Worcester Art Museum

The knight in shining armor conjures hundreds of images. While the Middle Ages lasted roughly one thousand years (500-1500 CE), the steel plate armor associated with the knight was only in use from 1350 CE onwards. Why did knights change from using mail armor to plate armor? How did the armors work? Learn about the development of armor and its usefulness during a time of changing battle techniques.

These arms are typical of a mounted warrior in the "Sudanic" region of Africa (the belt of grasslands just south of the Sahara). This area was heavily influenced by Islam during the Middle Ages, and many Africans converted to the new religion. They also adopted Islamic styles of arms and armor. This mail shirt, small round shield, and conical helmet are all characteristically Islamic, although here adapted to specifically African styles. The cross-hilted sword resembles European types, but in fact derives from the straight-bladed swords used by Arabs during the Middle Ages.

Large rings, riveted, flattened, somewhat worn. Rings relatively lightweight. Round rivets, proud of surface; rectangular rivet holes. 8 mm int. dia, 10 mm ext. Open in front. Sleeves c. 28 cm. Arms enlarge towards the wrists.

This fine armor is homogenous, with each piece original and made for the suit, and we actually know who made it, when, and for whom. The letters S and R on the nape of the helmet are for Stefan Rormoser of Innsbruck, who finished the armor in 1554 according to the date on the breastplate center. His client was the distinguished Austrian nobleman, Franz von Teuffenbach of Styria. Teuffenbach is represented on the breastplate by the armored man kneeling before a crucifix, but this image is found on many armors of the period, and is not necessarily a portrait of the owner. Under the front of the left shoulder is etched the diamond-shaped image of the Berberorden (“Order of the Berbers”), commemorating Teuffenbach’s service against the Algerian Berbers in 1535. He also campaigned against the French in 1536, the Ottoman Turks in 1543, and served in various governmental functions in the Holy Roman Empire.

This helmet represents a local African version of a widespread Islamic style. Its pointed bowl and mail neckguard can be compared to the nearby Indian kulah khud, but the conical form and arrow-shaped noseguard are typically Sudanic. This is a particularly fine example that still retains much of its original gold-covered surface. It was certainly made for a high-ranking military leader.

The pollaxe was designed for knights fighting on foot. The stout thrusting tip could pierce through the gaps in an opponent’s armor, without being broken off between the sturdy steel plates. The stout axeblade delivered a powerful blow that could damage armor and cleave bone. The cleated hammerhead was designed to gain a purchase on the surface of armor, which was always designed with rounded shapes that made it harder to get a solid hit. Yet this deadly weapon is also decorated with the elongated and cusped tracery of Gothic art, echoing the look of medieval cathedrals.

This painting depicts the passage in Virgil’s Aeneid, where Venus, accompanied by Cupid, appeals to her husband Vulcan to make armor for her son Aeneas. The painting also praises the Renaissance metalworker, whose wide range of products are represented, from jewelry to arms and armor. The tools are those used by armorers, including hammers, anvils and large shears for cutting metal plate. At the right, assistants operate tilt-hammers, and behind them, “millmen” polish with grinding and buffing wheels. The subject depicted here is taken from antiquity. As recorded in the Aeneid, Venus, the Roman goddess of love, asks her husband Vulcan, the god of metalworking, to make armor for her son, Aeneas. This scene, however, celebrates metalworking as it was executed in the Renaissance. Every stage of the craft is depicted: laborers dig iron ore from bogs; smelters extract iron from the ore; water-powered triphammers beat slag out of the metal; hammermen flatten the iron into plates; and the master craftsman—Vulcan himself—shapes the metal into its final form before it goes to the water-powered polishing wheels. Strewn about are metal products that range from arms and armor to coins and kitchenware.

Half-armor with detailed decoration throughout.

Composite suit of armor with some modern restorations.

Double-edged blade with a crocodile skin hilt. The sword is accompanied by its leather scabbard.

Leaf-shaped spear with thuluth script etched onto the spear head.

One panel from the wings of a triptych, depicting Saint George who is usually represented holding a spear (right hand) and a shield (resting against his left side).

Statue of St. George in Gothic armor carved in fruitwood. Traces of paint are visible at the eyes.

The Development of Medieval Armor Over Time

We can learn from looking at arms and armor objects from the past. There are a limited number of full sets of armor left from the past. Look at the slides of these armor pieces and watch the video about the Teuffenbach Field Armor (Higgins Armory Collection, 2014.80). The video and slides show that the Teuffenbach Field Armor is a unique artifact of the past.

The Development of Medieval Armor Over Time

With the slides and the video about this pollaxe, think about the form and function of this weapon.

The Development of Medieval Armor Over Time

Workshop of Jan Brueghel the Elder, "Venus at the Forge of Vulcan," 1606–1623, oil on oak panel, The John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection, 2014.101

The Development of Medieval Armor Over Time

French, Ceremonial Half-Armor with "Repoussé" Decoration, about 1580-1610, steel with traces of gilding, leather, The John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection, 2014.70

The Development of Medieval Armor Over Time

German, after Albrecht Dürer, Knight, Death and the Devil, 1500s, engraving on cream laid paper, Gift of Robert F. Johnson, 1994.300