The division into different types of troops in the army, which began under Henry VIII, continued after his death. The English historian K. Blair at the beginning of the 17th century singled out six types of English warriors in armor and weapons:
1. Heavy cavalry - wore armor "three-quarters", D. Paddock and D. Edge, indicate that armor to the middle of the thigh - legguards - that is, half-armor, first of all, was used by light medium cavalry, and heavy cavalry wore a knightly full weapons. K. Blair - "heavy cavalry wore boots instead of greaves", and D. Paddock and D. Edge - the middle cavalry instead of knightly sabatons wore boots, they also used closed helmets and knightly armor, but the cuirass did not have a forearm hook for the spear …
2. Medium cavalry, wore armor of lighter weight, and they were combined with a bourguignot (or burgonet) helmet.
Burgonet. Holland 1620 - 1630 Weight 2414 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
3. Light riders used firearms and therefore included all those who could “shoot from a horse”. D. Paddock and D. Edge also include “javelinners” (“javelin” - a dart) among them, therefore the phrase - "Dart armor"). Their protective armament consisted of a cuirass, a bourguignot helmet, a plate skirt and a gorget. K. Blair describes the armor of light cavalry in a different way. They have "arquebus armor": cuirass, shoulder pad, collar, glove on the left hand to the elbow ("long glove" or "glove for the reins") and again bourguignot. A lighter version is gloves, a chain mail shirt and again bourguignot.
4. Musketeers and arquebusiers wore a leather jacket, a jacque, and then after 1600 it was replaced by a buffalo skin jacket that could withstand chopping blows from melee weapons, as well as a morion helmet. Musketeers later stopped using armor for protection, and instead of helmets in the civilian fashion, they began to wear a wide-brimmed hat.
5. "Armed spears" - infantry, protected by armor. She stood in the ranks in the first ranks. She wore armor: cuirass, shoulder pads, gorget, legguards, handcuffs and a Morion helmet.
6. "Dry spears" (light infantry) used a brigandine or a jacque (often with chain sleeves), a morion helmet.
Referring to illustrations, in 1581 D. Pottinger and A. Norman indicate that Ireland used two types of English cavalry:
The heavily armed cavalry wore a cuirass, a legguard to the middle of the thigh, arms were fully protected, and the Morion helmet had a comb and metal cheek pads, which were tied with laces under the chin. They were armed with a heavy spear and sword.
The lightly armed cavalry wore a chain mail shirt and again a morion, and on their feet boots (very high made of thick leather), the same was worn by the heavy cavalry. They were armed with a sword and a light spear. For protection, brigandine or jacques were used.
The Irish pikemen were protected by a cuirass, fully covered their arms, their head was covered by a morion with a comb, they did not wear legguards, they were armed with a long "Arab pike", a short dagger and a heavy sword.
The halberdists guarding the company flags had only cuirasses and helmets, since it was not very convenient to wave a halberd with arms protected by armor.
The protection of the arquebusier, like that of other infantrymen, included a morion helmet, in addition to the main weapon, he also had a dagger and a sword. Drummers and trumpeters, whether they were in the infantry or in the cavalry, did not wear armor, for self-defense - edged weapons.
The officers differed from the rank and file in the richness of their equipment, and wore short spears as a sign of high status. In the illustrations, page boys carry bulging round shields behind them. For a long time, such shields were used by the Spaniards, who believe that they help break through the pikemen's formation if they push the pikes apart. Prince Moritz of Orange later armed his infantrymen in the first ranks with bulletproof shields, in an effort to provide protection against musket bullets in this way.
The knight's spear (very heavy) by 1600 practically ceased to be used in battle, it was used in tournaments and that's it. The spear itself was rarely used since the 20s of the 17th century. The heavily armed rider began to be called the cuirassier (this is the main element of his equipment).
Tombstone from the grave of Sir Edward Filmer, 1629, East Sutton, Kent.
But the past was firmly in the minds of people, and therefore the historian from England Peter Young in 1976 (300 years after the described period) wrote that, allegedly, in 1632 the English heavily armed horseman looked like the same medieval knight, even though he was "Improved". He did not have plate shoes, there was no "skirt" - legguards, instead of them, plate covers were used for the legs (they were strengthened to the cuirass and protected the legs from the waist down to the knees). The rider's arms were also fully protected, and he was armed with a knight's spear or a lightweight analogue (there were no extensions and a handle), a cavalry sword (very heavy) and a pair of wheel pistols.
Tombstone from the tomb of Ralph Assheton 1650, Middleton, Yorkshire.
Even in a reduced form, such armor often weighed more than those that protected only from cold weapons. It was all very hard to wear. The cuirassier's armor, which weighed 42 kg, has survived, as well as the classic knight's armor! These armor protected from bullets reliably enough, but at a certain distance, but their weight was too great and sometimes, when the rider fell from the saddle, led to injuries.
Helmet "sweat" ("pot") or "lobster tail".
That is why, after the middle of the 17th century, the English cavalry used largely lightweight armor that had nothing in common with knightly ones. The "cavaliers" and "round-headed" horsemen of parliament wore a helmet called "sweat". Instead of a visor, an expanding nose was made or an overlap made of metal strips. The cuirass covered the back and chest, the left arm up to the elbow - a bracer, below - a plate glove, and in the "cheap" army of parliament, even this "excess" the riders were deprived of. Dragoons, musketeers, equestrian arquebusiers did not have protective armor (even the brave guards of King Louis XIII).
Musketeers of Louis XIII 1625-1630 Drawing by Graham Turner.
We can say that the emergence and development of European plate weapons was completed after the middle of the 17th century, and even more so by 1700. True, in combat practice, individual elements of armor were still used. Over a long period of time, weapons developed and by 1649 the "traditional" form was defined: pikemen (infantry) - cuirass, legguards, morion helmet; musketeers (occasionally) - a helmet and nothing more; cavalry - cuirass and helmet, (often only the front part remained from the cuirass). Pikemen could have gloves with thick leather leggings that could protect their hands from splinters from the pike shaft.
Changes affected in England and armor for the nobility, made in the late 16th - early 17th centuries. After 1580, the "pea pod" (the form of a cuirass) was borrowed from Italy, but after 20 years the "pea" was abandoned. The helmet could be rotated on the gorget; the back and chest plates were riveted from separate strips, this provided good mobility for the wearer of the armor. Craftsmen added a one-piece forged chest plate to reinforce the armor, which was attached to the top. Lamellar legguards were attached directly to the cuirass. The glove's fingers were separated, they were protected by metal plates that went over each other. Chain-mail shoes had metal toes.
Cuirassier armor of the late 16th century Cleveland Museum of Art.
The development of armor continued under Queen Elizabeth, but at the same time there were a lot of all sorts of additional details: a chest plate, a buff head, on the left side a special "guard" was put on the arm and part of the shell (used for tournaments). Bourguignot dressed with a buff that protected the neck and lower part of the face. This armor was very expensive. Leggings became rougher and more massive, because they were worn over boots, and they needed to be even more spacious. They disappeared from use in battle almost completely, like the sabatons, but the leggings were still worn in a set of armor.
Helmet 1650 - 1700 Weight 2152 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
In France, King Henry IV, by decree in 1604, banned full knightly armor. Later in 1620, the visor of the helmet of the English rider was a lattice of various types of rods. And for the cuirassier helmet there was an Italian "dead head" - a special form with a visor with slots in the form of a skull.
A helmet with such a "face" not only protected, but also frightened!
A novelty was the “cavalier” helmet (it became widespread in England in 1642-1649 during the Civil War). It looked like a hat with a wide brim, it had a sliding nose. Sappers at the end of the 16th and up to the 18th centuries wore special types of armor, because they had to work under enemy fire and were interested in protecting more than other soldiers. Bulletproof helmets were a special type of protection at the end of the era of knightly armor. They were made for the commanders who watched siege operations from cover (no one wants to expose their head under enemy shots).
Tombstone from the grave of Alexander Newton 1659, Brasiworth, Suffolk.
