Early HYW Miniatures

[Atheling]

It's important to remember that these illuminations were composed by monks who would have had little experience of battle and often gone on second hand evidence- often it is the artistic convention of the times that they were influenced by most and not the military side of things; although I don't discount that some of them would be familiar with the military costume, armours and conventions of the day.

Just something to bear in mind when using illuminations as solid evidence.

Darrell.

[le bon roi rene]

To see what they should look like, here are selected pictures with early 14th century knights, men-at-arms and infantry from the Grandes Chroniques de France. It was produced in Paris and illustrated by Mahiet, Master of the Cambrai Missal, c.1332-50.:

Battle of Etampes
Burning of Argentan; battle of Val-es-Dunes & the surrender of a castle
The Abbey of Vezelay being attacked by crossbowmen
Foot soldiers and cavalry
Louis IX setting out on the Seventh Crusade, 1248
Battle-scene & deaths from pestilence


MIRROR SITE

The Grandes Chroniques de France. British Library, Royal MS 16 G VI

Druzhina



14th Century Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

I think the first picture nicely shows fashion in the Early campaigns in Brittany, Scottish campaigns and the Crecy campaign. This is, perhaps the toughest era to authentically model as harness was in full blown transition and few manufacturers focus on this. Cyclas, ailettes, banded and splinted armor for vambrace and cuisses. Lots of mail still and not yet as form fitting. Coats of Plates and globular bascinets common.

The second picture seems more in line with the emerging fashions that we start seeing after the first wave of the Black Death. Poitiers, Aurray, Najera, the Guegler Krieg etc... Something close to a true breast plate technology filtering north from Italy, coupled with decidedly more decadent and exaggerated fashion trends gives us that 'wasp waisted' look we start seeing on funerary work and statuary. Very high hem lines jupons, tight fitting at the waist, long toed footwear andn especially loose flowing sleeves create a very distinctive look that separate fashion in the second half of the 14th Century. Images of Gueglers going into Switzerland and Walter Knollys as Free Company commander illustrate some of these trends.

[Atheling]

I think the first picture nicely shows fashion in the Early campaigns in Brittany, Scottish campaigns and the Crecy campaign. This is, perhaps the toughest era to authentically model as harness was in full blown transition and few manufacturers focus on this. Cyclas, ailettes, banded and splinted armor for vambrace and cuisses. Lots of mail still and not yet as form fitting. Coats of Plates and globular bascinets common.

With the original question in mind, ifyou want a good idea of English armours prior to the HYW and right the way through to it's bloody climax at Castillon then the Ospreys English Medieval Knight Series are not a bad starting place for research:

https://ospreypublishing.com/english-medieval-knight-1300-1400-pb

https://ospreypublishing.com/english-medieval-knight-1400-1500-pb

Darrell.