Leather Armour - Historical or Fantasy?
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- Опубликовано: 9 авг 2015
- A detailed introduction and investigation on historical leather armour. Leather armour is a very interestin gtopic and in this video I dive into it's history, it's origins, how it was made and how it was used also examining quite a few important factors concerning some misconceptions we have out there about it.
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regarding fantasy studded leather, I would say that its fabrication was a result of fantasy authors' misinterpretation of brigandines. My guess would be they looked at brigandines from the outside and saw this leather jacket with studs, and thought "Ah, leather armor with studs, probably the studs gave some sort of deflecting quality to the leather....... because of reasons", but they never looked on the inside of the jacket to realize the studs were actually meant to hold the inner steel plates of the brigandine in place
+melchaios Yeah, I remember that Lindybeige came to a similar conclusion in one of his videos. It sounds pretty probable.
Fantasy writers were also basing their descriptions on what they researched since they couldn't always get to museums but could buy or borrow books. Scholarly researchers made their share of errors, also. Not all medieval illustrators knew how to depict armor, and some just weren't very good artists. Even if the drawings are good, inks and pigments fade or transfer, and pages get dirty or damaged. Stylistic conventions for depicting armor have led to misinterpretation and researchers inventing types of mail and scale armors based on artists' shortcuts. A Man-at-Arms series book illustration shows Saxon warriors wearing dagged-edge leather tunics and oddly-crested leather helmets thanks to period efforts to depict mail byrnies and floppy woolen headgear.
Sculpture also runs into the issues of knowledge, skill, and age. Many ancient statues and reliefs were painted, so fiddly details were left to whoever held the paintbrush rather than painstakingly carved or molded. Time leads to erosion, decomposition, and deterioration.
(I sometimes play 'Interpret the depiction' as a way to pass time or spur my imagination. It's rather fun.)
I've seen drawings of gambesons in which the faint lines of the quilting had faded quite a bit. If the artist depicted diamond quilting, the crossing points remained dark. Easy to see as a crude or hurried depiction of studded leather. And if some jacks and gambesons were drawn as if they were riveted rather than sewn (or if some really were riveted or knotted), who wouldn't logically conclude that rivetted armor was a thing?
And there's always 'Because it looks cool.' Besides, who says leather armor pieces weren't decorated with rivets or studs?
i know that if a leather peice had overlapping parts then there would be rivets holding the peices together, maybe this is the origin of studs on leather
Sometimes rawhide leather would be used as armor for some native american tribes.
Mirar los Dragónes de cuera.
En lá guerra peninsular un oficial inglés encargo una cuera y era perfectamente útil.
"Fancy the leather armor, huh? Something to be said for going light."--Whiterun Guard
Lol they also thought if you steal a flower it's worth killing you while you are killing a dragon
@@kyle18934 ROFL! Guards... Guards never change.
@@kyle18934 Wait do you mean flower as in a plant's privet part or flower as in pounded grain?
@@rachdarastrix5251 the first
@@rachdarastrix5251 Pounded grain is spelled flour.
I feel like "studded leather" armor came out of a misunderstanding of rivets that could have been used to secure a layer of leather to a backing such as a plate or some mail.
there is some indication of it being historical partially, i have seen a historical vambrace where strips of steel were alternated with just leather and thick rivets
Jazereints: mail between layers of cloth.
I always believed "studded leather" was due to some grad student looking at a painting that showed a man wearing brigandine and thinking Oh that must be dyed leather armor.
@@timburton6774 Thing is it has to be one of the DnD creators among others who put it out there.
The main thing about "Leather Armor" is that the armor itself was a material that would have been as part of a more composite construction.
An example could be Coat of Plates, where leather would be the base material for a vest style breastplate with components of iron or steel plates rivited to the leather.
While providing very little protection vs forward thrusts of spears or swords, thick and hardened leather do provide protection against glancing blows and slashing attacks. Leather is nature's invented 'armor'. Some leather armors were quite effective. Please do more research on the Mongolian leather armor which were hardened with horse urine over a long process. Underneath the hardened leather armor, the Mongols covered their torsos with tightly bound silk cloth which formed a form of a multi-layered kevlar effect and prevented arrow heads from making puncturing wounds to the body if they penetrated the hardened leather armor shells.
+Far East Survival Ofcourse silk is a lot lighter than linnen. So it is both lighter and stronger than our gambesons equivalent. The more you know.
Yeah, I think people dramatically underestimate how well ANY kind of material will protect against glancing strikes/slashes. Just having any sort of material that can move around and dissipate some of the force before it contacts your skin will reduce the severity of a cut (obviously to varying degrees depending on the material and nature of the cut).
Granted, if someone lands a cut with a sharp sword that connects cleanly, it's almost certainly going to cut through all but the thickest cloth/leather, but even a layer of cotton clothing could mean the difference between a nicked artery and a flesh wound from a grazing cut.
P.S. I'm not implying anything about the historicity of leather armour usage, just the physics of cutting through materials.
The silk undershirts of the mongols wasn't to prevent punctures from anything that made it through the leather, it was to trap the arrowheads and make it much easier to remove it, because it wouldn't be caught in the flesh but in the silk.
The silk also served to wrap an arrowhead as it penetrated thus dissipating the energy. It did not prevent penetration but rather prevented deep penetration.
Far East Survival so like how bullet proof vests work but with arrows
It'll never be as good as tupperware armor.
Misaka Mikoto Tupperware armour?
Metatron Plastica. Tipo quelle delle truppe imperiali di Star Wars.
Mastro Carpentiere ah ecco xD
Misaka Mikoto Tupperware armor is weak. You need pots and pan armor instead.
+Misaka Mikoto Science Fiction "plastic" armor, like the Imperial Stormtroopers, is usually said to be made of "plastisteel" which was an extremely tough plastic-like material which gave protection similiar to metal. Unless Ewoks are hitting you with a stick, *sigh*.
The ancient Chinese indeed used leather armors. It was made from multiple layers of stiff or hardened rhino rawhide, and then lacquered several times to make it even more resistant. The earliest example we have was found in the tomb of Marquis Zeng dating back to the year 425 BCE.
Yes, leather armour was still in existence in china in the 1800s. If you google Lolo armour you will see an example of it.
+mysticonthehill
These are mostly used by Southern troops, however , pretty much because you might ended up cooking yourself wearing metal armor in that region.
@@biocaster777 Mail would breath more than leather...
@@roryross3878 And much easier to absorb the heat, being metal. Besides, padding negates the ventilation, anyway.
@@biocaster777 Arabs, mughals, turks, malays in plated mail be like: HAH WEAK!
that sasuke shirt ... man I love you
I found the Metatron's last week and have been hooked since then! Keep up the good work man!
I used to watch Skallagrim a lot, then I got addicted to Lindybeige's videos (I still watch their videos sometimes, but less than I used to), and now it is Metatron's turn, it seems. It's 2:50 am over here and I'm watching videos about armour and weapons. Great.
Well I'm glad you like my content! :3 thank you for watching pal
Metatron Thank you for making it :)
The thing I like about your videos (and this goes for Skallagrim and Lindybeige as well) is that it's not just an interesting history lesson, you also seem to be a really nice person and the way you talk about things is fun.
TheShadowOfMadness Good to hear :) :)
I always enjoy your videos. Thanks for your insight on this topic!
Thanks for this video. I'm trying to write a medieval story and your videos are a great resource! Nice armour. Looks great
Why the hell do you have 7K subs???? With the material you work with, you deserve a million '-'
+Marcos Vinicius ahahah thankyou very much, let's hope for the future ^___^
Half way there now xP
The Greek spolas (tube and yolk armor) is now thought to be either thick leather or quilted linen, not glued. Late Hallstatt and Early La Téne cultures used it as well, maybe even later.
Leather was an essential part of armor, whether it be straps and fittings for your plates or chain, or for padding to make your helmet fit better or be more compfortable. But lets remember people, leather was never the "main ingredient" so to speak, of armor.
If you couldn't afford metal armor, then it would be better than nothing. Metal was expensive and not everyone could afford it. People such as spearman who couldn't really afford nicer armor.
@@kyle18934 You're forgetting that cloth armour is far cheaper and more effective with less work than leather armour. Gambesons, mate.
@@LordVader1094 would people just use cloth or a mix of cloth and leather? And would it be cheaper, because there would be a lot of work in weaving all of that linnen. Idk though. Leather itself isn't good, but maybe with padding it could help
@@LordVader1094 depends on their access to fabric or if the climate permits gambesson.
@@kyle18934 it would certainly be cheaper with no leather. Thick leather comes from strong, mature animals, which were highly prized as beasts of burden.
Metatron love ur videos keep doing them i find them quite nice and educative and some are funny like the katana vs longswords debunking but yes keep it up
Holy smokes! Comparing your video from 2 days ago to this one (which I happened to come across from another web search....) You've really physically changed! Your work is really showing; you've lost some kinds of mass, and gained others... well done!
This Video is so old, Metatron has about the same level of sophistication as I have in mine now :) Makes me hopefull for the future and goes to show his progress.
This video made me retcon all the light armor in my rpg into Gambesons, light plated Aketons, and, because its still fantasy, Silk Woven armor with Chitin Plating for extra protection i just call Bringadine.
Yes, i know historical bringadine was not chitin plated or silk, but its easier on my players to say "I wanna purchase a Suit of Bringadine" rather than "Chitin-Plated SilkWeave"
Leather bracers, boots and cuirasses seem reasonably realistic though.
Does your rpg have a "medium" armor class well? For maille, lamellar, and perhaps some kind of bone armor (depending on how "fantasy" it is.)
The Vegan Swordsman Funny you mention "Bone" because for The light armor "Plated Aketon" The plates are Chitin.
And a small rebalance since the last comment moved the "Bringandine" (Which is silk and chitin plating) into the medium armor category, along with the Riveted Maille Hauberk.
My RPG now has only 6 armor sets, Gambeson, Plated Aketon, Bringandine, Maille, Field Plate, Plate and Maille. and while i could add more, The defensive values would have been either identical or too similar to what i already have, and i don't WANT my players to hunt for the 1 point difference.
Your bringadine gives me a very Dunmer (dark elves from The Elder Scrolls) feel. Would that be on purpose?
Twisted Logic My bringandine is very much inspired by chitin armor from Elder scrolls. Chitin was the only thing i could think to make lower weight armour with "Plated" traits. its still "weaker" than Riveted Ringmaille But its balanced out by being 80% cheaper than the Hauberk suit.
Hi Metatron... as a quick update to the question of leather armour. A couple of weeks ago I visited the Turaidas Pils (castle) in Sigulda, Latvia. On display there is a really interesting pauldron of hardened leather which, if I recall correctly, dated to the 15th century. The piece, found discarded within a wall cavity during relatively recent structural repair work, certainly doesn't appear to have been some quickly bashed together piece of rubbish from the period, but rather, a very carefully and professionally molded, and decorated item. I did photograph it, but as is often the case, the mix of display lighting and glass surrounding the piece made it all but impossible to get a good shot of. Anyway, it's in the castle museum at Sigulda.
P.s... very much enjoy your videos, kindly keep it up. Cheers !
Another great informative video well done.
LibertyPrime Thank you so much ^^
Wouldnt you still want to wear gambeson underneath some kind of hardened leather vest?
Metatron your channel rocks always something different
We have here in Greece examples of leather armor,the Theban hoplites wear leather cuirasses instead of bronze. made of hard leather I believe
I don't think so, am guessing they simply preferred leather than bronze, Thebes weren't a poor city-state
+zaco21 leather would be lighter & in the cold would insulate some where as bronze would be hot in the heat & cold in the cold so it may have been cheaper (but leather back then would have taken quite some time to produce so it would not be cheap i would guess) but i think it would be more of a convenience thing for marching & the like.
+blackdeath4eternity ps skalligrim has a recent video where he battles against a piece of leather, quite interesting.
Leather wasn't cheap had to have animals, ranchers, tanners, artisans to produce leather and one size did not fit all and repairing it impossible. Gambeson was the cheaper option just had to grow flax make linnen layer it with glues and very easily repairable. I would think nobility used it as a status sembol much like the sword was a one point.
A friend and I tested a breast plate sized piece of bison rawhide against several knives, a spear and a tomahawk and the results were surprising. It was incredibly tough, and very difficult to penetrate more than superficially.
"there isn't a lot of material on leather armour" LOL
+thechosenonenumber Compared to what we have on metal armour there isn't that much.
+Metatron no, the pun. "material....leather". don't worry I understand the literal meaning
thechosenonenumber aaaaaaaa ok xD
I don't get it.
Thomas Huffcutt leather is the material
I think you are right about parts of the armor being leather. From the little I know about in the Europe and American areas. The Marines wore leather bands on their necks in the 1700 and 1800s. This helped preventing cuts to the necks. Also the reason he U.S. Marines are called Leather Necks. I know Japan used leather, iron, and silk together in their armor.
Good evening Metatron! This is my all time favorite channel. Thanks for everything. Anyways, I was wondering if Greek Hoplites ever wore leather armour? I have seen depictions of this, although I know it wasn't a historically accurate depiction.
Zachary Coleman Yes they did use leather but mostly bronze
I love your videos it they help me prove some points on some things with my friends
You did mention plates attached to leather. A great example of this would have something like the Visby coat of plates. I would love to hear more about them.
Looks badass dude. Should have included a greatsword or greataxe to complement it for the Wearing Time segment!
In my country (Romania) there was a widely used piece of leather "armor" that survived to the present as a clothing accessory in some rural areas. It's called "chimir" and looks like a very wide waste belt. The modern decorative version is just around 10cm wide and made of soft leather, with small utility pockets and decorations, but the ancient one was over 20cm wide (covering most of the abdomen) and made of thick tanned or boiled leather. It was used by peasants when they had to support the army at war, because of the small population that was fairly common in medieval times and in most cases they weren't equipped with any armor or weapons (they used axes or pitchforks).
A set of lamellar made with hard and thick leather scales worn over a gambeson is quite good protection. It is quite light as well.
Looks really cool
Thank you
how protected are u In that armor? has good has mail? better? does it even stack up to any metal armor?
Where can I buy this wonderful looking Gambeson? I only find ones where the arms are also protected
where'd you get that gambeson? its beautiful
All I can say is, looks very cool when your trowing punchs.
Leather armor in ancient times; Very interesting topic!! Recently, I was reading about the ancient Egyptians. particularly some of the military items that have been reassessed as to what their original function was. One of these was a leather cloak, ie, Leather Armor! If you haven’t been apprised of it, you might find it very interesting. It was meticulously layered and stitched and probably afforded the Egyptian Pharaoh/Egyptian warrior, adequate protection from enemy archers, swordsmen, etc.
Any how neat channel!!
What if leather armor was used like a mail, or plate armor? I mean, if they put it over a gambeson, they get the protection of both armor, and if the segments were made properly then it wouldn't restrict the wearer's movement. I think it would be lighter than maille(if you don't want the leather to be overly thick, which is not a good idea if you want to move freely), and maybe cheaper than it(iron was kind of rare at those times so, you know).
Ancient Greeks had cuir boulli torso armor before many city-states went over to fused-linen or scale.
Well, gambesons, depending on their thickness, are very good at keeping you warm in itselves, so if you are not speaking about siberian like cold, which would actually hurt the leather, then no, it would be unnecessary in that manner.
A somewhat thick cloth armor consisting of overlapping linen layers. The number of layers depends on the use of gambeson, as it's used for protection, or using it as padding for said maile or plate armour, as the former has more layers, alas thicker and providing more protection, while the other has less defensive capabilities, while being more flexible, providing mobility for the wearer.
Metatron, Shadiversity, and Skallagrim all have videos
describing and showing gambesons (or aketons, depending upon the sources).
Máté Kovács just wear a thicker gambesom
That quick dismissal of studded leather kept me wondering... Of course the studs themselves are useless, but what if the studs are there to bind two or more layers of leather, just as the Aketon is made of layers of cloth bound together? They couldn't just sew them, it is hard to pierce leather with a nail and the leather edges would eventually cut the threads with the movement of the armour so the would have to rivet them. I've seen explanaitons that images of studded leather are misinterpretations of brigandine, but what if they are misinterpretations of riveted leather?
I was imagining armors for people before the iron/bronze age... The result was...
Scale armors made from shells.
A gambeson made with leather and some bits of wood.
Ribs or another bones from animals tied together with leather...
But i guess people from stone age used shields instead.
RyuFireheart I would say that armor really wasn't a big deal until metallurgy. A hide shield and some heavy clothing (if you weren't fighting in a hot environment) would have gotten the job done. Most "stone-age" societies centuries have been observed to wear little armor or clothing at all. The Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas wore pelts or cloth armor and wooden shields.
The "Linothorax" and boar tusk helmets and cuirasses aren't seen until the Bronze Age; Egyptians wore little armor at all (usually just cloth and leather) throughout the existence of their civilization. I would argue that before copper and bronze smelting people didn't fight on as great a scale or with as much protection other than what they normally wore for everyday tasks.
I do know that a Pacific islander society (I forget which one) made an armor made from coconut fibers
parlerai mai nello specifico dell' armatura lamellare (Lamellar Armour)?
Complimenti per il canale! mi sono iscritto da poco ma ho già guardato parecchi video e li ho trovati tutti molto interessanti e informativi senza però risultare pesanti. Complimenti anche per l'inglese e il giapponese sembri quasi un madrelingua :)
where did you get that sasuke shirt its really awesome?
Great videos. I just thought it was weird that the under part of your leather armor isn't dyed. It's like a great big target that can be seen from a distance ... ie shoot arrow here.
Wow, just exploring the old stuff and might I say. This channel had a glow-up. No sources cited and lots of speculation.
Would this include Lamellar armors and the Greek's Linothorax, which is said to have been made of linen?
Thanks for the videos. Was wondering did the retiarius and other gladiators wear leather manic as you see in the movies and in the in those SCA erenatmect groups or were they just in metal. I made one in leather thanks again
That 'fantasy armour' would be interesting to see in a hardened / rawhide assembly. (Also, Love that green).
I think that leather you have there would be cool over mail.
BLTs and RPGs I'll try :D
I saw skall's vid on leather, and boy I was surprised at the hardened leather.
Samurai from before the introduction of the gun would be known for their leather armour. A special super tough laquer would be applied on the leather.
The Swiss peasant army was also known for their leather armour. Tight fitting and cut at the joints to make movement possible. This would later become a fashion in the renaissance.
hey man,another great vid like always,I had a question, have you ever heard of the book/game series called the witcher? and if so what do you think of some of the armors and clothing that the main protagonist, Geralt wears (from a historical point of view of course) cheers!
kevin rodriguez Yees I know ther witcher, I have been playing the second one, and when I will finish it I will play the third one. I am planning videos on that ^^
Metatron glad to know man,it'll be great to see your opinion on it.
you should ad a link for the lorica segmentada video
I guy I knew in the SCA had a set of full plate-like armour that he made of thick leather boiled in beeswax, and I was checking it out, it'll stop a lot of damage, a guy with a knife would have a VERY hard time trying to stab though it, you'd pretty much have to be on the ground or let him just go to town for you to get hurt. I guess what I'm saying is , it'd be fairly effective .
Love the color, very emerald and beetle like
What about leather pieces, such as shin-guards or arm-guards? Could they have been used?
And remember, the Metatron has precious things!
Love the look of your armour, must've cost a fortune! So squeaky! I prefer my plate ;) you've convinced me to pick up a gambeson now tho xD b fire I've just been using a cotton gorget and maile
Btw when you mentioned Romans and leather lorica segmentata, what about leather subarmalis?
Siegfried von Haus Yes, subarmalis would be reasonable :) although they deserve a full video ^^
Metatron In that case I look forward to it
Armor is to protect from cuts and punctures. Anything that can do that, to any degree, can be considered armor. Whether it be a quilted jack or full suit of plate. Some protection is better than no protection. What type of armor was used depends on the time and place and the resources available. Where metals are scarce or expensive then wood/bamboo, horn/shell, leather and even paper was used.
Nice dorkish armor :)
I'd say it looks more Orc-ward.
why man?
@@henrypaleveda7760 Never let a opuntunity go...
An indirect confirmation of the existence of some kind of leather armor can be found in etymology, in words such as the italian "corazza" (english "cuirass", french "cuirasse"), which comes from the latin "coriacea", meaning "made of corium", the latin word for leather. In english is a specific type of armor, but in italian is also a generic word for "hard and resilient protection". It had to be a pretty common kind of armor material for the word to stick around this long.
I definitely prefer plate, or even mail, over leather armour.
you me and everyone else
I chopped up an old belt which was about 3-4mm thick and put some. Pieces in boiling water.
It shrinks and go's rubbery and will dry to a shape.
When it dried it was like a piece of plastic or resin.
It eveutally snapped.
If it was cut into the shape of a vest and attached to someone when the leather was drying it could make some form fitting body armour.
With layers I could see how this would be somewhat good protection against edges and blunt force trauma.
I think my biker jacket would provide a bit of protection against common blades that's are not sharp etc
In Vietnam, there is evidence in documents of laws since the 16th century: each province had to supply 100 buffalo hides a year to make armour for the army, or if a soldier misses 3 times in shooting test, he had to pay 2 buffalo hides. Thought we don't know how they do it or what it look like but we know they did use buffalo hide to make armour for common soldiers.
Since you asked us to saw what we think, I will. I personally think it looks hideous however genuinely think you should buy whatever you like.
I greatly respect that you acknowledged your specific leather armor as fantasy, whereas some would passionately defend it's place in history.
I liked your quick and to the point analysis of leather armor. Obviously you didn't cover everything but I'm glad you didn't because I probably wouldn't have time to watch it all in one sitting.
You paved the way for more content on the matter which I appreciate.
Love your channel, can't wait to see what you do for 200k subs when you get there but congratulations in advance.
what about helenic lether aromor (ancient period)?
Hello, Metatron. Your videos are very interesting and instructive. I have just one little question: where are you from? For what I can grasp from some "r" s, you could be Spanish or Italian, I think the second one to be right for how you pronounce some of the vowels. Am I right? In any case, keep the good work going. Cheers.
+Arturo Rodriguez Italian indeed ;)
That back part of the gorget(I don't know what else to call it) looks like an Iron Halo like from Warhammer 40,000
Hey Metatron,could you do a video about the Maximilian amour?
Leather can be extremely tough to pierce. I believe Skallagrim has done tests using rawhide and it took multiple hits to barely pierce it.
That shirt is awesome.
What to the Greeks wear as armor (the one that Achilles wore in Helen of Troy where he has blonde hair). And is it possible to break chainmail with an axe or shoot through it with a arrow
I read somewhere that Eastern soilders would sometimes wear silk under their leather armour, so that an arrow that would pierce the leather wouldn't pierce the silk. The silk would go inside the flesh, wrapped around the arrowhead, so that the arrow could be extracted without catching on any of the soilder's flesh.
The Japanese had scale armor made out of rawhide called Hon Kozane. It was typically heavily lacquered, looking a bit like shiny plastic. Japanese scale is also laced in such a way to form rigid lames, a breastplate of Hon Kozane is just as rigid as one made of steel, it is not flexible. In later periods, scale was considered high class and was more expensive than solid plate, this was to the point that there are even armors made of solid steel plates that have notches cut in them to imitate the look of scale.
if i remember correctly in China Lammaner Armour made of iron or leather was very popular especially during the three kingdoms period as well as thick silk garments like a gamberson.
I have a half suit of curboil leather armor that I made myself. Using instructions I found online back during the Renaissance days in the late 90s early 2000s. Obviously as I've grown a little rotund it no longer fits as it once did as it was custom-made for my body by literally molding it to me. In Essence we cut out two pieces in the shape of a tank top shirt one for the front one for the back. Made out of cow leather. We folded these two pieces up and boiled them in a pan on the stove I forget the time that we had to have it in there for after reach this point I put on a thick wool sweater, and my friend took the piece out of the pot on folded it using some mitts to keep from being burned, placed it over my chest, which I held in place with a couple of pencils to keep from burning my fingers he then wrapped my torso with ace bandage I think it took two rolls, to hold it to form I then sat back on a couch and waited for 30 minutes, needless to say it got a little warm in there. After the 30 minutes we took off the bandages and took the now semi hardened piece of leather and put it over the side of a 5 gallon bucket to finish curing and did the process all over again for the back. Afterwards once they had dried for 24 hours on those buckets, we came back made sure that the pieces stayed confirmed to my chest and back. And used a mixture of a block of paraffin wax with styrene powder, melted into a bread pan using a double boiler technique and brushes to brush wax thoroughly into the two pieces of armor. Once that was done we used rivets to attach the front and back pieces to large piece of soft thin leather in the shape of a bath towel with a hole cut through for my head and riveted the shoulders to that piece of leather. The arms with the pauldrons I purchased at a Renaissance fair and attached beside the straps for the shoulders. The legs are worn on a belt separate from the Torso armor. This armor I can tell you from experience fighting in it provides adequate protection against most blows. And a leather has enough give to distribute the blowout word lessening the point of impact a little bit and preventing any penetration weapon from coming through. Obviously I have not tried to use this against Real weaponry let alone shoot at it with a bow, as this was rather an expensive and time-consuming procedure I would rather not damage my armor. But it would seem to me after wearing that too many Mark battles better suit of leather could exist and would provide protection enough to Warrant wearing at least over the vital areas of the body.
you didn't go into the different curing and chemical reinforcing processes that were used on leather to make them useful as armor over say a linen gambeson, or the earlier linothorax.
Would you ever add an additional video on lacquered leather lamellar armor? You're in Japan afterall I would think you might have heard or seen some of this stuff by now and probably even tested it.
There's no doubt leather armour, if done right, can be very effective.
Full thickness cowhide is >10mm thick. Use it raw and dried or tanned and hardened, will provide protection either way. My raw hide mallet is tough as any hard plastic.
The Viking round shield is a prime example of raw hide used for protection. There seems to be a misconception that it was a wooden shield, but the flimsy wooden disk was only there to give it shape and act as a filler in-between the two layers of hide.
You are great, man!
I just noticed, the first video of yours I saw, the great helm video, your hair was pretty short then, and the long hair makes you look quite a bit younger (even though you're technically older since then)
Siegfried von Haus yes I haven't cut it since then xD I kind of like it for when I dress up in armour ^^
oh btw, I just recently tried hardening some small leather pieces by boiling it. It shattered when I put it on a hard surface and hit it with a hammer, quite interesting
Brings back memories of Cinciti Sword & Sandal epics on the 1950’s. Probably because it was cheaper than metallic & they didn’t have fake metallic spray can paint back then.
I had a discussion on this topic with a Danish reenactor, and he mentioned one interesting topic about gambesons "used" by sailing cultures, such as the vikings. He said that they probably didn't use gambesons that much (At sea at least) because when a gambeson gets wet (For instance you fall from a drakkar into the sea) it soaks so much water, that it becomes thrice as heavy, increasing your chances to drown dramatically.
He mentioned also, that most of them weren't armored at all (Some clothes to protect against the elements at least), except maybe a looted helmet. The rich guys, on the other hand would have maybe lamellar (Leather or steel) or maille armor, with leather jackets unerneath for padding (For the same reasons, that at sea you want to be as light as possible, otherwise you have no chance of survival if you fall overboard)
On the continent, however, they might have prefered gambesons, for their protective abilities.
more likely they were used a lot since they keep you good and warm.
Leather armour made from crocodile hide were used by some of the pharohs in battle in ancient Egypt. Though haven't seen much info on how effective it was in battle.
Oh the fucking irony that the New York Times is saying that the truth is important.
Also, good video Meta, that too.
Warband (game) has a CUIR BOUILLI. It is layered over chainmail. Looks quite good. After watching your last video, i wonder how do medieval ppl take care of leather gear? How do you take care of your orc armor?
xDog .SoldieRx Very cool :D also it is historical to wear leather over mail :3
xDog .SoldieRx And for the leather armour maintainace we need a video ^^
i wonder if it might be more effective to wear mail over leather.
My theory would be that the mail stops the tip of an arrow or edge of a sword and the leather would distribute the force over a larger area so the force cannot incapacitate the wearer. After all the blow of a sword might incapacitate the victim just because of the blunt Impact concentrated on a small area, even if the sword does not penetrate the mail.
Let me please know, if you did already some videos about cloth armouring. Not as layer under metal, but more like hardened linen work.
Good video. Leather was used and was practical.
Nice!
As far as I can tell, and according to some experiments, leather armor does offer protection but it's less effective than plate or lined armor. As a matter of fact it was used by civilizations who did not have access to vast amount of metal and/or fabric, like the mongolians or the japanese for example.
And for the lorica segmentata, actually there is archaeological evidence that it was made from metal :)
westernclassicalstudies.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/armour-from-corbridge-2.jpg
I'm still wondering your take on Dragon Age origins armor, or dragon age armor in general
And how about the use of robes and staves?
Hm, what about the early period in Ancient Greece (sort of Archaic/Classical periods), as a cheaper alternative to metal? So far as I can tell gambeson wasn't used in that part of the world at that time.
who is your oppinion about byzantine and greek armors?
Leather shoe soles, on traditional expensive shoes, seem fairly resistant to abuse. I have no idea what process is used to make them.
It might also be interesting to look at the historical geographic distribution of iron. Areas without rocks don't have iron, so deserts, steppes and plains (where it's easier to mine cows) might change the balance.
How I see it, the closest things to leather armor might be a coat of plates or brigandine. But in those cases, just as you said, the leather is only a component or a 'vessel' to which metal plates are riveted
What about the Chinese? If I recall they used quite a bit of lacquered leather for lamellar
This video have me some interesting ideas on the use for leather as armor. I do a bit of leather working here and there, and I have a piece of cowhide that's just under a quarter inch thick. It's rather difficult to cut with my leather working sheers and box cutters do a better job, so it seems rather easy to slash through. However, I did pull out the sharpest knife I had and tried to stab it, ad really nothing happened. I'd like to try next with bullets or arrows. Given that, I doubt it would be used on the battlefield but it might be nice to have if you thought someone might come after you with a dagger. Then again, I've also seen comments against this.
+Jakk's Coffee Break i have a lifting belt made of that if it impregnated with beeswax you have to use realy pointy dagger and use lot of force to break thrue.
it can protect from stabing but the thicness and construction of that will be uncomfortable for every day use and noticeable.But in modern day it can provide some protection from cheap almost blunt knife but it have to be at least 1mm cow hide.I personali have one jacket (out of five) that is made of that (anilin-dyed leather).If you dont have the blade (point) sharp thin and oild it is dificul to penetrate rough waxed leather.Other 4 even they fell like more thick are made of soft pig hide.
scasny
Thank you for the insight. I hadn't even considered the idea of beeswax, that would be fun to try. The piece I tried on was veg-tanned, and as you pointed out, would be extremely uncomfortable to wear. I had used a large part of it to repair a chair, and make a couple knife sheathes. Clothing would be extremely uncomfortable.