SA0312 GOTHIC SUITS OF ARMOUR

GOTHIC SUITS OF ARMOUR
Gothic plate armour (German: Gotischer Plattenpanzer) is the term for the type of
steel plate armour made in the Holy Roman Empire during the 15th century.While
the term “Gothic” in art history covers the 12th to 15th centuries, Gothic plate
armour develops only during 1420–1440s, when the technological development of
armour reached the stage where full plate armour (including movable joints) was
made, and national styles of “white armour” began to emerge, specifically German
(“Gothic”) and Italian. Centers of armour production in the period included
Augsburg, Nuremberg and Landshut.The Gothic style of plate armour peaked in
type known as Maximilian armour, produced during 1515–1525. By this time, full
plate armour had become mostly limited to elaborate “parade armour” not
intended for battlefield use, while for practical use, half-armour (Halbharnisch)
became increasingly common, eventually giving rise to the early modern cuirass.In
to the classification due to Oakeshott (1980), High Gothic armour was worn during
the later 15th century, a transitional type called Schott-Sonnenberg style was
current during c. 1500 to 1515, and Maximilian armour proper during 1515 to
1525.Gothic armour was often combined with a Gothic sallet, which included long
and sharp rear-plate that protected the back of the neck and head. Maximilian
armour of the early 16th century is characterized by rounder and more curved
forms, and their ridges were narrower, parallel to each other and covered the
entire armour.
Methods of single combat in this type of armour are treated in the German fencing
manuals of the period, under the term Harnischfechten (“armoured combat”).