Was leather really used as armour? Of course it was! Plenty of documentation from the 13th, 14th and 15th Centuries clearly define leather armour used (especially "Cuirbouille") in tournament combats. A rare find from circa 6th Century B.C. has been located and is on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC (see our "Cuirasses" page for a photo of this proof of early leather armour).

The arguement that there is no "evidence" or leather being used as armour is now an invalid point. Leather, due to its organic nature would never have survived to the present day, nor would have likely been recorded in wills. The early decoration of 13th Century cuirbouille leather armour account for the expense associated with it and was in fact not to be used by squires but by the king and his knights in tournaments fought "a la plaisance", which is the foundation of todays SCA.

What is “Transitional” armour?

Armour which was crafted from which many refer to as the “transitional” period has been mainly associated with the 14^th Century. During this period, armourers experimented with various forms of rigid defenses, at first to compliment the common mail,(which was the staple defense at the time), and then later to replace it altogether.

Cloth, leather, mail, plate iron and steel as well as nonferrous metals such as bronze, brass, latten and even silver and gold were used in combination and as such were the key stylistic element of the period.

A well armed knight of the 14^th Century might have been garbed in cloth colorfully dyed and emblazoned with his device, bearing a wood and gesso shield brightly painted in the same theme. He might have had armour of leather and iron, sometimes set off with brass, silver or bronze trim. Cloth mantling and a crest of tooled leather might have surmounted his helmet, particularly if he was armed for the tournament.

Elements of the knight’s defense were often sold by the piece, so he could upgrade and assemble the harness in pieces or as a complete set.

We at the Schmitthenner Armoury use a combination of these techniques to form the majority of our selection. Many of these items are labeled “transitional” for just this reason, as they incorporate leather, steel, aluminum, brass, and cloth. We also have a selection of helms relevant to the period to round out the set.

 Note: We do not resell our products. If you see a similar item for sale on another website we guarantee that you will be purchasing an inferior product, and will happily explain the differences between them.