Arming A Knight of Plate Armor

Arming a Knight in Plate Armor was quite a task.  It took time, and required some outside help in the form of the Knight's Squire.  Take a look at this video of the steps the squire had to go through to get the Knight suited up and ready for battle!

Mobility and Plate Armor

There are a lot of misconceptions about Plate Armor that exist among the modern population, Gamers included.  Many believe that a Knight when knocked over was rendered all but helpless, unable to stand back up because his movement was so restricted by by his armor.  That just isn't true.  Was their movement and vision impaired because of their armor and helm?  Of course.  But if it restricted it to that degree a Knight would have had a different set of Plate commissioned.  Remember Armor smiths made the armor to fit the man.  It was precision work. Many pieces on the armor were articulated so that the Knight could stay mobile even when fully armored.  A Knight needed to move and be mobile on the battlefield, and that mobility could mean the difference between life and death. 

Here is a video demonstrating what I'm talking about.  Mike Loades is a noted military historian and in this video he demonstrates how quickly a Knight can be knocked from his horse, stand back up, and be ready to fight all while wearing Plate Armor.

Armor of Britain

I came across this on Youtube today.  It is a great look at Armor and its advancement in the middle ages.  It deal primarily with Mail and Plate Armor and goes as far as demonstrating how each stands up to the various types of weapons available to warriors of the time.  








There are more parts so if you are enjoying this look for the others on YouTube.

Plate Armor

Want to see what masterwork Plate Armor looks like?  Check out this suite of Plate from 1520 made for King Henry the VIII.  It is exceptional and has no visible gaps in the plate.  The articulation is kind of staggering.  Even more staggering is the fact that he never used it!  Henry meant to wear it at a tournament in France at the Field of Cloth of Gold in 1520, but the rules for foot combat were changed so the armor was left unused. 

It isn't a total waste, as it shows up what master armor smiths were capable of at that period. 

Camelot: A Quality Show That Utterly Fails

I love the Arthurian legend.  Reading books about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table is what sparked my love of books and the immortal film Excalibur was my favorite film as a child.   So I was excited recently when I got a chance to watch the first three episodes that have aired for Starz's new show, Camelot.

Awful

I am happy to report that Camelot is a very well produced show, an interesting take on the Arthurian Legend, and has some great acting.  I am less happy to report that the shows utterly fails because of terrible casting.  I don't mean in terrible casting in general.  Nope, I have someone specific in mind when I say it, and his name is Jamie Campbell Bower.  Unfortunately, Jamie Campbell Bower plays King Arthur, who is kind of a central character, and he is killing the show.  Not all miscasts will ruin an entire project, but this one is.  Bower is just aweful as Arthur, it really is that simple.

The other actors do a great job, especially  Joseph Fiennes who plays Merlin.  The show's take on the classic character is one of the things that kept me watching despite their horrid portrayal of Arthur.  Rather than a wise, old, benevolent Wizard Merlin is more of a seemingly immortal, manipulative, arrogant, and rude politician.  Merlin manipulates Arthur, who is little more than his stooge, into following his plan for the realm.

In the end Camelot is a quality show and one you should check out, but only if you can get past the awful portray of Arthur (certainly no easy task).  The show skirts the line between the historical, where the country's Roman past is of consistent importance, and the the fantastical, where magic (albeit subtle) plays a role in the shaping of the plot.  It makes for an interesting mix. 

A Window into the Wars of the Roses

Roleplayers and Wargamers spend a lot of time wondering what it must have been like to be on a medieval battlefield.  What would it be like to witness two massive armies clashing on the battlefield with nothing less than life or death stakes.  

Thanks to Cylopeatron for posting a link to this amazing article from the Economist which offers a lot of insight into what these types of battles were like through the window of a single battle during the Wars of the Roses.

The battle in question, perhaps one of the bloodiest battles in English history, took place in a small village named Towton, located between York and Leeds.  There two massive armies clashed on March 29th 1461.  How many men are we talking about?  Well it's a medieval battle so one might think the the conflict would have been small, especially by modern standards.  One would be wrong.  It is estimated that as many as 75,000 men took part in the fighting that day.  An epic clash that rivals even the sprawling battles found in a fantasy series such as George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, itself heavily influenced by the Wars of the Roses.

The Article has a wealth of information that fans of history are sure to enjoy, Including the tale of one casualty of the battle, christened "Towton 25" by researchers,  who met a grisly end.  I highly recommend you go and read the article, it is definitely worth your time, and may make you think differently about how you handle large scale conflict in your games.