little more than a stick.
In reality, 'peasant infantry' tended to carry a variety of unpleasant tool related weaponry, many of which were later refined into military weapons (such as the Bill) of brutal efficiency.
Above the basic feudal peasant, come those individuals with slightly higher incomes, who provide occasional military service, and who puchase equipment to improve their chances of surviving a tour of duty.
Such equipment can range from a shield and crude iron skullcap, through to heavy layered defences of padding, mail, and plate. Some of these part-time amateur soldiers would progress on to our next catagory...
Professional soldiers, this group includes garrison troops, bodyguards, household retainers, mercenaries etc. and usually their equipment is of a good standard.
Again, armour tends to consist of layered padding, mail and plate; or the ever popular brigandine, with its many small steel or horn plates riveted between layers of leather or fabric.
The more affluent members of this group, captains of companies for example, would have been as well equiped as any of the Men-at-Arms.
The Men-at-Arms tend to consist of middle class gentlemen, knights, petty nobility, and of course, the great nobles. These are the 'knights in shining armour' of the historical Hollywood Epics and Re-enactment Battles, despite the fact that most of them were not knights, and armour consits of full or partial plate armour, with mail at vunerable areas such as armpit and groin.
Brigandines were also popular, with luxurious coverings such as velvet.
Nor have we devoted much coverage to the Men-at-Arms or Knights, their equipment is quite adequately covered elsewhere.
From Edward II's charter to Carlisle of 1316, his costume apppears to comprise a hooded cape (probably a poor rendition of an early brecan plaid drawn up over the head) worn over an undershirt tied between the legs (probably a saffron-dyed leine croich). On his feet are rawhide broguues with the hair left on, made from the hides of cattle slaughtered for food during a campaign.
From the tomb effigy of Bricius MacFingone, a MacKinnon chieftain, one of a large number of similar tomb effigies dated 1350-1550. In some of these, the spear is replaced by an axe.
From Monstrelet's description c.1418 (the sleeves of the Leine worn here were copied from contemporary English fashions. The moustache was so characteristic that in 1447 it was enacted that 'all who would be taken for English' must shave both lips.
From the Burke effigy at Glinsk in Galway. The equipment of the gallogaich under Turlough O'Donnell, King of Tyrconnell (1380-1422) is set down as 'for each man equipped with a mail corselet and a breastplate another should have a jack and a helmet;... there should be no forfeit for a helmet deficient except the galloglaich's brain'.
The figure here is actually shown in the original ms. sighting a bombard, while being protected by a fully armoured man with a large shield.
Source not given, c.1440.
From the St. Albans Chronicle. The cross is red on a white surcoat.
From editions of Froissart, depicting soldiers of the Hundred Years War, but portrayed in contemporary costume c.1465-85. English Archer at the battle of Auray, red tunic, blue surcoat with yellow edges, grey-green hose and tan boots with red linings.
From the Chroniques d'Angleterre, c.1470. His gun is little more than an iron tube with no apparent trigger mechanism, despite the fact that shaped gunstocks and serpentine triggers were by now fairly widespread throughout Europe.
John Longstrother, Lieutenant-Turcopolier of the Hospital by 1448, Castellan of Rhodes by 1453, Grand Commander of Cyprus in 1467. Became Grand Prior of England in 1469 and was made Treasurer of the kingdom by Edward IV, against whom he fought at Tewksbury in 1471. The figure comes from a ms. of c.1485 depicting his execution after the battle.
A Yorkist from a Flemish ms. depicting the battle of Tewksbury (1471). He has a white rose embroidered in outline on his pink doublet.
This figure is typical of gunners in English sources of this time, though some are considerably better armoured, to the point of being indestinguishable from the men-at-arms.
From the John Rous Pageant, c.1485.
From the John Rous Pageant, c.1485. The Pageant also shows an artillerist wearing almost identical equipment, except for the lack of helmet and gauntlets (the better to shoot with).
From the John Rous Pageant, c.1485.
From the John Rous Pageant c.1485 at Caen (1417).
From a ms. of Louis XI's reign. His only armour is a simple sallet, plate poleyns strapped to his knees, and a mail standard, presumably part of an arming doublet.
From a Burgundian ms. c.1470.
From a Burgundian ms. of c.1470.
From woodcut c.1475. Philippe de Commynes, writing of Montl'hery, describes the Burgundian archers there as resting 'with their boots off...'.
From a minature in Schilling's 'Lucerne Chronical' depicting the battle of Grandson in 1476.
From a Swiss ms. of the late 15th Century.
Source not given, ms. of c.1430-40.
Contemporary drawing of the Taborite Brethren, c.1430. Note the red chalice embroidered on his hood as a 'field sign' for identification, the pavise (pavézy), and the ubiquitous flail.
Contemporary stele, c.1430.
German ms. c.1437-50 in British Museum. The short barreled gun is called pistala meaning pipe or whistle, in Germany and Italy this became pistole, hence the modern 'pistol'. The inset shows the handgunner, collineator or 'aimer', in action with his incendiarius or 'firer'.
Note the pavise, arms usually comprised lance or crossbow, and sword. Other popular sidearms included axe and mace, in particular a variety called a fist-and-dagger mace (a). Jan Zizka apparently carried such a weapon. The small drums on the saddle are for signaling.
This figure wears a rolled hood on his head and a typical Hussite wallet-cum-satchel at his belt.
From Das Mittelalterliches Hausbuch, c.1480. Note the hood tied under the chin. He also carries (unusually for this date) an angular bouched shield.
From Diebold Schilling's Lucerne Chronicle. He is a
halberdier at the battle of Arbedo, and wears Zug cantonal colours (blue and white). He carries a 'Sempach' halberd.
From a picture of the St Jacob-en-Birs campaign.
From Schilling's 'Berne Chronical' of c.1485 and is probably an officer. He wears a red bonnet with a green, red, white and blue plume.
From Diebold Schilling's Berne Chronicle. Noteworthy for it's early depiction of a ramrod in use, judging from the source, the helmet with rondels and bevor was very popular, others wore chapel-de-fer, sallets, or else felt or fur caps.
Source not given, c.1450.
From Carpaccio's St Ursula paintings (1490-93), c.1460-1500.
From Carpaccio's St Ursula paintings (1490-93), c.1460-1500. This figure wears a cap stuffed with plates, called a beretta di piastre. Similar caps are mentioned in English wardrobe accounts and wills.
From editions of Froissart, depicting soldiers of the Hundred Years War, but portrayed in contemporary costume c.1465-85. Genoese Crossbowman at the battle of Crecy, note the fur hat, common in continental sources.
From a painting of the battle of Anghiari (1440) c.1470.
Source not given, late 15th Century. This figure wears a red tunic, dark red hose, and carries a red adarge, red was a popular colour in Spain, boots of red Morocco leather often being worn.
This figure wears the uniform sported my many such militiamen, comprising a white hood and tunic, the latter with a red cross front and back, and red hose. The goat's foot for loading the crossbow can be seen at his belt.
Source not given, 14th/15th Century. The Tutonic Knights called them 'murderous rustics', probably on account of the popularity of two handed weapons such as the berdische axes. Armour consists of a mail corselet under a leather kaftan.
From a ms. c.1467. This man carries a sabre or szabla rather than a sword. These were introduced from the Balkans. Note, most cheap sabres used in Eastern Europe were in fact mass produced in Italy, by the Vetetians and Genoese, for export to the Ottoman Turks!
Source not given, 14th/15th Century.
His armour consists of heavy furs, together with a pectoral of iron laminae held in place by thongs behind neck and body, with a sort of cingulum of iron discs attached to leather straps. Once again, note the small pavise.
Source not given, 15th Century. He wears leather armour, laced up the front, with a skirt of pteruges put on separately like a belt.
From William Caorsin's 'Obsidionis Rhodiae Descripto', printed in Ulm in 1496.
Source not given, 15th Century. Armour, where worn comprises no more than a mail corselet worn under the coat, common weapons include lance, mace, and sword or sabre ('which is a terrible weapon' says Philippe de Commynes).
Source not given, 15th Century. This figure is a Moldavian of Stephen the Great's reign (1457-1504).
Source not given, 15th Century. This Wallacian holds an osier shield of native type, others might use Hungarian 'wing' shields like the next figure.
Based on a Moldavian Reliquary, 15th Century. Transylvanian heavy cavalry more armour, often full western plate (often German Gothic in style) with shields, see the Hungarian Men-at-Arms below.
From an Italian fresco c.1445-50 depicting Florentine condottiere Filippo Scolari (aka Pippo Spano). Helmet and shield have been added from other sources, the 'wing' shield being very popular in Hungary and subsequently addopted by the Ottomans by the 16th Century.
This figure wears a long sleeved tunic, and a topcoat with hanging Albanian style sleeves, and an 'Hungarian' cap.
From an engraved sabre-scabbard chape of c.1500. Possibly from the Serbian gusar or husar, meaning a robber or plunderer.
Ottoman ms. c.1526. Ottoman gunners were drawn from diverse sources, including Germans, Hungarians, Bosnians, Dalmatians and Italians.
Source not given, she wears leather armour, with a skirt of pteruges that can only be described as inadequate, leather knee boots, and rather curious and apparently pointless straps round her thighs. DO NOT DRESS LIKE THIS!.