Kingdom of Jerusalem -Arms and Armor

[matmohair1]

The following are equipment used by the crusaders & their evolution between the 11th & 13th centuries - good luck !

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11th century

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12th century

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13th century

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[matmohair1]

more uniforms and armor - different periods

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[matmohair1]

The Military Orders & Banners in Detail

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[Archraze]

Awsome stuff

[matmohair1]

Warrior Bishop

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Armor & Helmets 12th - 13th century

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[matmohair1]

More Helmet Styles



1-German 1100
2 - French 1120
3,4,5,6 - German years 1195-1200.
7 - German 1214
8 - English 1214
9 - German 1217
10 - French 1230
11 - German 1250
12.12 a - German 1260
13 - English 1220
14 - French 1270
15.16 - The British end of 13 century
17, 18 - The French end of 13 century



1 - Italian
2 - German
3 - French
4 - French 1310
5 - German 1318
6 - French 1340 Mr
7 - German
8, 9, 10 - French 1370
11 - English
12 - Flanders
13 - French 1380
14 - Bishop's Hat
15 - French 1400

Note: the dates attributed to the helmets reflect the app. date of the supposed individual object's manufacture
& not the starting date of a particular style

http://gorod.crimea.edu/librari/ricari_sred/04.html

[megalitho]

5 and 6 don´t look very adequate for battle... but interesting

[matmohair1]

11th century knights, a new understanding of the Bayeux Tapestry from a Russian military magazine illustrations by Igor Dzys
- bishop Odo
- Breton knight
- Norman knight

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[matmohair1]

knights, Men-at-Arms & Crusader Bishop

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[Dago Red]

Not sure I've seen this weapon before - mace/club. Upper right corner, shaft is horizontal and the business end dangling down over the round shield behind.

Looks to be a horseman's weapon, gives enough reach to extend away from the mount and fling the bludgeon down upon various heads as one rides by (the design would not serve any real purpose on foot, unless it is for flinging around a defenders shield -- such as the bent Thracian blades of antiquity were thought to be used to defeat an opponent's shield by simply avoiding it altogether -- but the familiar ball and chain mace seems better suited). It would be awesome to see that as one of the variants wielded by mace armed mounted Crusader knights.

11th century

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[matmohair1]

its a flail - it started as a peasant's tool, then an infantry's weapon and later evolved into the morning star used by knights

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flail_%28weapon%29

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[Dago Red]

Ah, that's the word I was looking for earlier, to call it a mace/flail not a mace/club. It just doesn't fit the idea of a flail I had growing up... mostly due to drawings in D&D books. I picture them as a single or multiple iron balls dangling from chains of various lengths from a wooden shaft.

Thanks for clearing that up! That explains is awkward design too, that particular one being an agricultural weapon barely removed from it's origins. I say BC needs some flails -- simple ones like that for peasantry/levy troops and a more militarized one for some mace armed professionals!

[matmohair1]

Early Dawn of the Crusades

[matmohair1]

knights of the Third Crusade - 12th century

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[Dago Red]

These are some great depictions but where are they from, what are their sources? I ask because they don't all look like the usual spots, and these last 2 have extremely modern dates. Can you list the provenance or the origins of the heraldry and weapons/armor from the images?

[matmohair1]

I got the artwork from a few Russian websites & history forums

the last 2 illustrations are actually of late Norman knights of the 12th century
its in the the 12th century that visors became common while great helms were only widely available during the 13th century
additional 13th century equipment include, greaves, gauntlets, shoulder pads & coats of plates

plate armor, sabatons, bassinets & sallets only seem to have appeared after the 14th century

[CtrlAltDe1337]

Great stuff man, thanks for sharing.

[matmohair1]

Norman Knight - 11th century

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The Normans (derived from North-man) were northern Germanic tribes
inhabiting the Scandinavian peninsula and Denmark. They were isolated
from the other Germanic tribes, and developed without much outside
influence. Conditions of life were difficult because of the barren ground,
and these tribes had turned early to the sea; able sailors, they raided the
coasts and islands of the North Sea and Atlantic countries. In the ninth
century, they left their homeland en masse and moved towards Europe in
search of a better existence.
The Frankish state could not stand up to the incursion of several large
groups of Normans along the Seine valley into central France. In 911, King
Charles III ('the Simple') ceded them land which was named Normandie
after its new inhabitants. There they found feudalism, and, with their
inborn sense of organization, they developed an economic basis sufficient to
support a powerful military caste (milites). Although similar processes were
going on throughout Europe, the Normans paid most attention to
knighthood and chivalry.
Norman raiders gave a new dimension to mounted warfare, which
became deadlier than ever before, and during the next four centuries,
infantry could not deal with the Norman attacks. The secret was in the
sheer strength of their attack with lances. Three elements contributed to
this: a high wooden saddle with a protective pommel, fastened with two
leather straps, one crossing the horse's chest, the other its belly; the rider's
straight-legged position; and gripping the lance (when used) tightly between
the chest and upper arm. Never before had saddle been fastened to horse so
firmly, rider planted in the saddle so securely, and lance gripped so tightly;
never before had the impact of fully equipped rider and horse been
transmitted so strongly. Equally, a rider thus firmly anchored could
withstand a stronger lance blow without being unseated.
However, there were drawbacks to this arrangement. The deeply
ensconced rider, with legs outstretched, had only limited lateral mobility,
and was more vulnerable to attack from the sides and back; also, he could
not stand in the saddle to deliver strong and far-reaching sword strikes.
These shortcomings had to be compensated for in other ways: primarily by
better rider protection and increased control of the horse.
The mail hauberk grew in size (it now weighed up to 15 kg/33 lb),
reaching the knees, and full-length sleeves were added. The rider's left side
was protected with a kite-shaped shield, which was held in the hand, but,
because of its great weight, the shield strap was slung over the right
shoulder.
In this era of knights, there was increasing dependence on their horses,
and their choice, breeding and training gained steadily in importance.

Knight - 12th century

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In twelfth century England, France and Germany, the profile of members
of the caste of mounted warriors was clearly defined. The close connection
between knights and their mounts is apparent in the words for them in
various languages: from the French cheval (horse), we have chevalier,
cavaliere (Italian), and caballero (Spanish); the German word for knight ritter
(rider) was the basis for the Polish rycer. Only in English was the etymology
different; knight comes from the Anglo-Saxon cniht, meaning household
retainer or servant.
In the life of a knight, the horse occupied a position of great importance,
and was, literally, his right-hand companion. Horses were led by knights or
their squires on their right-hand sides, and this was the origin of the term
destrier for war-horse.
The medieval knight occupied a precisely defined position in society; his
relationship with his superiors and inferiors was codified. He was primarily
a warrior, and his rank, authority and obligations derived from this fact. He
owed certain duties and obligations to his feudal liege (although free from
feudal taxes), and certain obligations and duties were due to him from his
serfs. His position and wealth depended on the size of his fiefdom, but a
significant source of his income was war booty.
In the beginning, knighthood could be conferred by another knight, but
as the feudal system developed this turned into a privilege of the sovereign,
and became linked with religious ritual. This hierarchy of authority was
important to a ruler, because without his knights he was powerless to
enforce his will.
The norms for behavior among knights were set down in a code of
chivalry, but this did not govern their behavior towards other classes,
except for biblical injunctions of mercy to the weak and charity to the poor.
Induction into the knighthood was a special ceremony. The ancestry and
military prowess of the candidates were important, and it was rare indeed
for an outstanding warrior not of noble birth to become a knight. The sons
of knights and noblemen began serving as pages at court or with another
knight at the age of seven. At 14 they became squires, and at 21 they were
proposed for induction into the knighthood.

Knight Hospitaller - 13th century

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The name 'Crusades' is used for a series of military expeditions organized by
the Christian states of central and western Europe against the Muslims of
the Middle East from the eleventh to the thirteenth centuries, and the
struggle to preserve and expand the territories conquered. The immediate
cause of the Crusades was the expansion of the Saljuq Turks into the Middle
East and Asia Minor. In 1095, at Piacenza, Byzantine representatives
addressed the Church Council, explaining the danger from the Saljuq Turks.
Their capture of Jerusalem made pilgrimages, which had gone on
undisturbed for centuries, much more difficult. At the Council in
Clermont, in 1095, Pope Urban II called on the faithful to liberate the tomb
of Christ in Jerusalem.
At first, Orders of Knights were founded with the funding and assistance
of the Catholic church. They started out as charities, but after the
reorganization of 1118-20 became military institutions. Members of the
military Orders were divided into knights, priests and serving brethren, and
each Order was headed by a grand master, directly subordinated to the
pontiff.
The best-known Orders were the Templars and Hospitallers, founded in
Jerusalem, and the Teutonic Knights, founded in Palestine, but there were
numerous lesser ones: Calatrava, Santiago, Alcantra, St George of Alfama,
San Stefano of Tuscany, Brethren of the Sword, and so on.
The Order of Red Knights of St John of Jerusalem was founded in 1070 as
a charitable institution: Hospice of St John the Almoner of Jerusalem, with
the aim of treating the wounded and ill soldiers and pilgrims, hence the
name Hospitallers. Baldwin of Boulogne, third ruler of Jerusalem,
supported the hospital; after vanquishing an Egyptian force, he endowed it
with one tenth of the booty, setting an example which was followed for a
long time. The funds which the Order acquired were sufficient to set up a
chain of hospitals in the Holy Land.
In 1113, the Hospitallers were established as an independent religious
order by papal bull. According to their charter, members were free to fight,
if necessary, to protect their hospitals. In 1130, another papal order decreed a
white cross on a red background as their flag, and the white cross on their
black mantles became their symbol. In 1248, the mantle was replaced by a
more practical black coat with the cross on the front.
In 1142, the Order had eight castles, the best-known of which was Krak
des Chevaliers, with a crew of 200 knights and sergeants. The Hospitallers
and Templars were the best fighting force in the Holy Land in this period,
and were always placed in the position of honour in the battle order - the
right wing.

[matmohair1]

Strange looking early Great-helms with movable visors

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12TH CENTURY



13TH CENTURY

[AnthoniusII]

Too bad i can not see most of them.
Photobucket has a small free limit...
If you have a lot of pictures upload them in imageshack.