This list identifies various pieces of body armour worn both by men and horses from the medieval to early modern period in the Western world, mostly plate but some mail armour, arranged by the part of body that is protected and roughly by date. It does not identify fastening components or various appendages such as lance rests or plumeholders, or clothing such as tabards or surcoats, which were often worn over a joey.
There are a variety of alternative names and spellings (such as cowter or couter; bassinet, bascinet or basinet; and besagew or besague) which often reflect a word introduced from French. Generally, the English spelling has been preferred (including mail instead of the lately used maille or the inauthentic term chainmail). The part of armour on the hand is called the gauntlet, which is based on a French word. __TOC__
List + Summary comparison of components of medieval European harness Name Example Period(century) Description Head Mail coif 400BC? to 15th Mail hood, often worn with a hauberk. Sometimes made integrally with the hauberk, sometimes a separate piece. Spangenhelm 4th to 11th Made from three pieces: two skulls riveted to the helmet. The helmet features a metal browband consisting of four to six—or even more—metal strips () that converge at a conical curve at the tip of the helmet or a helmet spike. Nasal helmet Late 9th to 13th The nasal helmet most prominently used by the Normans developed from the Viking conical helmet. These helmets were either forged from a single piece of iron or constructed from a number of iron plates. They could be riveted together or attached to a metal band framework. The nose guard was riveted onto the metal band around the bottom rim. The nasal helmet was used until the second half of the 13th century. Enclosed helmet Mid 12th to early 13th Introduced by the mid-12th century, the enclosed or flat-topped helmet first covered the face and gave somewhat deeper coverage for the sides and back of the head. By the end of the century the helm had developed into the great helm. Great helm Late 12th to 14th The great helm, or heaume, evolved from the flat-topped helmet or enclosed helmet at the beginning of the 13th century. This flat-topped helmet was given a face guard featuring two slits for the eyes, known as sights, ventilation holes called breaths, and a neck guard that extended around to join the face guard. The great helm often featured a cruciform metal bracing at the front. It was not until the 1260s that the crown of the helmet was given a tapered shape to better deflect a sword cut. From the end of the 12th century onward, the great helm was adorned with a crest. This was intended to demonstrate the wearer’s martial prowess; it also served to identify him in battle. Cervelliere Late 12th Steel skull cap worn as a helm or underneath a great helm. Sometimes worn under rather than over the coif. Bascinet Early 14th to early or mid 15th In its early form worn underneath a great helm. Originally it had no visor but did develop nasals to protect the nose. By the mid-14th century it replaced the great helm and was fully visored, often "dog-faced" (the conical hounskull visor), but often worn without the visor for improved visibility and ventilation. Worn with an aventail, then later with a gorget. With a conical skull that extended to cover the cheeks and the nape of the neck at the rear and sides, the basinet was of medium height. Towards the end of the 14th century, it was lengthened to cover the base of the neck and cheekbones, while the apex of the skull was gradually positioned further back to form an almost vertical rear face. Kettle hat 12th to 16th century The kettle-hat, introduced at the end of the 12th century, was the head protection for the common soldier. It was a dome-shaped metal hat with a wide brim riveted along the lower edge. By the 16th century it had been developed into the morion. Sallet Mid-15th The sallet evolved from various forms of the fourteenth-century basinet. Originating in Italy around 1407 as the , it was introduced in France and Burgundy by 1420 and reached England and Western Europe in the 1430s. Early Italian celatas typically had no visors, while those later adopted in Western Europe featured short tails and deep, rounded bowls. At first, the visor barely covered the nose, with the tail extending to the shoulders. By 1450, the design was refined: the bowl's depth matched that of the visor, shaped to fit the head and neck, with a medium-length tail and a prominent keel-shaped ridge. It could either have a half visor with a cusped brow reinforce or a full visor for skull coverage. The German variant of the sallet, rarely used before 1460, was larger and deeper, with a downward-sloping tail. It fell into two groups: one included a small half visor for visibility, while the other was a single piece featuring slits for the eyes. Barbute 15th Also called , a close-fitting helmet with a characteristic Y- or T-shaped slit for vision and breathing, reminiscent of ancient Greek helmets. Used predominantly in Italy, it was eventually replaced by the sallet. Armet 15th Developed in Italy in the first half of the 13th century, derived from the basinet; consisted of a one-piece hemispherical skull. Truncated at the level of the tops of the ears except at the rear, where there was a narrow tail of steel shaped to the head extending as far as the hairline. The armet can be divided into two types: the Italian and the English. The main difference lies in the construction of the headpiece. The Italian armet features cheek plates that open outward, while the English variant has a more pronounced headpiece that protects the neck and ears. The English variant does not have the weak points found in the Italian model at the junction between the cheek and neck guards, and generally lacks the rondel, a disc that provides additional protection in the Italian model. Close helmet or close helm 15th to 16th century The direct successor to the armet. The round opening at the back of the armet was replaced by a plate guard. The back of the closed helmet featured a hollow rim, which was usually adorned with straps and fitted over a corresponding solid rim at the top of the neck collar, allowing the head to be turned from side to side. In early helmets, the visor and the bavière were one-piece and very often designed in a bellows pattern; later examples, however, show them as two separate parts, with the actual visor able to be folded down into the bavière. Burgonet Early 16th century Developed in response to the increasing use of firearms. The goal was to create a lighter form of head protection that would guarantee soldiers maximum mobility and an unrestricted view of the battlefield compared to older, heavier helmet types. The burgonet evolved from the schaller and the kettle hat. Its shape was influenced by ancient Greek and Roman models, which had regained popularity during the Renaissance. The burgonet was first introduced in Italy between 1510 and 1530. The helmet remained in active use throughout the 16th century and did not disappear until the general abandonment of armour at the end of the 17th century. The burgonet was an open helmet. It was closely fitted to the shape of the head and featured a pronounced crest, neck protection, and movable cheek flaps. It could also be supplemented with a nose guard or a detachable face guard (buffe). Neck Aventail or camail A fan-shaped curtain of mail extending from the base of the basinet to the tip of the shoulder, protecting the neck and throat but leaving the face exposed. Initially riveted directly to the basinet, it was later fastened using staples known as vervelles that went through a leather band at the upper edge of the mail. A rope was then inserted through the staples above the leather. Taking advantage of being removable the aventail could easily repaired and cleaned. Bevor 13th to 15th The bevor protecting the chin and throat first appeared at the end of the 13th century. Originally and still until well into the 15th century it was worn in combination with the kettle hat. Until the appearance of the sallet, it was also worn over the aventail. Their most prominent use was in combination with the sallet, especially in northwest Europe. These plates, especially in Germany, were invariably pointed and extended over the top of the breastplate. Bevors could also fitted with a pivoted lame which could be raised or lowered to uncover or cover the lower face. The bevor was secured by a strap which passed round the back of the wearer's neck, and fastened either at centre back or at either side of the bevor. Gorget The gorget, protecting the neck, first appeared in the first half of the 14th century in the form of scales. Later, it was made of plate.Originally, it was worn under a camail, but by the end of the century the camail had fallen out of use, and from then on the gorget was worn on its own. Standard, pixane, or bishop's mantle 15th century The mail standard or haussecol protecting the neck emerged in the second half of the 15th century. It mostly was worn like a small tippet with a reinforced stiff collar around the neck, that was edged with brass links riveted with iron. The fullness in the mail that extends over the shoulder was obtained by gusseting, the lower edge of the mail being made into four escallops like one half of a hexagon with concave sides. The ends of the collar were either strapped together at the back or fastened by a hinge with a movable pin. By the end of the century a special mail standard was developed in Austria–Hungary and Venice called bishop's mantles, which reached well over the shoulders. Falling buffe 16th century Evolved from the bevor and was composed of several lames, retained in place by spring catches, which could be lowered for better ventilation and vision. It was often attached to the otherwise open-faced helmet, the burgonet. Torso Brigandine late 12th to 16th century Dating back to the 15th century, the brigandine was made from silk covered with riveting rectangular overlapping iron lames or scales. These rivets formed decorative patterns and were arranged either in horizontal lines or, more commonly, in groups of three. There were several types of brigandines depending of purpose varying from the standard of small-plates and larger chest-plates to half-suit brigandines. Most variants had distinct sleeves covered in crimson, blue satin, or cloth of gold. Hauberk, byrnie, or haubergeon ? to 15th (mostly died out during the 14th and 15th centuries)