On the pages of VO, it has already been said more than once that there were three eras in the development of armor, that is, protective weapons used in the Middle Ages. These are the "age of chain mail", "age of chain mail armor" and "age of armor made of" white metal ". And the total period of all these three eras is quite long. From 1066, that is, the Battle of Hastings, until 1700. Of course, we can say that equestrian men at arms are found on miniatures from St. Galen, that the warriors of Charlemagne, and he himself, are described as people "dressed in steel." But … only "their steel", that is, the armor was not chain mail.
Aquamanil ("Aquarius") - a vessel for water from Lower Saxony 1275 - 1299 years. Museum of the Middle Ages, Boulogne.
There is a lot of evidence that these were metal plates sewn onto the skin, but chain mail did not have a mass distribution at that time. Actually, as a locally popular armor, they became widespread among the Vikings, since it was convenient to row in them, and through them they spread to Europe, where, after the defeat of the Avars, the threat from horse archers sharply weakened, which allowed the chain mail to advance to the first place.
Be that as it may, on the Bayesian canvas you see warriors in whom it covers the leg and then only from the front. As a rule, kings have such equipment, but not ordinary soldiers.
However, by 1170, that is, by the time of the assassination of Thomas Becket, the figure of the warrior was almost entirely covered with chain mail: the head, arms, legs - all these parts of the body were now covered with chain mail. The helmets were painted and this was the only "bright spot" against the general background of this "metal figure", which was the equestrian warrior of this era.
Knight 1190 drawing by Angus McBride. On it, as you can see, a figure in metal is shown, but with the flaps of rich under-armor released outward and, again, in chain mail stockings, covered with fabric on top!
However, over time, "bare chain mail" begin to disappear little by little, or rather, they begin to hide behind clothing, which is called surcoat. It is believed that surcoat appeared in the era of the Crusades to the East, the Europeans adopted from the Muslim warriors the custom of wearing protective weapons, covering it with cloth clothing, otherwise it would get very hot in the sun. For example, the drawings from the "Winchester Bible" dating back to the middle of the 12th century already depict warriors in caftans, called surco in French. The first examples of such clothing were a long-length robe with slits in the front and back, and without sleeves (which, by the way, is reported on Wikipedia). In the XIII century. she gained particular popularity and became, one might say, almost the most noticeable part of the knight's "costume". It seems that the functional significance of this outfit is quite obvious - to protect the wearer from rain (and his chain mail from rust) and the sun. But historians D. Edge and D. Paddock believe such a widespread use of surcoat is still not entirely understandable. It is possible that it was a kind of tribute to fashion and a means to stand out for the quality and richness of the fabric, as well as with the embroidered heraldic images that began to cover it at the same time.
Miniature from "The Bible of Matsievsky". OK. 1250 On it we see horsemen both in surcoat and in "naked" chain mail. (Pierpont Morgan Library, New York)
K. Blair also points out that in the middle of the XII century. the practice of military affairs of the knightly estate included the wearing of a long cloth robe called surcoat. Moreover, he notes that at different times and by different scientists different ideas were put forward regarding the reasons for its appearance, but none of them has a sufficiently strong basis. That is, for about a hundred years, the knights were content with chain mail clothing, and then suddenly began to close it for some reason. The opinion that surcoat protected from the weather is based on such a chivalrous poem as "The Confession of King Arthur", which literally reads the following:
Green clothes
So that the armor is clean, The vagaries of the rains are not terrible.
It is only doubtful that such loose and long clothes, and even without sleeves, could effectively fulfill such a function. Well, what if this was a way to demonstrate the coat of arms of the owner of the surcoat? Yes, indeed, the system of heraldry, like surco, appeared around the same time. However, it is known that images of coats of arms and coat of arms were not always present on them. And it often happened that the surcoat had one color, the horse blanket another, and the coat of arms had completely different colors. It is possible that the fashion for these clothes was born under the influence of the church, since the body-tight chain mail "anatomized" the body of the person on whom they were worn too much.
A miniature with a capital letter in a manuscript from Northern France from 1280 - 1290, depicting knights with heraldic shields in their hands and the same horse blankets, but in surcoat of a completely different color, which does not coincide with the color of the coat of arms. (National Library of France, Paris)
A miniature from the same manuscript and with a similar image of blanket and surcoat!
So it may be that it has become "indecent" to walk simply in chain mail. K. Blair also says that the loose outer clothing covering the armor could have been taken over by the crusaders in the East from Muslims and only after that appeared in Europe.
Miniature from the "Novel of Tristan", 1320 - 1330 (National Library of France, Paris)
The most ancient image of the surcoat was found by the British historian C. Blair on the seal of Valerand de Bellomonte, Earl of Mellan and Earl of Worcester, which was on his letter, circa 1150. It is important that not only the earliest image of it, but also the fact that this dress itself is quite unusual in appearance. So, he has sleeves, and they reach the wrists. This cut became characteristic only for the second half of the 13th century. and spread in the second half of the 16th century, although in general it was rather rare. The traditional surcoat is still a cloak with a hole for the head. It is not sewn on the sides, so it falls freely from top to bottom. In the same surcoat to the hips, it fits quite tightly to the body, but then, in the form of a wide skirt, it diverges to the ankles, and has slits for riding a horse, that is, it is not cut so primitively. Sleeves up to the wrists fit very tightly, then expand and form something like long pennant-like ribbons.
Miniature 1250 "Roman about Alexander" Abbey of St. Albans. (Cambridge University Library)
Similar surcoats, albeit sleeveless, are seen on a painted headband from the Winchester Bible (Book of Joshua), c. 1170, and also on the Great Seal of King John from 1199. Until 1210, surcoats on miniatures are quite rare, but then almost not a single miniature can do without it. Since about 1320, it has the appearance of a loose-fitting robe without sleeves and with large armholes and a "skirt" with a slit that reaches the mid-calf. But there were also options for ankle length and even knee length. Somewhere from 1220, surcoats with elbow-length sleeves can also be found, although such images until the second half of the 13th century. few.
The Soissons Psalter 1200-1297 (National Library of France, Paris). An eternal theme, isn't it? David kills Goliath and cuts off his head. But another thing is interesting - Goliath is an exact copy of the knight of that time. The fact is that the concept of temporary changes did not exist then, these were pre-Geigel times, and even the distant past was imagined by artists as "the present."
British historians D. Edge and D. Paddock also believe that such a widespread use of surcoats is not entirely explainable. In their opinion, it could be just a tribute to fashion, and a means to stand out, since surcoats were often sewn from expensive fabrics. In addition, heraldic images were also embroidered on them (although not always). On the other hand, it was the white surcoat made of ordinary linen that gave the tsar the best protection from the sun, and with crosses sewn on it, expressed the very essence of the crusading movement. E. Oakeshott does not use the term surco in his works, but calls it cotta, pointing out that it did not enter into general use until 1210, although some of its samples were known even before the end of the 12th century. In his opinion, its exact purpose is still unknown. It is believed that it was brought from the Holy Land by the crusaders, where such a thing was simply vital so that the scorching sun would not heat the chain mail too much. But then it turns out that cotta in the West were unknown and did not even think about it until 1200. But the soldiers of Christ began to return from the East already in the same year 1099, that is, a century before the indicated date. So why not use cotta much earlier then? It is possible, according to E. Oakshott, to argue that this garment was used for identification purposes, since it bore the owner's coat of arms. This is also a very likely assumption, since cotta became fashionable almost simultaneously with the advent of heraldry. But … the coats of arms were not always depicted on the cotte surcoat. It happened so - and the images of those years confirm this that the cotta could be of one color, the shield - another, and the horse blanket - the third! “I think,” continues E. Oakshott, “that cotta was a tribute to fashion; of course, it was used for practical purposes, since it really covered most of the surface of the chain mail from the sun and to some extent from moisture and provided an excellent opportunity for displaying coats of arms; this piece of clothing was invaluable in those cases when it was necessary to identify the victim on the battlefield, since the helmet could easily roll away far, and the face from wounds could become unrecognizable. However, whatever the purpose of the cotta from the point of view of vital necessity, it was a cheerful and colorful outfit that turned a sullen and stern knight in dark brown-gray chain mail into a gallant and dazzling figure - and this was quite consistent with the flowering that she reached towards the end XII century the merry science of chivalry."
Walter von Metz from a miniature from the Codex Manes.
Johan von Brabant from a miniature from the Codex Manes (in a helmet with a dragon's head). As you can see, over time it has become a tradition - to wear clothes with a coat of arms and the same horse blanket with coats of arms to cover your horse.
The cut of the cotta often changed, but this depended not so much on the era as on the personal preferences of the knight: in the 13th century. it could be sewn very long or, on the contrary, very short, as with or without sleeves. In general, this is a simple robe, like a nightgown, sleeveless, but with a slit from the hem and almost to the waist in front and back, so that its owner could easily sit in the saddle. Although in nine cases out of ten it was sewn without sleeves, emphasizes E. Oakshott, there were also known cottas with sleeves, and some of them had sleeves only up to the elbows, and some even up to the wrists.
Effigia Berengar de Pujvert (1278). Well, this knight decided to stand out among the others, dressed in rich fabric!
Richard Wellesborne de Montfort (1286) It looks strange, doesn't it? On surcoe "rebellious griffon", on the shield "cowardly rebelling lion" …
That is, over time, the cotta or surcoe acquired the character of "uniforms". Moreover, there are known copies made of velvet and even brocade, and even generously embroidered with coats of arms. And, in fact, why should the knights not wear this? This was in fact the only outerwear possible for them that they could afford, and therefore it was worthwhile to use all their imagination to show their wealth and nobility. Cotta made of fabrics of bright colors, embroidered with silver and gold, pleasantly contrasted with purely military "metal clothing" and allowed the feudal lords to demonstrate both their wealth and delicate, artistic taste (or its complete absence - V. O.) ".
By 1340, knightly protective gear had become much more sophisticated, but surcoats are still worn! Rice. Angus McBride.
Miniature "Chronicles from Versene" 1370 Regensburg. Bavarian State Library, Germany). As you can see, the knights are no longer wearing surcoat, but nevertheless, their torso armor is covered with colored fabric!
Later, the surcoat gave way to a shorter jupont jacket, which looked like a tight-fitting jacket, barely reaching the hips. However, with all the changes dictated by fashion, the heraldic character of this garment remained unchanged. This is evidenced, for example, by the surviving jupon, which belonged to the Black Prince, made of red and blue velvet with the gold lilies of France and English "leopard lions" depicted on each field of the corresponding color.
