I am wearing a modified mail armor sponsored by lords of battles: medieworld.com/product/flat-ring-chainmail-hauberk-shirt-riveted-and-alternating-id-9mm-stainless-steel/ Greetings Dequitem
Hallo dequitem, du bist leider total falsch was den Überhand/ Arm Griff anbelangt, das wichtige ist das du beim zustechen den speer nur zwischen Daumen Zeige und Mittelfinger hällst, ähnlich wie beim werfen, so das der Speer waagerecht bleibt ohne das du dein Handgelenk knicken musst. diesen Griff finden wir auch in unzähligen Zeichungen von damals wieder. Was wichtig ist ist das Kämpfe mit Spear und Schild ja vorallem in der Gruppe in teils enger Formation stattfinden, dementsprechend kann man nur über die Schulter stechen. Hier nochmal als Viedo: th-cam.com/video/MD2l4T0rpDY/w-d-xo.html
@@giftzwerg7345 hi, du hast da einen Punkt, ja im Video zeige ich einen sehr starren Griff und versuche nicht mal richtig zuzustechen, das liegt eher daran, dass ich die Aufnahme dreimal machen musste (Kamera Probleme). Also ja man kann da noch einiges an Reichweite rausholen, aber man wird niemals die selbe Griff Kraft und mit gleicher Reichweite erhalten. Lediglich in sehr enger Formation oder wenn man sich die Möglichkeit zum Wurf offen halten möchte, kann ein Überhandgriff wie du es nennst sinnvoll sein. Legst du es darauf an, mehrfach aus verschiedenen Winkeln mit voller reichweite zu stechen ist ein konventioneller Griff, wie ich ihn im Video bevorzuge, deutlich sinnvoller. Auch historische Gemälde widersprechen dem nicht und sind oft uneindeutig welche handstellung oder ob ein Stich oder Wurf gezeigt wird. Manchmal ist es sinnvoll auch in Stichreichweite unter 3 Metern seine Speer zu werfen um so den Gegner zu überraschen und schneller zur Zweitwaffe zu greifen. Liebe Grüße Dequitem.
I'd love to get some input from you regarding something. Historically we know that a knight didn't always fight alone; for example in many chronicles or lists a "lance" meant a tactical unit of sorts which at minimum consisted of a knight/man at arms, a fighting squire/coustilier (demi lancer), and a page or noncombatant valet. These units functioned as either cavalry or fought on foot. My question is how does fighting as a two man team change the dynamic of armored fighting especially when there is asymmetry in gear? For example let's say the man at arms is in full harness but the coustillier is in mail and brigandine (maybe also with shield). I'd love to know your thoughts on how the weapons could synergize and support each other. An example that comes to mind is the squire using a billhook to catch a leg to pull the enemy off balance and make them vulnerable to a powerful blow from the knight's poleaxe etc. Love your channel and thank you for the literal blood and sweat you put into your videos!
I think it's debatable, though. I'd just call it equipment, as a more neutral term. Good shield use incorporates bashing, o even thrusting if it has a pointed end. Thinking of it like armor, in my opinion, sets you up to be more passive with it. A shield, same as a sword, is a tool for combat, after all!
@@TrueForkYou beat me to it! I was goong to mention I had the same sudden realization in this video. The nasal protection has always been somewhat of a mystery to me. A stabbing strike at the face, if it hits the nasal guard, it seems likely it would be channeled either right or left directly into the eyes. And a slashing strike from the side would impact the cheekbone before the guard. In a slashing strike from above it doeant offer any protection at all. Son I always wondered, why bother? Status symbol maybe, high fashion perhaps. But I always felt there was little practical usefulness. Then like a flash of light I see the way he holds his shield! The top rim is going to be right there, inches away from the bridge of his nose as he looks over it. Immediately I thought, man, if that shield gets rammed right up into his own face thats going to really going to...wait a minute!!
@@volcajohann A shield is difinitively a defensive *weapon.* But it does work armour. The different is that it's a tool whic provide protection, and it is nt a worn piece in the same way that armour is.
I really, really appreciate that you provide these videos in English. It makes thise types of content accessable to so many people, and the effort you put in to using a language which isn't your native tongue is admirable. Thank you, again. Fight on and stay safe! Your content is inpiring :)
@@Nicko69140 Well the average person thinks "vikings" were a race and culture. So I guess there's that. Calling them Normans would just confuse people. Its sad but probably the biggest reason.
I need to show this to my training partners so I won't kill them so often anymore. ^^ But seriously, very interesting to see pre-renaissance stuff. Late medieval kit is fancy but there is some simplistic beauty in the earlier style.
This is so cool! In a way it kind of seems like later period plate armors were more of a technological development via tradeoffs: less mobility, and less convenience (need squire to put on and take off plates). But with those disadvantages you get overall better protection. But that doesn't mean plate armor is necessarily better than mail armor. Clearly the defense you get with mail and the padding underneath is way better than most tend to assume it would be.
I defenetly had better mobility with only the mail armor, but it wasn't significant and the plate armor feels much better and don't tire you out that fast, because the plates sit more on your hip and not at the shoulders. So I defenetly prefer the plate armor.
aside from protection, the plate armor allows you to drop the shield and use two handed weapons on foot, and could have supports for the heavy cavalry lance
On the contrary, plate armor is objectively better than mail. Better protection, better comfort. If it wasn't, people wouldn't have stopped using mail except in the locations where it's impossible to use rigid plates
I think what you are doing is great!...... simple, straight-forward, practical information. Well, practical in a very unpractical way. But! you never know if you might wake up in the 12th century one morning!?! ....and I wanna be prepared!
High Middle Age (Norman, Late Viking, Saxon) combat, was designed around the "shield wall", hence the large body cover shield. The armor depicted would apply only to high status members of the realm. The basic soldiers of the Fird shield wall would wear much cruder helmets (if any) and leather jerkin for body protection. Their survival depended on the shields of the men to either side of him. I would bet that in a single combat situation, the large shield would have been discarded in favor of a smaller round shield or a two handed weapon like a large axe. I also believe that leather gloves with metal studs would have been as important as the helmet in kitting up for battle.
I'd also like to know how these combat techniques change when fighting in mass formation rather than a one on one duel. Is it closer to that of a hoplite than a legionaire from the 2nd century CE?
@@dequitem Same person, Harold Godwinson is Harold the II (of England). I just know him by the name Harold Godwinson best. Died at Hastings during the Battle of Hastings.
Nice stuff as always! I parttake in early medieval combat trainings myself so its always so nice to see how other people figure out how to make it relatively safe
Man, it is really cool to share us different kind of eras and armors. Could you please continue with this kind of video? Like, Byzantine, Turkish and Frankish armors from the same era? (lamellar amors for example too)
I like how he talks about not getting injured than panders to a real knight with a Polarm, breaking his back. 7:35 breaks shoulder plate 10:25 breaks your jaw 11:12 knocked the wind out of you. Good thing your wearing bonus armor to protect your arms, hands neck and face.
The interesting thing is that the logic behind the augmentation to the mail is similar to the transitional plates added to mail over the periods, particularly grieves, upper vambraces, gorget, and gull faced or visored helmets.
As a big fan of S.M. Stirling's Dies the Fire book series, it is fascinating to see a medieval re-creator show how Norman armor would be recreated to be used in combat...which is exactly what happens in part of the books. When Dequitem lowers the kite shield to just below his eye-line, and I got a real rush of remembrance reading those books.
Hi Dequitem! Long time lurker here, only recently got around to comment lol. I would LOVE for you to cover more “mail era” armors/shields/helmets, albeit there isn’t as much variety as later 13th or 14th C. Transitional armor, you are THE ONE who can highlight its nuances. Cheers
How about attacking/protecting the legs. You are probably familiar with the battle at Visby in 1361. I seem to recall, that he mass graves of the fallen gotlanders showed many leg injuries. Some even had both lower legs cut off in one blow... Great show by the way!
Yes and that's defenetly an issue with this armor. Sure the triangular shield helps a lot but in a battle that's an issue. I didn't noticed till now that I didn't talked about leg strikes.
@@BelieverOfChrist2 Not really. Norman knights didn't have much in terms of leg protection, but the mail would typically cover the top of the legs, sometimes up to the knee. The teardrop shields could also be a bit longer. The one I trained with would cover my whole leg (but not both legs at the same time, however, the second one would be further away). You can typically protect the leg OR the head with the shieldn, but not both.
@@alexandreboureau6175 the kite shield does a good job at protecting the legs maybe, but i still don't see why they would choose to not wear any leg armour at all, not like it makes you much slower probably not universal, some probably did, others didn't
Hey Dequitem, I've got some comments to make on the overarm spear grip. From the Medieval artwork we have available where spear and shield are shown being used, in almost every case the warriors are depicted with their fingers extended where the spear appears to be supported only by their fingers. This indicates that the spear is meant to be partially thrown but without letting go of it and using your fingers guide it. From personal experience, this way of thrusting allows me to use most of the attack angles effectively that would also be available with the overarm grip. It is possible to strike from below with the overhand but it is quite awkward and without much power. Some advantages of the overhand are the fact that strikes from above and to the right around your opponent's shield are more structurally stable, you can more easily control your opponent's weapon with the shaft, the strikes from your left side, which are also more structurally stable, can be executed without the back end of the shaft getting in the way and also it is better when the opponent is very close to you where the spear can be used almost as a dagger, from above. In Medieval art, most of the time the spear is held in the overhand grip and when we see it being used in the underhand one, it seems to be against cavalry, sometimes the infantrymen hold the spear couched against the horsemen. ThegnThrand demonstrates many of my points here in his videos and Schildwache Potsdam shows the partisan and rotella being used in duels, in the overhand grip, and showcase some of the teachings of Antonio Manciolino. I strongly recommend you to check them out.
I know the videos. But in duels I made other experiences. I also like a stronger grip around my spear to not lose it from strikes to the shaft. That's hard with the overhand where only the fingers guide the spear. With the medival paintings it's hard to tell if they prepare the self for throwing the spear or thrusting. But sure use what's fits better to you!
@@dequitemThere is a long debate if in the artwork they are supposed to be throwing it or not. I believe that they did both depending on the situation. Regardless, while the underarm grip might be your preferred way of holding the spear, I think that in the video you undersold the overarm grip quite massively, and that is why I posted my first comment.
What’s your dream armor set? A combination of cultures and styles that both offer maximum protection and style? Of course, the former is more important.
Viking Berserker Style, nude with only a Bearskull on your Head .😁 Furious, screaming, Out of Control Mode , running to the Fight Fear is half winning the battle 😉
@@NeurosenkavalierEmilSinclair you have seen the endfight in the movie Scarface ? "Say hello to my little friend"😁😅 Whats known is, that the Berserkers take also mushrooms and a whats-ever-in-it Drug Drink before they went to their Rage fight. 😉😁 That must be quite a quick and lucky shot.. remember, he is running towards you, screaming wildly with a big Axe in his Hands 👹👺😁
Dear Dequitem, I am writing a high fantasy novel, with a place called the ‘Kingdom of Garlan’. The Garlander culture is much akin to that of the Normans, and therefore, the armour will be as well, except for the Purple Guard of Edmonteschire, which I took creative liberties in giving lamellar/plate armour. If you wouldn’t mind describing a few techniques and what armour and weapons a knecht, a Sergeant-at-arms, and perhaps a levy were using, I’d appreciate it greatly, thank you.
I absolutely love riveted mail armor. I've a darkened steel 4-in-1 hauberk that I can wear all day, is battle-ready, and (reasonably) easy to don solo. You kit looks similar and IMO even better 🙂 Wonderful video!
I Absolutely love this video, and as a Norman I believe there is no possible way to overexpose our history and culture. This is an amazing love letter to the most important people in history. Well done
Fantastic video, I've enjoyed learning about the Normans for a long time now and their impact on history. This style of armor and weaponry has always been my personal favorite throughout the medieval period. I am curious if this style of spear is the same that they would use on horseback as a lance, and how fighting in this would look with an axe or a mace, but otherwise I feel like this is very educational.
Yes lances back then were essentially the same as spears used on foot. But all techniques with this are speculative since we have no surviving martial arts manuscripts dating back this early.
Looking at the shield I wonder if ever some of those warriors thought about painting some crazy distracting forms shapes on their shields. Bright colours and stuff with make your eyes get distracted.
What made the Normans such effective invaders? Who were their most important influences militarily and culturally? Did the same warriors who defeated the Anglo-Saxons in 1066 go onto fight the Anglo-Saxon exiles in the Mediterranean?
i love the practical aspects of your videos. do you have a video that explains how you and your partner choose -not- to strike in order to avoid serious injuries to the face/eyes? (fingers?)
During the Hastings campaign armour used by both sides used maille tassets of sorts to cover the groin and upper thigh better, cloth underlayer bound to the maille and a theory that there were tubular parts to protect above the knee of the leg as the leg wraps weren't that good against thrusts
Not tassets, a riding split in the middle of the hauberk's skirt. Some contention as to whether or not the hauberks were lined. No, there were no tubular mail shorts/onesies.
@@spades9681 the tapestry shows tubular extensions and flaps towards the top To get in you would climb through the top and seal the flap over The second theory was the split like you mention and some suggest those flaps were extra layers of maille Cloth lining suggested as looted bodies lack padding shown on the bottom of parts of the tapestry
@@theprancingprussian >the tapestry shows tubular extensions No, it doesn’t. No clue what you even mean. >extra laters of maille Nonsense, they’re typical hauberks >Cloth lining This is a less solid thing to argue either for or against but your argument is flawed. Firstly even with a lining one would wear clothes underneath a hauberk, the looted bodies being naked is just easier to understand at a glance. Secondly padding is in no way, shape, or form “necessary” for mail armor to function and, to be frank, I don’t believe the Normans used any, lined or not. There’s zero evidence for even standalone padding before the 12th century, let alone under-armor padding.
The set looks good! This is interesting from a movement perspective. And very cool to see. But as a true test of the armour's protection this is even more limited than the plate. Because you aren't using any sharps (or you better not be, we'd like to keep you around Dequitem!). We know from the sources that many of the thrusting swords with fine points, and the spears, and certainly the daggers _could_ penetrate mail, though of course not always, so I'm curious how you're "scoring" hits and really evaluating how the mail stands up to thrusts. It is impressive though the ways you've modified things to be as safe as possible. Though I think you may want to see if you can limit the sag on your arms as much as possible. I have heard that even a little bit can just make arm movement more taxing than it needs to be, and fitting it as close as you can to the body relieves this. Very good work, on a period that's relatively underrepresented.
I test different weapons against the mail armor and I will release a video to this topic soon. You will be surprised how hard it is to penetrate mail armor!
@@BelieverOfChrist2 Sure, but they existed during the period where mail predominated. Oakshott type xv's are found in art from the early 1200's, and became the standard only a little later, and regardless they were still fighting mail. What's really being tested is a predominantly shield and mail based defense system, not what a Norman Knight might actually encounter (after all, the person Dequitem was fighting was not kitted with what a Norman knight would typically fight against.) and one of the weapons (among the others I mentioned) that you would use against that system, would be a sword with a narrow tip. Are those more predominant a bit later than this? Yes. But they were developed to compete with mail, and kept being useful against plate because they could handle the mail in any exposed areas.
@@Lurklen this video is strictly about norman armour though what a norman knight would encounter could vary, they could encounter; axes, a lot of spears, swords, and arrows swords with a narrow tip were not widespread in this period, we could talk about later gun development and it's effect against armor, but the topic is strictly norman knights the swords with narrow tips also came in use due to early development of plate armour so how did they combat maille? spears or sturdy swords that could transfer some force into the rings, multiple hits and maybe you can create an opening but combat wasn't just focused on hitting the other dude where he is armoured the most
@@BelieverOfChrist2 Is it? "Today I am standing in full Norman Armour. Today I want to talk about how does it feel, to only fight in high medieval mail armour. And if it is possible to do this without big injuries." Because it sounds like what he said was that it was focused on if you could reliably fight in a high medieval mail and shield kit without getting injured, and he tested that in a Norman get up accordingly. No, combat wasn't focused on only trying to hit the most armoured parts of a body. But armour was focused on protecting the parts you were most likely to be hit, and least wanted to suffer an injury. While many weapons were designed to try to bypass that armour. The whole point of engaging in the kind of study Dequitem does, is to try to see how effective those weapons are against the various kinds of armour. One of those weapons might be a more pointed sword. "the swords with narrow tips also came in use due to early development of plate armour" The type xv, which is a sword with a narrow point, predates the prevalence of plate, but became more popular and ubiquitous (though, relatively few surviving examples exist, it is all over the place in art from across a broad period) and while it was helpful in mitigating plate, the way it did so was by being used on the mail in the gaps. I've seen it depicted as early as the 1220's. Which would be part of the High Medieval period he's looking at. And as its use was in defeating mail, and that is what he is testing, I brought it up. In his reply to me he said he had another video testing the mail against various weapons in the works. We'll see what he uses and finds.
Normans typically fought while mounted. I think the real victors of Hastings were the horses, not to mention Harold had defeated a Norwegian army just 2 weeks earlier.
People don’t talk about armor especially chainmail nearly as much as you should. A good set of armor plays just as much of a part in a fight as what weapon you’re using
I hoped you'd show the padding you wear under the armor. I hear people saying that the new consensus is that the gambeson is not as thick as those you can buy at the usual online shops. So I know how much is too much, but I couldn't find out how thick it should be. So, if you'd make a video on padding in the future, I can promise you a view. At least. ;)
@@BelieverOfChrist2 Well you gotta make some shortcuts. Although a full high medieval amour with crusader insignia would send a strong message ... hmmmh
Fascinating stuff. How heavy is this (including the shield) compared to late medieval full plate? To what extent would you say the shield can be used offensively, as a battering weapon?
@@dequitem Interesting. Is that mostly because of the shield, or because the weight of the hauberk is mostly on your shoulders rather than distributed better over your body?
I want to see a battle with Ottoman or Persian armour next. It's lighter than European 15th century armour, so I want to know how that affects fighting, and how it affects horse archery.
There never was an ottoman or any guy with ottoman armor with the fighting skill or balls to contact me. So unfortunately I can't make a video without an opponent.
Mail armor, the first medieval bling. Low Protection; High Charisma. 😎👌 What about Plate-Mail Armor? Mail armor with embedded plates like the Moro Armor from the Philippines. Your thoughts? Is it good? Is it bad? Or a bit of both? 🙃
It's nice against unarmored opponents but not a good choice against armored opponent. Also I don't like the many unleathal strikes. It is possible to tank some and go for a kill thrust.
Truly fascinating stuff! Your channel is such a gold mine for medieval enthusiast Quick question: can you share a bit more about your experience with heat when fighting in mail? For context: I own 2 set of hauberk(aluminum and stainless steel), and from wearing them as part of costumes, I always had a pretty bad experience trying to last very long in them due to the heat during summer, and had to drop any extra padding underneath (I was wearing just a linen shirt essentially, since I wasn’t doing combat). I can’t imagine how ppl deal with exhaustion and heat… Another question: any thoughts on tailored hauberk? I notice I have more comfortable movement of my arm and elbow after switching to a tailored shirt, but again since I don’t do real combat I don’t know how much of it actually matters… Thank you! Love to see more of this!
It may be counterintuitive, but padding under Mail Armor didn't seem to be that common. In iconography the knights are very well tailored if not anatomical in their mail armor. No room for padding. Also: if you wanted padding underneath, the mailarmor became more expensive and more heavy. I don't try to sell this as an absolute fact, but as a nice piece of an ongoing debate. I formyself think it is true that they did wear something very loght under the Mail, but not a Gambeson. If there is a source that says otherwise, I am very happy to look into it😊
I am wearing a modified mail armor sponsored by lords of battles:
medieworld.com/product/flat-ring-chainmail-hauberk-shirt-riveted-and-alternating-id-9mm-stainless-steel/
Greetings Dequitem
Hallo dequitem, du bist leider total falsch was den Überhand/ Arm Griff anbelangt, das wichtige ist das du beim zustechen den speer nur zwischen Daumen Zeige und Mittelfinger hällst, ähnlich wie beim werfen, so das der Speer waagerecht bleibt ohne das du dein Handgelenk knicken musst. diesen Griff finden wir auch in unzähligen Zeichungen von damals wieder. Was wichtig ist ist das Kämpfe mit Spear und Schild ja vorallem in der Gruppe in teils enger Formation stattfinden, dementsprechend kann man nur über die Schulter stechen.
Hier nochmal als Viedo: th-cam.com/video/MD2l4T0rpDY/w-d-xo.html
@@giftzwerg7345 hi, du hast da einen Punkt, ja im Video zeige ich einen sehr starren Griff und versuche nicht mal richtig zuzustechen, das liegt eher daran, dass ich die Aufnahme dreimal machen musste (Kamera Probleme).
Also ja man kann da noch einiges an Reichweite rausholen, aber man wird niemals die selbe Griff Kraft und mit gleicher Reichweite erhalten. Lediglich in sehr enger Formation oder wenn man sich die Möglichkeit zum Wurf offen halten möchte, kann ein Überhandgriff wie du es nennst sinnvoll sein. Legst du es darauf an, mehrfach aus verschiedenen Winkeln mit voller reichweite zu stechen ist ein konventioneller Griff, wie ich ihn im Video bevorzuge, deutlich sinnvoller. Auch historische Gemälde widersprechen dem nicht und sind oft uneindeutig welche handstellung oder ob ein Stich oder Wurf gezeigt wird. Manchmal ist es sinnvoll auch in Stichreichweite unter 3 Metern seine Speer zu werfen um so den Gegner zu überraschen und schneller zur Zweitwaffe zu greifen.
Liebe Grüße
Dequitem.
@@dequitem Test
I'd love to get some input from you regarding something. Historically we know that a knight didn't always fight alone; for example in many chronicles or lists a "lance" meant a tactical unit of sorts which at minimum consisted of a knight/man at arms, a fighting squire/coustilier (demi lancer), and a page or noncombatant valet. These units functioned as either cavalry or fought on foot. My question is how does fighting as a two man team change the dynamic of armored fighting especially when there is asymmetry in gear? For example let's say the man at arms is in full harness but the coustillier is in mail and brigandine (maybe also with shield). I'd love to know your thoughts on how the weapons could synergize and support each other. An example that comes to mind is the squire using a billhook to catch a leg to pull the enemy off balance and make them vulnerable to a powerful blow from the knight's poleaxe etc. Love your channel and thank you for the literal blood and sweat you put into your videos!
you may not agree but this is peak male fashion
Peak female fashion too.
Peak fashion, for everyone.
Agreed
@@fujiwaranomokou9213 didnt know females could be knights??
Deus Vult
@@BelieverOfChrist2 didnt know only knights could wear armor
Love the mentioning of the shield as part of the armor
I think it's debatable, though. I'd just call it equipment, as a more neutral term. Good shield use incorporates bashing, o even thrusting if it has a pointed end. Thinking of it like armor, in my opinion, sets you up to be more passive with it. A shield, same as a sword, is a tool for combat, after all!
Watching this I realized that the nose guard of the nasal helmet is there to protect your face from the top rim of your own shield
@@TrueForkYou beat me to it! I was goong to mention I had the same sudden realization in this video. The nasal protection has always been somewhat of a mystery to me. A stabbing strike at the face, if it hits the nasal guard, it seems likely it would be channeled either right or left directly into the eyes. And a slashing strike from the side would impact the cheekbone before the guard. In a slashing strike from above it doeant offer any protection at all. Son I always wondered, why bother? Status symbol maybe, high fashion perhaps. But I always felt there was little practical usefulness. Then like a flash of light I see the way he holds his shield! The top rim is going to be right there, inches away from the bridge of his nose as he looks over it. Immediately I thought, man, if that shield gets rammed right up into his own face thats going to really going to...wait a minute!!
@@RomanHoliday53 >In a slashing strike from above it doeant offer any protection at all.
Yes, that was the purpose of a mail coif
@@volcajohann A shield is difinitively a defensive *weapon.* But it does work armour. The different is that it's a tool whic provide protection, and it is nt a worn piece in the same way that armour is.
I really, really appreciate that you provide these videos in English. It makes thise types of content accessable to so many people, and the effort you put in to using a language which isn't your native tongue is admirable. Thank you, again. Fight on and stay safe! Your content is inpiring :)
Thank you!
0:39 "This armour set is based." - Dequitem
The Normans are so incredibly impactful on history. I think they are under appreciated in popular media.
Looking forward to the video!
Agreed
It depends if you count vikings.
I agree they are not really linked together in pop culture.
@@Nicko69140 Well the average person thinks "vikings" were a race and culture. So I guess there's that. Calling them Normans would just confuse people. Its sad but probably the biggest reason.
The Normans are underappreciated? In Anglophone society? Are you serious?
@@tedhodge4830 no. You caught me. I made this entire post just to get under your skin
Thank you so much for pursuing more Norman armour instead of just discarding after one video. Normans are my favorite culture
I need to show this to my training partners so I won't kill them so often anymore. ^^
But seriously, very interesting to see pre-renaissance stuff. Late medieval kit is fancy but there is some simplistic beauty in the earlier style.
14th century will always be my favorite, but 13th century is nice because you see a combination of mail and early plate armor solutions
"Stay safe, and don't kill your training partners." That is possibly the best ending line of a video that I have ever heard. 😂
This is so cool!
In a way it kind of seems like later period plate armors were more of a technological development via tradeoffs: less mobility, and less convenience (need squire to put on and take off plates). But with those disadvantages you get overall better protection. But that doesn't mean plate armor is necessarily better than mail armor. Clearly the defense you get with mail and the padding underneath is way better than most tend to assume it would be.
I defenetly had better mobility with only the mail armor, but it wasn't significant and the plate armor feels much better and don't tire you out that fast, because the plates sit more on your hip and not at the shoulders. So I defenetly prefer the plate armor.
@@dequitem Ah, that makes sense.
aside from protection, the plate armor allows you to drop the shield and use two handed weapons on foot, and could have supports for the heavy cavalry lance
On the contrary, plate armor is objectively better than mail. Better protection, better comfort. If it wasn't, people wouldn't have stopped using mail except in the locations where it's impossible to use rigid plates
I think what you are doing is great!...... simple, straight-forward, practical information. Well, practical in a very unpractical way. But! you never know if you might wake up in the 12th century one morning!?! ....and I wanna be prepared!
High Middle Age (Norman, Late Viking, Saxon) combat, was designed around the "shield wall", hence the large body cover shield. The armor depicted would apply only to high status members of the realm. The basic soldiers of the Fird shield wall would wear much cruder helmets (if any) and leather jerkin for body protection. Their survival depended on the shields of the men to either side of him. I would bet that in a single combat situation, the large shield would have been discarded in favor of a smaller round shield or a two handed weapon like a large axe. I also believe that leather gloves with metal studs would have been as important as the helmet in kitting up for battle.
I'd also like to know how these combat techniques change when fighting in mass formation rather than a one on one duel. Is it closer to that of a hoplite than a legionaire from the 2nd century CE?
Harold Godwinson’s been rather quiet after this dropped.
Who is Harold Godwinson? You mean Harald II. of England?
@@dequitem Same person, Harold Godwinson is Harold the II (of England). I just know him by the name Harold Godwinson best. Died at Hastings during the Battle of Hastings.
I used to be a king until I took an arrow to the eye
@@dequitem The King of England during the Norman invasion.
RIP
Nice stuff as always! I parttake in early medieval combat trainings myself so its always so nice to see how other people figure out how to make it relatively safe
Your channel deserves way more recognition, All of your videos are amazing.
I love the production value of this. This feels very premium💪
props to the cameraman for going back in time to record this with him and for him agreeing to it
Grass wasnt invented in the medieval period.
Man, it is really cool to share us different kind of eras and armors.
Could you please continue with this kind of video? Like, Byzantine, Turkish and Frankish armors from the same era? (lamellar amors for example too)
I will try my best, but I cant show the requested armors. There are no high quality medieval Turkish armor reenacters with the wish to fight me.
@@dequitem Thanks, anyway i apreciate your effort, it is very interesting. I hope your elbow is fine now.😬
The time periode of the castle fits perfectly to the armor!
Man thanks for this video really saved me for the next viking invasion
God will be with u.
“I proclaim, by my reign, we shall make it rain, arrows the likes these Viking raiders will never face again” -Ælfred the Great (probably)
I like how he talks about not getting injured than panders to a real knight with a Polarm, breaking his back. 7:35 breaks shoulder plate 10:25 breaks your jaw 11:12 knocked the wind out of you. Good thing your wearing bonus armor to protect your arms, hands neck and face.
😅 Good that you understand it right.
The interesting thing is that the logic behind the augmentation to the mail is similar to the transitional plates added to mail over the periods, particularly grieves, upper vambraces, gorget, and gull faced or visored helmets.
Another top tier video man, I'm now prepared to join the First Crusade and liberate the Holy Land
This was well and concisely done. It would be good to see a similar detailed view/explanation of gambesons/arming jackets etc.
The way the shield is used with the sword looks strinkingly similar to how Roman Legionaries would do it!
As a big fan of S.M. Stirling's Dies the Fire book series, it is fascinating to see a medieval re-creator show how Norman armor would be recreated to be used in combat...which is exactly what happens in part of the books. When Dequitem lowers the kite shield to just below his eye-line, and I got a real rush of remembrance reading those books.
Hi Dequitem! Long time lurker here, only recently got around to comment lol. I would LOVE for you to cover more “mail era” armors/shields/helmets, albeit there isn’t as much variety as later 13th or 14th C. Transitional armor, you are THE ONE who can highlight its nuances. Cheers
I am more in the area of plate armor! But mayby I will make something to mail armor in the future again.
oh my prayers have been answered
gonna be honest, I never knew about the lash around the neck for the shield but it totally makes sense if not required.
You forgot one benefit of the mesh mask under the helmet: it makes you look very intimidating lol. Like a Nazgul.
Beyond interesting. Thank You.
I am learning Enlish language by your channel. And enjoying with realistic history battles!
The most important thing for a medieval man at arms is to do your best and have fun.
It would be awesome if we got a video describing how to dress and armor yourself like one too
Shields are my favourite thing in knight fights 🛡
How about attacking/protecting the legs. You are probably familiar with the battle at Visby in 1361. I seem to recall, that he mass graves of the fallen gotlanders showed many leg injuries. Some even had both lower legs cut off in one blow...
Great show by the way!
Yes and that's defenetly an issue with this armor. Sure the triangular shield helps a lot but in a battle that's an issue. I didn't noticed till now that I didn't talked about leg strikes.
"both lower legs cut off in one blow"
that's not how it happens, nobody is cutting through two legs in a single hit
@@dequitem im guessing they wore longer hauberk and greaves
@@BelieverOfChrist2 Not really. Norman knights didn't have much in terms of leg protection, but the mail would typically cover the top of the legs, sometimes up to the knee.
The teardrop shields could also be a bit longer. The one I trained with would cover my whole leg (but not both legs at the same time, however, the second one would be further away).
You can typically protect the leg OR the head with the shieldn, but not both.
@@alexandreboureau6175 the kite shield does a good job at protecting the legs maybe, but i still don't see why they would choose to not wear any leg armour at all, not like it makes you much slower
probably not universal, some probably did, others didn't
Hey Dequitem, I've got some comments to make on the overarm spear grip.
From the Medieval artwork we have available where spear and shield are shown being used, in almost every case the warriors are depicted with their fingers extended where the spear appears to be supported only by their fingers. This indicates that the spear is meant to be partially thrown but without letting go of it and using your fingers guide it. From personal experience, this way of thrusting allows me to use most of the attack angles effectively that would also be available with the overarm grip. It is possible to strike from below with the overhand but it is quite awkward and without much power.
Some advantages of the overhand are the fact that strikes from above and to the right around your opponent's shield are more structurally stable, you can more easily control your opponent's weapon with the shaft, the strikes from your left side, which are also more structurally stable, can be executed without the back end of the shaft getting in the way and also it is better when the opponent is very close to you where the spear can be used almost as a dagger, from above.
In Medieval art, most of the time the spear is held in the overhand grip and when we see it being used in the underhand one, it seems to be against cavalry, sometimes the infantrymen hold the spear couched against the horsemen.
ThegnThrand demonstrates many of my points here in his videos and Schildwache Potsdam shows the partisan and rotella being used in duels, in the overhand grip, and showcase some of the teachings of Antonio Manciolino. I strongly recommend you to check them out.
I know the videos. But in duels I made other experiences. I also like a stronger grip around my spear to not lose it from strikes to the shaft. That's hard with the overhand where only the fingers guide the spear. With the medival paintings it's hard to tell if they prepare the self for throwing the spear or thrusting. But sure use what's fits better to you!
@@dequitemThere is a long debate if in the artwork they are supposed to be throwing it or not. I believe that they did both depending on the situation.
Regardless, while the underarm grip might be your preferred way of holding the spear, I think that in the video you undersold the overarm grip quite massively, and that is why I posted my first comment.
@@victord4662The same debate about how to determine pictorial art rages in discussions of hoplite warfare from the Archaic and Classical Eras.
Thank you, very insightful, I will surely use this knowledge
really nice color in the editing.
What’s your dream armor set? A combination of cultures and styles that both offer maximum protection and style? Of course, the former is more important.
Viking Berserker Style, nude with only a Bearskull on your Head .😁
Furious, screaming, Out of Control Mode , running to the Fight
Fear is half winning the battle 😉
😊 I already build my dream armor. I like the Norman helmet, but I definitely prefer the late medieval German and englisch Armor.
@@haudraufundschluss1972 one arrow kills the dream. works only against unarmed monks haha
@@NeurosenkavalierEmilSinclair you have seen the endfight in the movie Scarface ? "Say hello to my little friend"😁😅
Whats known is, that the Berserkers take also mushrooms and a whats-ever-in-it Drug Drink before they went to their
Rage fight. 😉😁
That must be quite a quick and lucky shot.. remember, he is running towards you, screaming wildly with a big Axe in his Hands 👹👺😁
Modern kevlar with an ak 47
Thank you for the explanation! This was super interesting and informative
Thanks , very useful tips as i am going to be fighting in this armour type next season.
Dang. I just found you through your comment on dashrendar's new video. Great video! Easy sub.
Было интересно смотреть и слушать, спасибо за видео! Очень жаль что ты повредил руку, но я рад что теперь все в порядке. Будь осторожнее в будущем.
It's five years ago.
Yay, new explanation video from Dequitem!
I very much would love to see more early medieval armored fighting :)
Loving your work! Thank you for this video 🛡
Dear Dequitem, I am writing a high fantasy novel, with a place called the ‘Kingdom of Garlan’. The Garlander culture is much akin to that of the Normans, and therefore, the armour will be as well, except for the Purple Guard of Edmonteschire, which I took creative liberties in giving lamellar/plate armour. If you wouldn’t mind describing a few techniques and what armour and weapons a knecht, a Sergeant-at-arms, and perhaps a levy were using, I’d appreciate it greatly, thank you.
Excellent Work! 👏
12:17 thats exactly what a lot of hema practicioners dont get.
Just wanted to say that your english is very good👍
I absolutely love riveted mail armor. I've a darkened steel 4-in-1 hauberk that I can wear all day, is battle-ready, and (reasonably) easy to don solo. You kit looks similar and IMO even better 🙂
Wonderful video!
I fought like this for 20 years. Lots of fun bruises!
I Absolutely love this video, and as a Norman I believe there is no possible way to overexpose our history and culture. This is an amazing love letter to the most important people in history. Well done
I am not sure about most 😅 but thank you very much!
Fantastic video, I've enjoyed learning about the Normans for a long time now and their impact on history. This style of armor and weaponry has always been my personal favorite throughout the medieval period. I am curious if this style of spear is the same that they would use on horseback as a lance, and how fighting in this would look with an axe or a mace, but otherwise I feel like this is very educational.
Yes lances back then were essentially the same as spears used on foot. But all techniques with this are speculative since we have no surviving martial arts manuscripts dating back this early.
Man, who doesn't love shields
Right? Righhhttttt?
@@dequitem 🤣
Love this channel. Pls be careful n protect ur eyes.
Looking at the shield I wonder if ever some of those warriors thought about painting some crazy distracting forms shapes on their shields. Bright colours and stuff with make your eyes get distracted.
What made the Normans such effective invaders? Who were their most important influences militarily and culturally? Did the same warriors who defeated the Anglo-Saxons in 1066 go onto fight the Anglo-Saxon exiles in the Mediterranean?
5:14 POV: the bandit chief is gloating right before he skewers you
i love the practical aspects of your videos. do you have a video that explains how you and your partner choose -not- to strike in order to avoid serious injuries to the face/eyes? (fingers?)
All depends on the equipment!
To make it more safe for stabs to the face you can use a norman helmet with a faceplate.
Very educational.
Thanks for that. Very interesting explanations.
this is sick af
It was interesting, thanks!
Outstanding! :)
7:55 that's a pretty cool injury tho lol
Very interesting indeed.
Love this mailman
Breaking your arm and still keep on going with your passion, respect!!! 🫡
Mail and a decent gambason and jobs a goodun 👍
If there was TH-cam in this time period:
&peasant6969: "Thank you! The neighboring village is about to invade soon, I fear. (Sadface)."
😅
I'm still waiting for the net for gladiator
You have to wait a little bit longer but it's still on my list.
During the Hastings campaign armour used by both sides used maille tassets of sorts to cover the groin and upper thigh better, cloth underlayer bound to the maille and a theory that there were tubular parts to protect above the knee of the leg as the leg wraps weren't that good against thrusts
Not tassets, a riding split in the middle of the hauberk's skirt. Some contention as to whether or not the hauberks were lined. No, there were no tubular mail shorts/onesies.
@@spades9681 the tapestry shows tubular extensions and flaps towards the top
To get in you would climb through the top and seal the flap over
The second theory was the split like you mention and some suggest those flaps were extra layers of maille
Cloth lining suggested as looted bodies lack padding shown on the bottom of parts of the tapestry
@@theprancingprussian >the tapestry shows tubular extensions
No, it doesn’t. No clue what you even mean.
>extra laters of maille
Nonsense, they’re typical hauberks
>Cloth lining
This is a less solid thing to argue either for or against but your argument is flawed. Firstly even with a lining one would wear clothes underneath a hauberk, the looted bodies being naked is just easier to understand at a glance. Secondly padding is in no way, shape, or form “necessary” for mail armor to function and, to be frank, I don’t believe the Normans used any, lined or not. There’s zero evidence for even standalone padding before the 12th century, let alone under-armor padding.
The set looks good!
This is interesting from a movement perspective. And very cool to see. But as a true test of the armour's protection this is even more limited than the plate. Because you aren't using any sharps (or you better not be, we'd like to keep you around Dequitem!). We know from the sources that many of the thrusting swords with fine points, and the spears, and certainly the daggers _could_ penetrate mail, though of course not always, so I'm curious how you're "scoring" hits and really evaluating how the mail stands up to thrusts.
It is impressive though the ways you've modified things to be as safe as possible. Though I think you may want to see if you can limit the sag on your arms as much as possible. I have heard that even a little bit can just make arm movement more taxing than it needs to be, and fitting it as close as you can to the body relieves this.
Very good work, on a period that's relatively underrepresented.
I test different weapons against the mail armor and I will release a video to this topic soon. You will be surprised how hard it is to penetrate mail armor!
swords with sharp/narrow points mainly developed later in time
@@BelieverOfChrist2 Sure, but they existed during the period where mail predominated. Oakshott type xv's are found in art from the early 1200's, and became the standard only a little later, and regardless they were still fighting mail.
What's really being tested is a predominantly shield and mail based defense system, not what a Norman Knight might actually encounter (after all, the person Dequitem was fighting was not kitted with what a Norman knight would typically fight against.) and one of the weapons (among the others I mentioned) that you would use against that system, would be a sword with a narrow tip. Are those more predominant a bit later than this? Yes. But they were developed to compete with mail, and kept being useful against plate because they could handle the mail in any exposed areas.
@@Lurklen this video is strictly about norman armour though
what a norman knight would encounter could vary, they could encounter; axes, a lot of spears, swords, and arrows
swords with a narrow tip were not widespread in this period, we could talk about later gun development and it's effect against armor, but the topic is strictly norman knights
the swords with narrow tips also came in use due to early development of plate armour
so how did they combat maille? spears or sturdy swords that could transfer some force into the rings, multiple hits and maybe you can create an opening
but combat wasn't just focused on hitting the other dude where he is armoured the most
@@BelieverOfChrist2 Is it? "Today I am standing in full Norman Armour. Today I want to talk about how does it feel, to only fight in high medieval mail armour. And if it is possible to do this without big injuries."
Because it sounds like what he said was that it was focused on if you could reliably fight in a high medieval mail and shield kit without getting injured, and he tested that in a Norman get up accordingly.
No, combat wasn't focused on only trying to hit the most armoured parts of a body. But armour was focused on protecting the parts you were most likely to be hit, and least wanted to suffer an injury. While many weapons were designed to try to bypass that armour. The whole point of engaging in the kind of study Dequitem does, is to try to see how effective those weapons are against the various kinds of armour. One of those weapons might be a more pointed sword.
"the swords with narrow tips also came in use due to early development of plate armour" The type xv, which is a sword with a narrow point, predates the prevalence of plate, but became more popular and ubiquitous (though, relatively few surviving examples exist, it is all over the place in art from across a broad period) and while it was helpful in mitigating plate, the way it did so was by being used on the mail in the gaps. I've seen it depicted as early as the 1220's. Which would be part of the High Medieval period he's looking at. And as its use was in defeating mail, and that is what he is testing, I brought it up.
In his reply to me he said he had another video testing the mail against various weapons in the works. We'll see what he uses and finds.
Normans typically fought while mounted. I think the real victors of Hastings were the horses, not to mention Harold had defeated a Norwegian army just 2 weeks earlier.
People don’t talk about armor especially chainmail nearly as much as you should. A good set of armor plays just as much of a part in a fight as what weapon you’re using
Interesting. Thankyou.😊
Wait I’m not supposed to kill my sparring opponents?!
Ahh shit!
They will not like it.
Great channel, subscribing now!
fantastic audio dude 👍
I hoped you'd show the padding you wear under the armor. I hear people saying that the new consensus is that the gambeson is not as thick as those you can buy at the usual online shops. So I know how much is too much, but I couldn't find out how thick it should be. So, if you'd make a video on padding in the future, I can promise you a view. At least. ;)
Have it so thick that you feel comfortable in it, but use real sheep wool!
Started to wear mail unser my normal clothes just in case someone tries to knife me has been quite en voque here in west germany as of late ...
Would work well!
protect your neck though
@@BelieverOfChrist2 Well you gotta make some shortcuts. Although a full high medieval amour with crusader insignia would send a strong message ... hmmmh
@@dequitem Thats qute the You have no power here moment if it ever comes to this ... I hope it never does /s
Breaking your arm, recover and keep on going with your passion, respect !!! 🫡
Fascinating stuff. How heavy is this (including the shield) compared to late medieval full plate? To what extent would you say the shield can be used offensively, as a battering weapon?
It's defenetly lighter but it tires you out faster than my late medieval armor.
@@dequitem Interesting. Is that mostly because of the shield, or because the weight of the hauberk is mostly on your shoulders rather than distributed better over your body?
@@magnuslauglo5356 more the hauberk!
@@dequitemI'm no expert in armor, but does tightening the belt help with hauberk's weight?
@@zsDUGGZ only slightly. The arm armor and upper body weight is still on the shoulders.
I'm assuming in a mass melee the plate is better overall because it gives better protection from unseen blows/arrows etc?
Defenetly!
The first thing that occurred to me when I saw this title was "7.62x39mm"
I want to see a battle with Ottoman or Persian armour next. It's lighter than European 15th century armour, so I want to know how that affects fighting, and how it affects horse archery.
There never was an ottoman or any guy with ottoman armor with the fighting skill or balls to contact me. So unfortunately I can't make a video without an opponent.
@@dequitem
Unfortunate. No Turks in Germany interested in HEMA and willing to come to Austria (you're in Austria right?)?
Classical LEGO Castle minifigure outfit and look.
Спасибо. 😊
At the end of the day, this isn't that different from a town militia in the late Medieval period. The tech power creep was real.
doing it right!
That hammer strike to the back at 1:00 looked brutal, even through mail/gambeson. Is that hammer metal or is it a foam/rubber training weapon?
bravo!
Mail armor, the first medieval bling. Low Protection; High Charisma. 😎👌
What about Plate-Mail Armor? Mail armor with embedded plates like the Moro Armor from the Philippines. Your thoughts? Is it good? Is it bad? Or a bit of both? 🙃
the best norman knight armor overview i've seen, fantastic video! where did you get the Hema mask that fit under your helmet?
Build it from an old mask.
Thank you for all your video !
I have a question : what do you think about Kali/Escrima ? Its worth for you ?
It's nice against unarmored opponents but not a good choice against armored opponent. Also I don't like the many unleathal strikes. It is possible to tank some and go for a kill thrust.
Did you make the mask yourself? Always great to see smart solutions to the issue of open face helmets. Cheers for another great video
Yes it's made by myself.
Truly fascinating stuff! Your channel is such a gold mine for medieval enthusiast
Quick question: can you share a bit more about your experience with heat when fighting in mail?
For context: I own 2 set of hauberk(aluminum and stainless steel), and from wearing them as part of costumes, I always had a pretty bad experience trying to last very long in them due to the heat during summer, and had to drop any extra padding underneath (I was wearing just a linen shirt essentially, since I wasn’t doing combat). I can’t imagine how ppl deal with exhaustion and heat…
Another question: any thoughts on tailored hauberk? I notice I have more comfortable movement of my arm and elbow after switching to a tailored shirt, but again since I don’t do real combat I don’t know how much of it actually matters…
Thank you! Love to see more of this!
I tailored it a little bit and of course heat is always a problem!
It may be counterintuitive, but padding under Mail Armor didn't seem to be that common. In iconography the knights are very well tailored if not anatomical in their mail armor. No room for padding. Also: if you wanted padding underneath, the mailarmor became more expensive and more heavy.
I don't try to sell this as an absolute fact, but as a nice piece of an ongoing debate. I formyself think it is true that they did wear something very loght under the Mail, but not a Gambeson. If there is a source that says otherwise, I am very happy to look into it😊