Coat of plates
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A coat of plates (also known in the European Middle Ages as a pair of plates)[1] is a form of torso armour consisting of metal plates sewn or riveted to a cloth or leather backing. The plates number anywhere from eight or ten to the hundreds depending on their size. The plates overlap but usually only enough to guarantee full coverage even when moving around and fighting. The coat of plates is similar to several other armours such as scale armour and brigandine. Unlike scale armour which has plates on the outside or splint armour in which plates can be inside or outside, a coat of plates has the plates on the inside of the foundation garment. It is generally distinguished from a brigandine by having larger plates though there may be no distinction in some examples.
The coat of plates makes a fairly brief appearance in the history of European armour during the era of transitional armour, during a portion of the 14th century. The coat of plates was normally worn with a mail hauberk, a helmet of either the bascinet or great helm style (or both). Additionally limb defenses of hardened leather armour, plate armour and/or splint armour, frequently over mail, would be worn to complete the harness.
The coat of plates is known amongst the history re-enactors as Visby armour[citation needed] due to archaeological findings of this type of armour in Visby, Sweden. One of the best resources about coats of plates are the mass graves from the Battle of Visby. The Visby coats of plates display between 8 and some 600 separate plates fastened to their backings. [2] The mass grave from a battle in 1361 has yielded a tremendous number of intact armour finds including 24 distinct patterns of coat of plates style armour. Many of these were older styles similar to the armoured surcoat discussed below.
The coat of plates likely developed from the armoured surcoat, such as seen on the 1250 St. Maurice coat.[1] These consisted of metal plates rivetted to the inside of a surcoat, or between two layers of textile or thin leather. The plates did not overlap but the armour is otherwise similar. This type of armour is also documented in norse written sources from around 1250: Tbe Konungs skuggsjácalls it a Briost Bjorg and specifies that is should cover the area between the nipples and the belt, and the later Hirdskraa of the 1270s calls it a Plata. The former source informs us that the armour should be worn beneath the Hauberk, which can explain why this form of armour so seldomly appears in illustrations and statuary before the late 13th century.
The terracotta warriors excavated from the tomb of Qin Shi Huang are known to be wearing lacquered coat of plates armor.
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- Edge, David; John Miles Paddock [1988] (1993). Arms & Armor of the Medieval Knight, Crescent Books reprint, New York: Crescent Books. ISBN 0-517-10319-2.
- Thordeman, Bengt [1939] (2001). Armour from the Battle of Wisby, 1361, Chivalry Bookshelf reprint, Chivalry Bookshelf. ISBN 1-891448-05-6.
- Counts, David. "Examination of St. Maurice Coat of Plates", The Arador Armour Library, retrieved 3/22/07
