Throughout the middle ages, knights, men at arms, and foot soldiers
wore armour to protect themselves in battle.
During these centuries, armour had to constantly evolve
and improve to counter the threat from better and more sophisticated weaponry.
Metal armour required high levels of skill to produce
and as a result, it was expensive and highly prized
so only the rich could afford to equip themselves with the best protection.
So from the 11th to the 15th centuries, metal armour was the province of the knight, the nobleman,
and the professional man at arms.
For this Norman knight of the late 11th century,
the arming process is not particularly difficult
or time-consuming.
He would begin by putting on an arming shirt
- a padded garment designed to cushion some of the weight of the mail armour on top
and to prevent it from chafing.
A padded arming cap would also be worn on the head.
Once these undergarments are in position
the knight is helped into a long mail coat known as a hauberk.
A hauberk is made of many thousand of iron rings, skilfully linked together in a pattern where
one ring passes through four others forming a highly flexible metal cloth.
The sleeves of the hauberk cover the arm down to the elbow.
The hauberk was quite heavy to wear, but the padding of the arming shirt helped to make it more comfotable and bearable.
To reduce the weight on the shoulders, the mail could also be bagged over a tightly fastened belt
around the waist. The same belt could also be used to carry the knight's sword.
Together the hauberk and arming shirt provided good protection
against cutting and slashing weapons.
According to some pictorial evidence from the period, such as the Bayeux Tapestry.
Some hauberks were fitted with a rectangular feature on the chest.
It has long been a matter of debate as to what this might be
and a current theory is that it was an additional piece of mail
That would be raised up and fastened to either side of the head to protect the lower face and throat.
This flap would be secured in place by fastening the chin strap of the helmet underneath it.
Protection for the head is provided by a helmet.
Which at this time was usually fitted with a nasal to give some protection to the face.
The domed or pointed shape of the helmet helped to deflect blows away.
The best and most expensive helmet at this time were forged out of a single piece of iron
like this example which was a highly skilful manufacturing technique.
The final piece of defensive equipment was the long, kite-shaped shield.
This was made of wood, leather and rawhide, and was designed to protect the left side and leg of the knight
as he sat on his horse or fought on foot in a shield wall.
Once he was suitably protected the knight would need weapons with which to fight.
His principal weapon was a lance or long spear.
He would also carry a straight, double-edged, one-handed sword.
They were intended primarily for delivering heavy, slashing blows, but were well balanced and had a sharp point for thrusting.
Some knights also used axes or percussive weapons such as clubs and maces.