Here I am a, a cockney fellow in the middle of the woods because my journey now has
reached Henry Percy or Henry Hotspur Percy I'm not going to call him
ox well refused to it just doesn't really roll off the tongue being a West
Ham fan so I'm gonna put that in a little box the football thing because I
need to concentrate on this man we're going off tracks literally because he's
not royal but he did knock about with Royals clearly likes to tear up I don't
know what he's doing he's standing on some dog or something which upsets me
slightly I'm excited you know I'm gonna get this getup on yeah I'm meeting an
expert on knights in armor called Toby who's gonna help me understand my Henry
all right I've experienced a bit of this chain mail with the vacuum period did it
change a lot at it or is it same sort of no mail is one of the most universal
forms of armor and it's used by the Romans Vikings Normans and in the 14th
century in the age of henry percy mail is still a hugely important part of
heavy equipment it is heavy but it's worth wearing the 14th century where we
are now is the age when mail is being augmented with large pieces of
articulated plate armor so to get it on we got to start at the feet and work our
way up okay it's not gonna it should be oh oh yes
post intense you would feel quite indestructible you need to feel
indestructible so that everybody else believes that you're indestructible yeah
this is a culture where you can't send young men to die unless you go with them
they're not going to fight for England they're going to fight for you but you
can't get the commanders killed you fought to a poet so you need the gear to
make sure they can fight in the front lines and have a reasonable chance of
surviving good this is our proof this is crossbow
proof this is a major leap forward in armor technology look all right and
someone like Henry Percy would have been one of the first people to have the
latest gear just gets heavier and heavier incredible it's not wearing
another man whether that feels like
someone like Henry Percy would have been wearing armor since he was eight ten
years old at constantly trainers get used to it your whole body evolves to be
an engine to power this equipment how long could bat was going for three hours
I'll wear something like that after about three or four hours
everyone said Henry Percy got his nickname Hotspur because of his speed in
battle he served under both richard ii and Henry the fourth began in a fierce
reputation defending the English palter with Scotland and in wars abroad Percy
also showed off his skills at tournaments which earned him celebrity
status people in the 14th century had to exercise and train in this stuff as well
and there's a number of descriptions of how Knights actually trained so that
they could stay in their armors and and and fight for long periods of time by
running through forests like this and their armor
Oh co-op with Detroit that's no good is it I didn't think about that they learn
a medieval period trees can cut fuel up
to do now young Toby push-ups that's our world lace it's not just a it's just the
armor digging in your skin yeah yeah on the old knuckles yeah otherwise I'd have
been out there about 50 I know some films in that you see you're not a lot
of actors and provide myself without the omec you know ain't been battle just
wouldn't happen would it no no that's one of the things that drives me crazy
about historical dramas these days actually they want to see the actors
face I understand that I guess obviously yes but in a battle that your head is
the most exposed the most vulnerable part of you you take one shot on your
head and you're finished and you've got nice gear you don't need
to see your face everybody knows who you are by above it I'll get recognized I
want more bobbling about in blue walk walk like this so me a lot of
aggravation of selfies
when this Weiser goes down there's no human side to you at all now when that
visor goes down you become a killing machine and people can't look in your
eyes they can't see the look on your face you could be terrified in there
could be glowing on the way it could be crying under there but there were noises
down it's only the the image that the armor is projecting it's matrass
formative thing oh no anything I do like about your arm is your console belly
maybe we should try a bit of weapon each okay before our fight
yep shall we try the axes yeah young man prepare me with complete armor like this
swords are not gonna do anything so if you need armor fighting weapons like
this the two ended poleaxe which is one of the classic Knightly weapons of this
period well yeah you could whisper in this projector if I wind up listen
they're over that way I think they've not seen this but what we'll do is to
pull up we'll sneak up and I put you down away yeah just try to hit me right
here okay so there's not a lot you can see is there no fuck oh but a lot of
this is just being aware of the space around you even when you can't see it so
I still know where you are yeah even though I can't see very well
yeah over here you could probably take a dump on the edge from this gonna try oh
yeah show me another mode huh okay right with
the cute come up high and try and use the Q but stab me in the chest and then
come in with that yeah okay
did I ever have a rest nights after you know they go hold up a minute Mike I
mean absolutely oh good competitive fights that were fought in
friendly conditions are usually fought to a certain number of blows in a
friendly context it's not on the battlefield I can see why yeah sorry
it's difficult this let's give a night kiss
you