One of the advantages of publishing materials on TOPWAR is that among the readers there are a lot of people “seeking knowledge” who not only read and write “whether they like it or not,” but also ask interesting questions and thus suggest topics for new interesting articles. … This is how, for example, in the topic about bascinet helmets, the question about the throat cover on the knight's armor was also voiced. Indeed, isn't the throat a very important, vital, one might say, part of our body? The head, of course, can be pierced, but if a person's throat is cut, then he certainly will not survive. And what about his defense?
"Tapestry from Bayeux". William's warriors throw spears at Harold's warriors.
It hardly makes sense to write in detail about the Ancient World here, but judging by the sources that have come down to us - paintings of vessels, bas-reliefs on the columns of Trajan and Marcus Aurelius, neither the Greeks nor the Romans paid any attention to protecting the throat. The shell and helmet in this place did not fit in any way, except that the legionnaires tied it with a scarf. What is the reason for such a "frivolous attitude" to this important part of the case? And the fact that … the main types of troops at that time were infantry and cavalry, which did not have stirrups. Therefore, the battles were fought "shield to shield", that is, they covered the body with shields at eye level, while the helmets were such that the Greeks, the Romans, that they protected from a blow on the back of the neck. That is, in the back there is a helmet, and in the front there is a shield. But among the Japanese samurai, a helmet was also protected from the back of the neck (it makes no sense to repeat with descriptions of armor, there was more than one material on the VO about this), but in front there is a special throat cover with a yodare kake. That is, there is no shield - a cover for the throat is required. There are … well, there may be options. However, the cataphracts who practiced ramming spear strikes had helmets with a neck cover. It's hard to say how effective it was, but they had it. After all, they had to hold the spear with both hands, and they did not have shields, although such a British historian as Michael Simkins argued the opposite and even cited in his study on the armament of Roman legionaries, images of a cataphractarium with a hexagonal shield. Whoever had neck protection in ancient times … so it was the warriors of the Cretan-Mycenaean era, who put on a whole "spacesuit" made of metal strips with a neck cover in the form of a jug neck. In any case, this is exactly how the famous "armor from Dendra" is arranged. That is, such armor is known!
This tapestry fragment shows not only that Harold received an arrow in the eye, but also how the chain mail is removed from the dead. In the manner of nightgowns, over the head. That is, it is definitely not a "jumpsuit" with stuns, as you might think looking at the image. However, something else is not entirely clear: a chain mail cover for the head - is it connected to chain mail, attached to a helmet, or is it a typical "bishop's miter", that is, a chain mail hood! In any case, despite the presence of an impressive shield that allows it to be covered from head to toe, horse warriors already had neck protection in 1066.
Now let's make a big leap and find ourselves in Western Europe in 1066. Why this year, but because we have a precisely dated source - "Tapestry from Bayeux", in which we see, in fact, the first horsemen in European knightly armor. True, many still throw spears in the old fashioned way, without using the technique of kushnuyu spear, but there's nothing you can do about it - in the beginning it is always like this. All the warriors of the "tapestry" wear conical helmets with a nosepiece. That is, this is the same helmet with which all other helmets began in Europe. That is, it was this helmet, which, over time, divided into three "branches", led to the appearance of first a helmet-pan, and then a "grand helmet". The second "branch" led to the emergence of first a servillera, and then a bascinet - initially a helmet-comforter, and then a separate helmet. Finally, the third "branch" is a helmet-helmet (about which the story is still ahead) or "chapel de fer" ("iron hat") - a very democratic helmet, which, as in Europe and in Japan (jingasa helmet!) were worn by the poorest warriors and … the richest. And why not? It all depends on the situation and … opportunities!
But back to the tapestry. In addition to helmets of a certain shape, we also see that all the soldiers on it have a chain mail cover for their necks.
Statue of st. Maurice. Cathedral in Magdeburg 1250
Well, and then it became an integral part of any knightly armor of the "chain mail era" and the "chain mail-plate armor era". This is evidenced not only by images, but also by such an extremely important monument as effigii. Here is one of them - the effigy of St. Maurice, dating back to 1250. He wears a chainmail gambison and a chainmail headguard descending to the chest over it, which also protects the neck. Most likely, there was a slit on the back of it, similar to the one that was also made on chain mail mittens at the same time. A head was pushed through it into the headguard, after which the laces or straps were tightened at the back. It should be borne in mind that under the chainmail headgear, the knights also wore cloth caps without fail.
Let's now turn to the miniatures. On miniatures from the "Bible of Maciejewski" from the library of Pierpont Morgan, dated approximately the same year as the effigy of St. Mauritius, we see the figures of the classic knights of the chain mail era - in chain mail armor from head to toe and surcoat, worn on top.
There is nothing special under the chain mail. Just white, most likely a linen shirt and that's it!
But here the warrior on the right, dressed in a blue shirt, is obviously carrying something protective and quilted on his shoulder. Moreover, both he and the seated soldier's neck was not covered with anything, although on the head all men, and soldiers in particular, had “caps” on their heads.
Here, all three warriors' necks are clearly protected by something. Something like a collar or collar. What is it? Leather covered with fabric? And it is clear that they have something under these collars. That is, at that time they were already starting to think about additional neck protection!
And now we will go along the “first branch” - that is, the one that leads us to the “big helmet”, and we will see that despite the fact that both the “cap” and the chain mail hood were worn under this helmet, even to it along the edge chain mail was often attached. What for?
Before us is a 14th century German helmet with a chain mail aventail, from the German Historical Museum in Nuremberg. Why was this necessary? And it was a kind of "spaced armor", similar to the one that is used today, well, let's say - chains with metal balls in the stern of the Merkava tank.
A shot from the very historically realistic film "Knight's Castle" (1990). Here you see a helmet without aventail and the fact that this knight's neck is protected by only one layer of chain mail. Any blow to the edge of the helmet for this knight will be fatal!
However, this unnamed effigy from Scotland has come down to us, in which we see a knight in a quilted gambeson and with the same neck cover. On the head is an egg-shaped helmet, on the legs - metal leggings, but what did he wear on top of all this and did he wear at all, if it was in such a suit that the deceased were depicted? Unknown! But one thing is clear that the warriors used such covers in the "era of chain mail".
Now let's look at the effigy of Don Alvaro de Cabrera the Younger, on the lid of the sarcophagus from the Church of Santa Maria de Bellpuig de Las Avellanas in Lleida in Catalonia (Spain), about whom he is known to have died in 1299. He is wearing a chainmail cap, this is undoubtedly, but also some kind of mantle made of fabric, clearly lined from the inside (see outside the head of nails) with metal plates. But what is the detail that covers his neck? It looks like an obvious collar, but what it is made of is unclear. Metal or leather? And yet - what does it rely on and what is it attached to? On the shoulder plates? And how all this was put on, because the neck opening for the head is clearly narrow. That is, now we know for sure that such a neck protection was used in Spain in 1299, but nothing more.
Reconstruction by Angus McBride, showing (right) Don Alvaro de Cabrero. Interestingly, an infantryman with a halberd holds an Arabian shield adarga - a heavy leather shield made of two oval parts. Despite the "enemy" origin, the Spaniards loved him very much.
Adarga on one of the funerary bas-reliefs.
However, it cannot be said that neck protection in those years was used exclusively in Spain.
Here is the effigy of Eberhard von der Mark (1308) from the cathedral in Flondenberg. It is easy to see that he has something like a thick collar around his neck. Again, it is not clear what kind of material it is, and how "it" was put on it. But it is obvious that this is not chain mail, but something rather tough.
