How A Man Shall Be Armed (7th - 11th Century)

[00:00:03][music] [music] A faint was an Anglo-Saxon lord who held his land directly from the king in return for military service in times of war.

[00:00:38]This was long before the arrival of the Normans and even before the Vikings.

[00:00:44]So England was split up into kingdoms such as North Umbrea, Wessex, [music] East Anglia, and Sussex.

[00:00:52]The sixth century would have been around the time when Christianity was beginning to make a comeback in England, but the vast majority of Anglo-Saxons would still be pagan.

[00:01:04]First, the Fain wears his woolen coat called a CF tan. The CF tan is thick and adds a layer of padded protection. In the early medieval period, they were quite universal throughout all of Europe and further a field from England to as far as Mongolia. Of course, fabrics like this would rarely survive into the modern day, so all we have to go by is contemporary artwork and written descriptions of the clothing.

[00:01:31]Mail at this time was very expensive and was not accessible to all warriors. Even high status soldiers may not get their hands on mail since crafters who possessed the knowledge and capabilities to make male during this time in history were extremely rare.

[00:01:48]After the fall of the Roman Empire, many metal workers moved away to find work in more prosperous areas. So, Britain was stripped of many of its skilled workforce.

[00:02:03]In the Anglo-Saxon period, Aane ranked below all other classes of nobility, but was still considerably elevated above other warriors in the Saxon class system.

[00:02:17]A sign of the fain status is his sword, which is a highly ornate and expensive weapon.

[00:02:24]Most Saxons would instead rely on spears and axes, as these required less metal and less skill to make, so they were cheaper and more widely available.

[00:02:34]Spears and axes were also commonly used for other things such as hunting and chopping wood. So they were a reliable item in the household which could be picked up and used as a weapon in times of trouble.

[00:02:46]The Fain also wears his belt which has a pouch for carrying items in usually containing a flint and steel, some timber, a comb, and other small items which are needed dayto-day. The belt also features a hefty knife called a sax.

[00:03:03]This is believed to have been where the Saxons got their name from. Known as the knife wielders or knife raiders.

[00:03:11]The sax was a very universal tool capable of chopping meat, cutting through bone, turning firewood into tinder or skinning animals, as well as being a vicious weapon to be used in close quarters combat.

[00:03:24]They came in a variety of sizes and seemed to be very personal items with originals being found with inscriptions, lettering, symbols, or line work being etched into both the blades and the handles.

[00:03:37]Speaking of the handles, they were usually quite simple components, usually made of either wood or bone, although sometimes they would have horn or brass decorations on them as well.

[00:03:49]We see saxes being used all throughout the Saxon period in England [music] and seemed to disappear in around the 12th century.

[00:03:57]They came in a variety of blade types as well with some of the largest ones being fulllength swords called scramaxes or langaxes which essentially means long knife.

[00:04:09]The fain checks his lance or spear.

[00:04:13]Although the Saxons weren't especially known for mounted combat, many high status warriors would indeed be on horseback fighting with spear and shield.

[00:04:22]We don't know to what extent they fought with cavalry, but horse skeletons have been found at multiple high status warrior burials from this period in England. So, we assume that they played an important role in Anglo-Saxon warfare.

[00:04:38]Next, the fain wears his helmet. This component of armor also represents his upper class as a warrior, yet it doesn't make him particularly high class.

[00:04:50]This helmet is a reproduction of the Shorewell, a 6th century Saxon helmet found on the aisle of white.

[00:04:57]While metal items like helmets were certainly expensive and only reserved for the upper classes, the Shawwell appears to be considerably lower status than other early to midsaxon helmets found in warrior burials across England.

[00:05:11]Similar Saxon helmet finds from around the same period would be the Wiston which is currently on display at the Leeds Royal Armories or the Copper Gate which is on display in the Yorkshire Museum.

[00:05:24]The Shawwell is a Spangenhelm construction where multiple small plates of metal are riveted to metal bands that go around the head, reinforcing the helmet with multiple layers of overlapping steel or iron.

[00:05:38]Now, the Feain equips his round shield and spear.

[00:05:43]By the latter end of the Roman Empire in Britain, round shields once again became the most common shield types used by all classes of warrior.

[00:05:52]They were relatively cheap and easy to make and are believed to have been mostly disposable, so are expected to get ruined in a battle and have a new one built afterwards.

[00:06:04]However, there have also been some shields from the Anglo-Saxon period which were clearly not throwaway items and were instead highly prized decorative pieces with multiple ornate fittings adorning them. The Sutton who shield is a perfect example of this where garnet encrusted gold finery has been attached to the shield depicting various animals and cultural pattern work. These were certainly ceremonial shields and were unlikely to be used in combat since they are considerably heavier than your normal round shield.

[00:06:39]Arane is wearing a shield lined in a sheet of horn to give it a glossy finish. Something that would definitely be reserved for only the higher status warriors in Anglo-Saxon England.

[00:06:52]The majority of the kit that you see today is based on the artifacts found from grave 47 of the Snape Saxon burials in Suffukk.

[00:07:00]The artifacts in the burial clearly show high status, especially considering that a boat has also been buried with the person to whom the grave was dedicated.

[00:07:10]The grave did however lack many of the highly ornate items found at similar sites such as Sutton who Anglo-Saxon warrior burials are quite rare, but they can often reveal incredible insights into the life of a Saxon warrior, including telling us how far they travel to trade with other cultures, thanks to some of the jewelry and finery that we see in the graves.

[00:07:40]After the fall of the Roman Empire, the British Isles saw great changes as the population learned to adapt to a new way of life.

[00:07:48]Following the Saxon migration to England, arms and armor would take on an experimental phase. No longer relying on Roman funded industries to mass-produce armor and weaponry, this 9th century Anglo-Saxon wears his base layer, which is a pair of trousers or hoes and a linen tunic. He then wears a thicker tunic called an undertunic as it goes under the male, which he will be wearing next.

[00:08:17]Gambersons were not a thing during the Saxon period. Instead, these woolen tunics were the only form of padding that was worn under the male.

[00:08:25]This tunic features a tablet weave, which was a common method of decoration throughout Europe during this time period. The decorated edging was often used to cover lines of stitching at the cuffs and around the collar.

[00:08:39]The pattern used for this tunic is called the Oserberg pattern, featuring rich dark reds and yellows.

[00:08:47]The Anglo-Saxon Earl now wears his male shirt, which would be called a Bernie or a Horberg.

[00:08:54]Male was very expensive and rare during the Saxon period. In the centuries prior, the Roman Empire had taken control of Britain and set up large-scale metalworking industries where many people would work around the clock to produce iron. Then, more people would sit in workshops, smithing the iron into riveted rings to mass-produce male shirts.

[00:09:15]Not only this, but iron curasses called Lorica segmentata would also be made on a large scale.

[00:09:22]This armor equipped the Roman army and turned the soldiers into a lethal cohesive killing machine.

[00:09:29]The Saxons, however, did not have the capability of setting up these large workshops as various tribes who settled in the different regions of England had no financial backing from a colossal empire over in mainland Europe or droves of people to do the work.

[00:09:44]Instead, armor was a very smallcale business, but also had its positives, which we will touch upon later in the video.

[00:09:52]The Saxon Earl now equips his Lang Saxs.

[00:09:55]The Saxs is a single-edged weapon similar to a sword and is believed to be what gave the Saxons their name.

[00:10:02]Contrary to popular belief, the Lang Saxs was certainly not the poor man's sword, as the iron required to make such a weapon would have been just as expensive as making a regular sword.

[00:10:12]Indeed, most Sax finds have shown to be highly decorated, usually with etched blades, bone handle details, and golden inlay.

[00:10:21]Anglo-Saxon swords were descendants of the Spartha, a popular sword type during the late Roman Empire. They featured a longer blade, often quite broad, and had two sharp edges. Anglo-Saxon swords and langaxes are considered to be designed as a chopping weapon, which may be because less soldiers were armored during this period in history. So, cutting through clothing to injure your opponent was fairly easy, especially with a longer blade where you could get more reach and you had a longer blade length to contact the enemy's body.

[00:10:54]Next, the L wears a cloak.

[00:10:56]Of course, a cloak would not be worn in combat as it would slow the warrior down and limit his scope of attack, but a cloak was still a very important item to take on campaign as wool was quite waterproof, and the thick layers provided excellent insulation to keep warm during the colder seasons.

[00:11:16]The Anglo-Saxons often used the color red to dye their clothes, as the madaplan of which the dye was extracted was widely available in Britain.

[00:11:29]As previously mentioned, the fact that the Roman industry had left Britain and Anglo-Saxon metalworking was done on a much smaller scale had some good and negative points. One positive is that solo metalmiths now had the freedom to work on certain projects for as long as they wanted. Not having the strict rules and time management of the workplace as the previous Roman metalmith would have had. This meant that beautiful one-time only items could be crafted by highly skilled individuals such as this helmet which is the Coppergate helmet. A find from York dating to around the 8th century.

[00:12:05]The Coppergate helmet was a span and helm construction featuring an iron skull cap formed of eight [music] components. Two bands holding the helmet together, one going from ear to ear and another one going from the nape to the nose. And this helmet also features a lot of ornate brass work with brass decorations covering all the edges, the nasal bar and the crest.

[00:12:27]The copper gate also has two cheek guards which are also edged in brass and a male vent tail comprised of forge welded male links, a much more time-conuming and expensive method than the more common riveting technique.

[00:12:42]Owning a helmet during the Saxon period, especially in the earlier centuries was uncommon due to the cost involved since iron was an expensive commodity. So to have a fully protective helmet like this surely meant that the owner is of high status. Indeed, these helmets were of a similar design to the late Romano British helmets which were also of a span and helm construction and the more ornate versions were also reserved for higher ranking soldiers such as officers.

[00:13:12]For as long as historical artifacts have been uncovered, jewelry has always been a common find, especially in Britain.

[00:13:20]Bracelets, rings, bangles, brooches, and pendants have all been used regularly by people for thousands of years. Made of all sorts of material from copper, brass, silver, gold, iron, and tin.

[00:13:34]To show off his wealth and high status, the Earl wears a selection of bangles and rings.

[00:13:40]Twisted metal bangles or torques are a signature of the Iron Age fruit through to the late Saxon period. Many of these finds also give us an insight into the massive cultural shift from paganism to Christianity where Christian symbols begin to be mixed with arguably pagan art styles and iconography.

[00:14:00]During the early to midsaxon period, round shields appeared to be the only type of shield used by warriors in Britain. Although much like other weaponry, shields definitely ranged in value. For most soldiers, it seems that shields were regarded as short-term throwaway items intended to protect the warrior for one or maybe two bouts of combat before ending up being too damaged to be used again. And so the valuable metal boss would be retrieved and the wooden part of the shield would be discarded and a new shield made.

[00:14:31]But on finds like the Sutton who shield and various other surviving examples, there are a lot of valuable pieces of decoration nailed onto the shield, such as ornate animal figures made of metal.

[00:14:43]So some shields are believed to be reserved for special occasions, such as cultural gatherings, and kept with the family.

[00:14:52]This shield is of a lower level of craftsmanship, which suggests it is made for combat. A single layer of thin planks have been glued together. Then the surface of the shield has been faced with leather and then painted over with a typically Anglo-Saxon symbol. Again using red matter dye to achieve this color.

[00:15:12]The shield features a hardwood central grip on the back protected by a circular iron boss on the front.

[00:15:19]The final item that this Anglo-Saxon earl equips is his spear. Spears were by far the most common weapon on the battlefield during this period in history. They only use a small amount of metal and the shaft is made of wood which meant that spears were relatively cheap and could be produced on a larger scale.

[00:15:38]Also, the length of the shaft meant that a warrior could keep distance from an opponent, keeping the opponent back, especially important if you yourself are not wearing any armor. And a row of spears in a shield wall was a good tactic against cavalry.

[00:15:54]This spear design is typically known as the type F and dates to the mid 9th to [music] the mid 10th century.

[00:16:02]It is a fairly common style of spear head and would make for a very utilitarian style of Saxon spear.

[00:16:09]Some spearheads have been found with high levels of etched decoration or gold and silver inlays mainly around the socket.

[00:16:19]We don't know much about how the Anglo-Saxons fought as they didn't have much of a written culture that we know of, but it is believed that they commonly opted for spear and shield techniques, also often using axes and bows.

[00:16:33]Of course, the Saxons famously used the shield wall against the Normans during the Battle of Hastings in 1066, but this would be another 200 years in the future for this Anglo-Saxon earl.

[00:16:46]During this time, the main threat of the Saxons were the Vikings, who had invaded around a hundred years ago and had been conquering lands in England, slowly gaining more control over the British Isles and beating back the various Saxon kingdoms.

[00:17:02]Armor and weaponry from the 7th to 11th centuries in England were very similar between the Saxons and the Vikings with both using male shirts, bang and helm or nasal helmets, axes, spears, spar swords and round shields. So their capabilities in combat were fairly matched.

[00:17:20]The Vikings however appeared to have the upper hand as the Nordic raiders who came over to England on long ships were often picked for their fighting capabilities.

[00:17:29]Strong and fit men ready for war.

[00:17:33]The Saxons, on the other hand, did have a healthy retinue of fighting men, but they soon found themselves stretched and exhausted as Viking long ships appeared on the shores all over the kingdom, often causing havoc wherever they landed.

[00:17:47]Of course, it is important to point out that not all Nordic people who came over to England were aggressive warriors.

[00:17:54]After the Viking Kingdom in England began to be established, many families, workers, and farmers came over to settle and make a new life in England, integrating themselves with the local Saxon communities.

[00:18:06][music] Throughout the 10th century, Anglo-Saxon England became increasingly terrorized by Scandinavian invaders from across the North Sea.

[00:18:17]Raiders from the Nordic regions had been targeting settlements across the English coastline since as early as the late 8th century.

[00:18:26]But by 865 AD, the Viking kings were enacting full-scale military campaigns into Anglo-Saxon England. Beginning with the introduction of the Great Hea Army.

[00:18:37]By the turn of the 10th century, the Saxons were on the back foot, being beaten back and losing much of their territory to the Viking invaders.

[00:18:48]This Viking Yal wears a woolen tunic with long sleeves. Secondly, an undertunic is worn, named as such because it is worn under the next component, the male.

[00:19:01]Gambersons weren't a thing during the early medieval period. All the padding that soldiers needed was a tunic, and these were only slightly thicker than regular clothing.

[00:19:12]Next, the male hallworkers worn. As previously mentioned in other arming videos, the main requirement of male was to prevent slashing attacks, which could otherwise deeply cut the flesh and leave potentially fatal injuries.

[00:19:26]Blunt force trauma could cause bruising or internal bleeding, but had a much lower chance to kill a soldier. Slashing attacks, on the other hand, would be very likely to lead to death. So, male shirts were in great demand.

[00:19:39]Mail was of course very expensive during the Viking age, so only richer warriors could afford it. Likewise, swords were also exceedingly expensive, requiring great skill from experienced smiths.

[00:19:54]A yal was a member of the upper class.

[00:19:56]They were generally landowners and often members of local nobility. [music] Yals weren't necessarily the highest of status like, but they were typically more similar to the status of faines.

[00:20:08]Rich enough to be able to afford expensive items such as swords and male hallworks, but likely not rich enough to be buried inside ships during processions.

[00:20:20]Due to their high cost, swords were a notable sign of status and were also particularly dangerous on the battlefield as the majority of soldiers had no armor like male shirts, but instead were usually only equipped with a shield and sometimes a helmet.

[00:20:38]Viking swords especially were designed for their cleaving abilities, while earlier swords like the Roman Gladius focused more on stabbing motions.

[00:20:49]Although a cloak would have not been worn during combat, this is a good example of a typical cloak of the Viking period, consisting of a comfortable inner lining, which provided good insulation by trapping body heat, and a dense woolen outer layer, which would be waterproof in times of rainy weather.

[00:21:08]The typical helmet of the early medieval period was the nasal helm. A skull cap with a conicle top likely to provide a little bit of an air gap between the helmet and the wearer's skull in order to soften the blows from incoming axes and swords, therefore lowering the possibility of getting a concussion or head or neck injuries.

[00:21:29]The nasal bar on the front of the helmet protected the nose, but also acted as a barrier for the face in general.

[00:21:38]The classic round shield is universal during the Viking period and was used for over five centuries by most Western European soldiers.

[00:21:48]The shields are made of planks of wood which are then covered in linen and painted with a rawhide trim around the edges which acted as a rubber-like protection against incoming attacks while also helping hold the shield together and make it stronger.

[00:22:04]A metal boss in the center of the shield protects the hand of the warrior behind it who holds the shield with a central grip.

[00:22:13]One of the most famous battlefield tactics during this time was the shield wall, where each soldier would interlock their shields together to provide a very strong line of defense. This was made more effective thanks to the wide use of spears during the early medieval period.

[00:22:30]These were by far the most common weapon on the battlefield, as they were relatively cheap to make, requiring not much iron to make the spearhead, and were also very diverse in their uses.

[00:22:43]Spears with longer shafts could be used in two hands to get a lot of reach, attacking opponents further away and keeping them at a safe distance away from you. Or shorter spears could be used effectively in one hand, thrusting underarm or overhead, forcing an opponent to either lift or drop his shield to protect from these attacks.

[00:23:02]So, a well-trained group of soldiers could strike an opponent both low down and high up at the same time.

[00:23:09]Lighter spears can be thrown and were effective at short range in conjunction with archers. Archers would shoot their arrows to rain down on the opponent just as the other soldiers, sometimes named javeliners or peltasts, would launch lighter spears straight into the enemy ranks.

[00:23:30]>> [music] >> This Saxon Huscal is wearing a typical base layer of clothing consisting of woolen hose, turn shoes, and a woolen tunic.

[00:23:40]First, he puts on a second thicker woolen tunic. This adds a layer of padding for when he wears his male Horuk later, as the weave is dense, so it could withstand the abrasion of the riveted metal rings of the male.

[00:23:55]And next, he wears a few items in preparation for putting on his male. A small necker chief protects his neck from the metal rings, as well as an arming cap and gloves.

[00:24:08]The male Horuk or Horajong is made up of thousands of iron rings which have a 6 mill internal diameter, and each one is riveted to create a strong yet flexible male shirt.

[00:24:21]The huskal adjusts the male hallwork, getting out any male links that may have become snagged on each other, ensuring maximum comfort.

[00:24:30]A male shirt like this can typically weigh between 10 to 15 kg.

[00:24:36]A properly tailored male shirt should not require a belt to be comfortable.

[00:24:40]And indeed, both the Saxons and Normans featured on the Bayer Tapestry are rarely wearing belts. The weight is supported by the shoulders, back, and waist.

[00:24:52]The Huskll has a sword as a sidearm.

[00:25:12]During the 11th century, swords were very expensive and reserved for the higher classes of warrior. In previous centuries, swords were an even more highly priced item due to the incredible skillmanship [music] required to make them. But by the 11th century, swords smithing had become more available to a wider class of soldier, [music] including the household guard of Saxon and fains.

[00:25:44]This is a typical sword of the late 1000s [music] used by many factions such as the Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Franks, and Normans. Since many of these cultures overlapped and integrated with each other in the modern day, we refer to these as Brazil nut pommel swords due to the shape of the pommel on the hilt which was becoming increasingly popular throughout the 11th to 13th centuries [music] replacing the older Spar style swords which had broader blades and rectangular shaped pommels.

[00:26:26]While swords weren't particularly useful against enemies wearing male, they were lethal against unarmored opponents, of which the majority of 11th century armies consisted of.

[00:26:39]A single cleave of a blade could sever limbs and deal fatal injuries.

[00:26:45]The huskal now wears a padded arming cap. The male hback features an integrated koif. These were one of the first additions to male armor as they developed throughout the next few hundred years. Already we see a vent tail attached to the chest of the male shirt which can be lifted up and laced around the back of the head to provide throat and face protection as well as a slit down the center of the bottom half of the book to allow the wearer to ride a horse.

[00:27:15]Later they will evolve to include full sleeves with gussets to make them fit tighter to the limbs with integrated mitten gloves also made of male for additional protection.

[00:27:27]We don't know exactly how these male coys were constructed as no original artifacts survive and contemporary artwork is far from clear. So reenactors and experts alike have experimented with many different configurations to achieve the desired look and comfortable wearability.

[00:27:45]Next, he wears his helmet which is a spangenhelm construction with a nasal bar. This specific type of helmet is based off the one that Harold Godwinson is depicted wearing in the Bayer tapestry.

[00:27:58]Helmets like these were very common amongst the higher classes of soldier throughout the 11th century and were used by many factions including the Vikings, Normans, and Franks.

[00:28:11]Gloves are generally regarded as a modern reenactorism.

[00:28:15]While they can sometimes be found depicted in historical artwork from around the 11th century, this is indeed rare and an overwhelming proportion of soldiers depicted in contemporary artwork from this time period are not wearing gloves.

[00:28:30]This means that they evidently preferred the additional dexterity, but was only possible by wearing no form of protection on their hands.

[00:28:39]Again, male mittens had not been invented [music] yet, and male shirts mostly ended just below the elbow. So, the majority of the forearm and the hands were left unprotected throughout this time period.

[00:28:54]Since we live in the modern day and we are just reenacting historical [music] periods, we don't want to break our fingers as we reenact the Battle of Hastings [music] since it means we can't work our actual day jobs on the following Monday. So precautions have to be set to ensure our safety when engaged in this hobby since it is indeed dangerous. As such, this is a good learning experience for people who use these videos to create historically authentic artwork, either through drawings or painting miniature figurines where even little details like adding gloves could make a figure less historically authentic.

[00:29:31]By the 11th century, kite shields were the new most common type of shield being used throughout Western Europe. They may have evolved through the Frankish and Norman cultures, [music] as they began to utilize mounted combat more often, meaning that the shield could be attached to the wearer using a geish strap rather than having the soldier hold the shield via a handle. This meant that the shield could be elongated to protect the rider's leg, protecting almost the entire body from one side, allowing the mounted soldier to focus more on attacking and moving the horse around the battlefield.

[00:30:06]Despite this, round shields were still prevalent, but were getting replaced by the kite shield. And by the 12th century, we seldom see round shields depicted in contemporary artwork.

[00:30:18]Again, the stylized cross and circles painted on the front of the shield is copied from those depicted on the Beao tapestry.

[00:30:29]While Husky typically used long two-handed axes, [music] spears were still the most prominent weapon on the battlefield and were used by all classes of soldier from the lowest ranking to the highest.

[00:30:42]This soldier has a penant flag on his spear, proudly showing [music] his Saxon heritage.

[00:30:49]Official heraldry was not yet a thing in the 11th century, but personal banners and household iconography were still present on battlefields of this time period.

[00:31:03]The Viking Huskars have a reputation of being a fierce and brutal type of soldier, armed to the teeth and trained in violent raiding tactics.

[00:31:12]Originally, these men were not typical professional soldiers. They were leaders of local villages and tribes back home in Scandinavia and would muster up groups from their settlements to come on raiding parties with them across England and further a field. But as the Nordic grip on England began to tighten, we see more professional soldiers dedicating their lives to campaigning across England and Ireland.

[00:31:35]By the 11th century, the Danish conquest had ramped up to such an extent that well-trained professional soldiers stepped foot onto the English shores, well-paid as full-time warriors, eager to spill Saxon blood.

[00:31:49]First, the Viking wears his tunic. This is a thick woolen shirt and is the only padding that the Huscal requires.

[00:31:56]Despite popular belief, there is actually no evidence to suggest that padded gambison were worn in the early medieval period. The few artistic depictions that we see are very ambiguous, giving the impression of quilted sleeves. However, this has been disproven to actually be bunched up male sleeves.

[00:32:14]It seems that malewearing soldiers did not see bruising and blunt force trauma on the torso and arms as a particular threat, and they chose not to wear padded garments as they restricted movement and would make the wearer feel hot and exhausted much quicker.

[00:32:29]Male prevented lethal stabs and slashes from bladed weapons such as spears and swords, which would be much more likely to prove fatal if a successful strike was achieved.

[00:32:39]Again, armor is all about a balance of protection versus mobility. And it seems the early medieval soldiers were happy to lose some protection in favor for greater mobility.

[00:32:50]This male shirt is made up of iron rings which have an 8 mm internal diameter, and each one is riveted closed for additional strength.

[00:32:58]By the early 11th century, the majority of male shirts were short- sleeved and rather short around the upper legs. The more tailored male shirts with integrated co mitten gloves and male shores or leg protection came later in the 12th and 13th centuries as male tailoring became more advanced and male itself gradually became more accessible.

[00:33:19]During the 11th century, male shirts like this were only obtained by the richest of soldiers, often fains, elves, huskals, and noblemen.

[00:33:29]The Viking wears his sword complete with scabbard and belt. Viking swords were typically rather broadbladed and often heavier than alternative European sword types of the period.

[00:33:41]Due to the lack of written evidence, we don't know exactly how martial arts were taught in Scandinavia, but we do know that these swords were primarily used for powerful chopping and cleaving motions.

[00:33:53]Most soldiers were not armored during this time period, with the majority merely equipped with a shield and spear, so brutal cutting motions could easily power through an enemy line of shields and slash their unprotected bodies. Back then, deep cuts and lacerations were much more likely to be fatal, either from extreme blood loss or from infection. So, powerful cleaving motions with a sword were the most efficient way of dispatching an opponent.

[00:34:19]By the 11th century, swords were still extremely expensive weapons to own, made by the most skilled swordsmiths who were often personally hired by ears and nobles as their knowledge of metallurgy was received anxiously by locals around them who lived lives shrouded in magical and mystical beliefs and superstitions.

[00:34:38]Nasal helmets were most common throughout the early medieval period and were almost universal in Western Europe.

[00:34:45]A nasal bar to protect the nose and face from slashing attacks is riveted to a conicle skull cap, which is designed to provide an empty space between the top of the wearer's head and the helmet.

[00:34:56]This helps reduce the power of incoming strikes to the head, which helps reduce the effects of concussion or internal bleeding from blunt force trauma. There is evidence for male koifs or ventails being worn in conjunction with these helmets, but these seem to be exceedingly rare. So we believe most people wore helmets without male protection around the neck and the back of the head during this time.

[00:35:19]The key item of protection for most soldiers regardless of status was the round shield. These wooden shields have been in use for thousands of years in various forms and the early 1000s appear to be the last century that they remained popular before they evolved into the classic kite shield or teardrop shield with the elongated triangular point to protect the legs.

[00:35:41]A metal shield boss is riveted to the center of the shield to protect the hand grip inside. And the edges are lined with animal rawhide, which has been dried out and stretched over the edge of the shield to create an almost rubber-like protection, which helps prevent the shield from splitting upon being hit. Here, the rawhide has been riveted onto the shield, but usually the hide was sewn onto the shield instead.

[00:36:04]Since heraldry didn't exist yet, we do not know exactly how these shields were painted. So, we use contemporary artistic depictions to recreate conjectural patterns.

[00:36:17]The most notable part of the Huscal's ensemble is the Danax. With a sharp ax head on a long shaft, these proved to be extremely dangerous weapons and were feared by opponents all across Europe.

[00:36:30]The Huskars would swing their axes high in the air, crashing down into shield walls and hooking the axe head behind the tops of shields before ripping them out of the way and creating a gap to charge into. Or they could utilize the length of the shaft to use the axe head as a battering ram, forcing their way through a shield wall to break up the enemy lines.

[00:36:49]The Danax was also particularly useful against cavalry, being able to reach mounted soldiers and deliver powerful blows, with some accounts also suggesting that the Husklls would cleave the horse's legs to fell the mounted soldier.

[00:37:03]Indeed, shortly after their introduction to England, the Anglo-Saxons soon adopted these great axes for their own use. And by the time of Hastings in 1066, both the Normans and the Saxons were using them on the battlefield.

[00:37:20]In 1066, the Normans began a conquest into England, led by William, Duke of Normandy.

[00:37:27]On the 14th of October, they clashed with the Anglo-Saxons just north of Hastings, which would become known worldwide as the infamous Battle of Hastings.

[00:37:38]Previously, we have taken a look at what armor the Anglo-Saxons were wearing during the 11th century. So, in today's video, we will learn what the Normans were wearing when they came over to England in 1066.

[00:38:00]One often overlooked aspect of the 11th century kit is how bright and colorful it could be. As this knight is of high status, likely a member of nobility, he has an additional decorated weave over his leg wraps.

[00:38:15]Leg wraps were a more northwestern item of clothing since the Normans in the Mediterranean enjoyed a warmer climate, so wouldn't require this additional layer over their hose.

[00:38:26]The base layer of a typical 11th century knight consists of a simple linen or wool tunic which is worn under a second tunic which sometimes has embroidery or a two-tone color around the sleeves or the neck.

[00:38:41]These tunics were also sometimes made of silk and feature some fabulous colors depending on how rich the owner was.

[00:38:49]During the 11th century under tunics were worn in preparation for the male.

[00:38:54]These may have been slightly thicker than normal tunics and made out of a more durable fabric like wool with a dense weave. However, due to no 11th century example surviving to the modern day, we cannot know if these tunics were thick or not. As previously discussed with other armoring videos, it is a misconception that thick padded gambersons were worn underneath male.

[00:39:16]Despite popular belief, there is no concrete evidence for gambisons from between the 11th to the 13th centuries.

[00:39:24]and they are now believed to be a somewhat experimental type of armor during the 14th and 15th centuries instead.

[00:39:30]A padded gamberson would help minimize injury from blunt force trauma weapons, but knights were only concerned with fatal injuries. Furthermore, knights tended to favor mobility over extensive levels of protection. If a knight received heavy bruising, they could still continue the fight. But at the same time, being faster and more nimble on your feet would help you avoid more incoming strikes. So your main threat would just be from potential fatal blows, which would kill you regardless of whether you were wearing padding or not.

[00:40:04]And now the male is worn over the top of the under tunic.

[00:40:09]Again, we have extensively discussed the use of male throughout several centuries of combat, but I may make a dedicated video to cover the subject as comprehensively as I can.

[00:40:20]Basically, plate armor that we associate with the medieval period had not been invented yet, either due to the lack of skills or the poor quality of steel that was available at this time in history.

[00:40:32]The only type of plate armor we do regularly see are in the form of helmets.

[00:40:38]Male proved to be a very useful level of protection to defend a knight against various threats, specifically cutting strikes from swords and axes.

[00:40:49]Male Horberks were never designed to be relied upon as the sole protection for a knight of the 11th century, as the typical shield of this period did a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to protection and defense, which we'll be discussing later on in the video.

[00:41:06]In this example, this knight is wearing blackened male, which is an experimental type of finish for male links, achieved by burning linseed oil into the metal surface.

[00:41:17]We don't know exactly if medieval people did blacken their male, and indeed, blackened male is a subject without much evidence.

[00:41:26]The idea is that blackened male would be more rust resistant, but medieval people already had a method of de- rusting male armor by putting it in a tumbler with sand and turning it, using the friction to remove the rust. On a similar note, male is also fairly rust resistant on its own as the individual links rub against each other during normal everyday movement.

[00:41:48]A thinly padded arming cap is worn over the head. This male features a koi which is closely fitted around the head by the use of laces.

[00:41:58]Again, this is a fairly conjectural method as we do not know exactly how knights of the 11th century made these male hoods fit closely to their heads.

[00:42:06]It is a perfect reason for why historical reenactment and living history is so important to understand the past. By creating these components of arms and armor, we can experiment with different methods and see which works best. as this may also be the most likely way that people did it 900 years ago.

[00:42:25]In the Bayer tapestry, we see hints that the Normans wore a face mask made of male called a ventail, and the knight could choose whether he wanted to wear it as an extra level of protection around the face or let it hang down on his chest.

[00:42:40]Depictions on the Bayer tapestry show that the rectangles of male could have had a leather lining or laces around the edges. But again, we cannot know this for certain due to the lack of evidence.

[00:42:55]Multiple experimental methods have been devised in reenactment to understand this component of 11th century armor further, including a leather padding on the inside to make it more comfortable to wear, especially when the knight in question has a beard.

[00:43:10]Some people have experimented with laces to keep the male face mask close to the face and neck, while others have used hooks.

[00:43:18]Truthfully, we do not know exactly how this was done in the 11th century, but multiple methods have been proven to work.

[00:43:26]A helmet is worn to protect the head.

[00:43:29]During this time period, the most common helmet type was the nasal helm.

[00:43:34]This style of helmet has been around for a few centuries already, but was made of a spangen helm construction, which means that the helmet was built up of multiple pieces all riveted together with metal bands.

[00:43:48]This helmet, however, is made of a single piece of metal, a design that required an expert level of craftsmanship and a fairly new possibility in the world of armoring.

[00:44:01]Historians understand that forge welding was being done during this time period.

[00:44:06]So two halves of the helmet could be made separately then forged together.

[00:44:10]But one piece helmets were stronger and highly sought after by the nobility.

[00:44:17]Here we can see that the knight uses the chin strap of his helmet to pull in the male face mask tight around the face and around the chin and neck. This gives a very nightly silhouette which is shown in a lot of contemporary artwork.

[00:44:32]The Norman knight wears his sword scabbard and belt.

[00:44:36]The belt is worn on the natural waist which helps the hips take on some of the weight of the maleberg providing more comfort to the knight wearing it.

[00:44:46]There is also an alternative idea that well-tailored male did not require a belt due to its superior tailoring and construction.

[00:44:54]This is supported by the artwork in the Bayer tapestry as none of the knights who wear male are wearing belts. Yet sword scabbards can clearly be seen attached to the body.

[00:45:06]Although we can't know for sure, we believe that this may have been achieved by a slit being made on the side of the male hall so that the scabbard can be inserted inside.

[00:45:18]Leather gloves are then worn to protect the hands of the knight. male mittens or gauntlets have not been invented yet. So the only form of hand protection that we know of are gloves.

[00:45:30]Since no examples of 11th century gloves survives to the modern day, we can't know exactly which materials were used.

[00:45:37]But deer skin or fine leather was likely used. With the more expensive and refined materials being available to the higher status of knights who could afford it again looking towards the Bayer tapestry, gloves are not depicted. So, we can only assume that Norman knights did not wear gloves in combat, and wearing gloves may just be a modern reenactorism.

[00:46:01]During the 11th century, shields were a very important component of armor for anyone on the battlefield.

[00:46:08]Round shields of the earlier periods were now in the stages of being phased out, and kite shields were now regarded as the most useful type of shield design due to how protective they were.

[00:46:20]The kite shield was made of thin timber planks glued together and covered in fabric such as linen, then given a rim made from rawhide which was either sewn or nailed to the shield.

[00:46:31]The shield design was curved so it better protected the human body, providing a high level of defense against incoming attacks from the head to the feet.

[00:46:42]The 11th century was also before the invention of heraldry, so heraldic patterns and symbolism wouldn't have been painted on these shields.

[00:46:51]Instead, we see a few designs featured on Norman shields in the Bayer tapestry, such as dragons and crosses, but the majority of shields appear to be simply painted in one single color.

[00:47:03]Throughout the 11th century, Norman armies were mainly built up of mounted knights, archers, and dismounted soldiers with varying levels of armor.

[00:47:14]The majority of foot soldiers were called sergeants, not to be confused with the rank of sergeant in a modern army. Knights would command and sergeants would serve.

[00:47:25]They were generally considered around the same level of soldier as a bilman of the 15th century and often less armored than your typical man at arms.

[00:47:35]The sergeant wears a padded undertunic named as such as it is worn under male armor. It is a padded garment with a dense weave suitable for male being worn over the top without causing discomfort to the wearer. These can be considered early gambasants. But as mentioned in previous videos, there is a severe lack of evidence for gambson or quilted padded garments during this period in history. It appears that soldiers favored the layered approach by wearing multiple thinner tunics instead.

[00:48:08]Sergeants were fairly generic foot soldiers that would make up the bulk of the typical Norman army, so they wouldn't necessarily be well armored.

[00:48:17]Indeed, a male shirt would have been an expensive piece of armor for a sergeant to wear and would have meant that they had some form of elevated status despite still being a lowly infantryman.

[00:48:29]Sergeants would likely acquire a male shirt from being in the service of a knight who would equip their personal retinue. The more wealthy the knight was, the better he could afford to equip his soldiers.

[00:48:42]Importantly, a knight wouldn't be expected to attend a battle on his own.

[00:48:46]Instead, he would be expected to bring a retinue with him to both bulk up the army and serve to protect the knight directly.

[00:48:54]The male shirt does not feature an integrated koif or riding slit as a nightly male whber would since this is a cheaper alternative.

[00:49:05]Notably, the male shirt is also looking a little worse for wear, showing signs of rust, which may be attributed to it being stored in a knight's personal armory. In contrast, a knight would want his male looking presentable at all times since a shiny suit of male armor would reflect his social status. As such, he would have his servants clean the mail by putting it in a tumbler with sand and small stones. The abrasive nature of turning the tumbler would clean the mail of rust. Next, the sergeant equips his knife suspended on a belt. A knife was a very important item for the common soldier of the 11th century. However, as I had pointed out in a previous video, there is no evidence of Normans wearing knives on their person in a combat scenario.

[00:49:50]So, we have included this item so you can see what things the Norman sergeant would be carrying with them on campaign, but this would be left behind when the time comes for the soldier to march into battle. Popular uses include splitting up kindling for firewood, butchering meat, and chopping vegetables.

[00:50:07]Saxes were very common items throughout the Saxon and Viking period of the 6th to 11th centuries and were adapted into multiple different types of weapons for different uses such as the Lansaxs or the Scramaxs.

[00:50:20]But there is no evidence of Normans adopting these weapons despite being in the same sphere as the Saxons and Vikings.

[00:50:28]They certainly had something similar as knives could take on all different shapes and sizes throughout the Middle Ages, but it is a reenactorism to have a Norman use a sax.

[00:50:41]Another notable item which suggests the sergeant is of a higher military rank or at least his knight is a wealthy man is his sword. I have mentioned on multiple occasions that swords reflected a certain elevated social status in the 11th century and would have been a considerably expensive item.

[00:51:00]This is a very typical style of sword of the Norman period featuring a Brazil nut pommel, a classic 11th century design.

[00:51:10]The scabbard is also notable as it is tightened up by the use of two thin straps which are fed through slits then tied together instead of by the use of a buckle. For historical artists and minifigure painters, this is an important point of interest since this style of belt was popular during the 11th century and would have been commonly used alongside the use of buckles.

[00:51:36]Helmet straps would also often feature this method of tightening rather than a buckle as well. Speaking of the helmet, this Norman sergeant is wearing a blackened one-piece conicle helmet with a nasal bar. This is an iconic helmet of the 11th century and is considerably higher status due to the fact it's made of one piece using a smithing technique called raising.

[00:52:01]Alternatively, helmets could be made of a spangenhelm construction where multiple plates are riveted together by the use of strips of metal forming the rim of the helmet and a reinforcement for the center of the skull from the nose to the nape. Or instead, two halves of the helmet could be made and then forge welded together. Welding was a thing during the medieval period. It just took a lot longer than modern welding techniques.

[00:52:27]One piece helmets required more skill and a larger piece of metal to work with. So they would cost a lot more money but be much stronger.

[00:52:36]During the 11th century, metallurgy was considerably harder than in later periods as smelting could only achieve relatively small billets of iron or steel which would be hammered out flat and then shaped.

[00:52:51]The sergeant checks his sword, making sure there is no rust or divots in the blade and also to check the feel of it in his hands. And then he picks up his shield and spear. The typical shield of the 11th century was the kite shield. It was popular amongst both Normans and Saxons during this time period. Its size being particularly useful to those who couldn't afford body armor like male shirts. And this shield is painted red with a yellow or golden cross, which is the official insignia of the conquest reenactment group. Conquest attend a wide variety of heritage events across Britain, with the bigger spectacles being the Battle of Echam and the Battle of Hastings. You would have seen footage from these events in many of my videos to help provide my audience with a more immersive visual experience. So therefore, I have left a link to Conquest social media in the video description below. and I urge you to check when their next events are to help support their work.

[00:53:51]Supporting our historical reenactors helps show more people what truly authentic arms and armor of various periods actually look like and allows more reenactors to feature on this channel.

[00:54:03]The spear was the most common weapon on the battlefield and some sergeants could be mounted as light cavalry similar to the early version of a hoba or custolier. So the spear or lance would be a very useful weapon for mounted combat.

[00:54:19]Most mounted soldiers of the 11th century would be mules or knights.

[00:54:24]Previously we have looked at a Norman knight of the 11th century and what arms and armor would have typically been worn by the Normans during the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

[00:54:35]In today's episode, we'll be looking into Norman knights on horseback and taking a look at what knights actually were in the 11th century and what kind of battlefield tactics they were used for. The Norman knight first wears an additional tunic over his base layer. As discussed before, this is likely a durable and hardwearing tunic designed specifically to be worn under male.

[00:54:58]However, no examples have survived to the modern day, so we don't know exactly how these were made and how thick they were in previous centuries. We understand that barely any padding was worn under male other than a simple tunic, which is also different to earlier periods where Romans and Romano British soldiers would wear a padded garment called a submarus underneath their male or plate armor.

[00:55:25]Next, the knight dons his male. The height of armor in the 11th century was a male Horberg.

[00:55:32]Some may say Horbon, but both Horberg and Horajon is the same thing, loosely meaning shirt, but one is in German and the other one is in French.

[00:55:43]In English, you may simply call it a shirt or a Bernie, but I like to use the term Horberg since it's a little better known.

[00:55:54]Male armor would be highly tailored to the wearer and made with great skill and attention to detail.

[00:56:01]As far as we know, this is before the time when male shores, male that closely covers the legs, is worn. But there are a few artistic depictions from the 11th century that could show male shores being worn. They are just not very common yet. However, will become almost universal in just a few decades time.

[00:56:23]The male shirts tightly hug the knight as loose flappy male creates a lot of drag when the knight is in combat and could slow him down considerably.

[00:56:34]Since this Norman knight is mounted, his male Horberg features a riding slit down the center. This allows for the knight to sit on a horse and the male will drape over the thighs, which are vulnerable areas when riding a horse.

[00:56:46]Since most incoming attacks that the knight will receive will be coming up from below, so the lower half of the body is at more of a risk.

[00:56:55]This is one of the reasons why later the knight will be wearing a classic Norman kite shield, which does a good job in protecting almost the entire body when sitting on a horse.

[00:57:06]Although male certainly wasn't impenetrable, it greatly lowers the risk of receiving a fatal injury during combat. Sword strikes are much more likely to glance off and do little to no damage, and the tightly woven configuration of the male links would do well to reduce the power of incoming arrows.

[00:57:25]Knights were always subject to the choice of protection versus mobility.

[00:57:29]They had to decide on a balance between how protected they could be on the battlefield versus how easily they wanted to move. As such, male wouldn't fully protect you, but it would certainly be more beneficial to wear it rather than not.

[00:57:44]Over the next two centuries, male armor would evolve in such a way that it would comprehensively cover the entire body.

[00:57:51]Fantastically well-tailored male would become the pinnacle of nightly armor until plate armor began to be developed in the late 1200s.

[00:57:59]The Norman now wears his helmet. This is a conical nasal helmet typical of the 11th century. not specifically Norman as these were being worn by the militaries of many factions all over Europe during this period.

[00:58:15]The male does feature a vent tail which is a face mask made of male. However, the knight decides not to wear it so it stays down on the chest.

[00:58:26]While this was certainly a common style of helmet, it came in many different variants, including one piece higher status helmets, spang and helm constructions, as well as blackened helmets with the use of burning linseed oil.

[00:58:40]Also, some spectacular alternative examples may have existed, such as the gilded friian helmet, which can often be seen depicted in contemporary artwork.

[00:58:51]After this, the Norman knight wears a belt which contains his sword and scabbard.

[00:58:57]Swords were a very useful weapon during the 11th century as many soldiers were unarmored in this period, often only equipped with a shield and spear. So, swords would cleave through opponents and stab deep into flesh.

[00:59:11]The kite shield is iconic to the Norman military. However, these types of shields were actually being used by many factions across Europe, including the Anglo-Saxons, the Franks, and the Vikings. They were evolved from the famous round shield, which was the previous staple shield type of the earlier medieval period in Europe.

[00:59:31]One idea is that these kite shields became popular due to the rise of mounted combat, since the bottom of the shield protected the rider's legs as he rode his horse.

[00:59:40]Round shields featured a central grip protected by a metal boss in the middle of the shield. But kite shields had a system of straps as well as a long geese strap [music] which allowed the shield to be suspended off the neck or shoulder. So the knight had two arms free, one for his weapon and one for the reigns of the horse.

[01:00:01]In previous videos, we have discussed how heraldry wasn't yet uniform in the medieval period. And of course, no original kite shields survive from the 11th century, so we cannot know exactly what may have been painted on the shields. However, we can look at contemporary artwork such as the Bayer tapestry to see that images like dragons and crosses were painted on Norman shields.

[01:00:25]The knight mounts his horse and receives his shield and spear from his squire.

[01:00:30]As mentioned, the Normans were pioneers of mounted combat in England, having learned their trade from various conflicts all over mainland Europe.

[01:00:40]The Normans adopted mounted combat after border wars with the Franks and other neighboring factions over the last 100 years. And by the time of the Battle of Hastings in 1066, the Norman cavalry were very well trained. Indeed, it is mounted Norman knights that helped win the day at Hastings, being able to suddenly turn round and flank the Saxons as they ran down the hill, following what they thought was a route by the Norman invaders.

[01:01:06]Mounted combat would evolve to become a staple in English warfare for 200 years until the English army began experimenting with nightly foot combat in the early 1300s.

[01:01:19]Throughout the early 11th century, the Normans had spread their influence throughout the Mediterranean, establishing enclaves in various countries such as Spain and Italy.

[01:01:30]During their travels, they gained military influence throughout Europe by way of offering mercenary military service, assisting both the Lombards and the Byzantines in southern Italy and Sicily.

[01:01:43]Later, these Norman mercenaries had grown in power sufficiently enough to seize land for themselves in these regions, further establishing various Norman dynasties such as the Hortvilles throughout Europe.

[01:01:57]We tend to associate the various Normancontrolled areas within Europe and the Mediterranean as one single empire under one banner. But by the time of Hastings in 1066, these breakaway Norman regions were now fully autonomous and no longer under the reign of William Juke of Normandy.

[01:02:18]Firstly, this Italo Norman knight begins by wearing his undertunic.

[01:02:23]This is a padded garment similar to a gamberson and has long sleeves which sometimes lace up around the wrists.

[01:02:31]This is put on in preparation for the male, which will be worn next.

[01:02:36]The dense weave of the tunic helps protect against the abrasive nature of the Horberk's metal rings.

[01:02:43]As discussed in previous videos, there is a severe lack of evidence of thick padded garments like gambersons since no extent examples survive and the contemporary artwork suggests slim silhouettes of knights and warriors with no sign of padding being worn.

[01:02:59]Also, the artwork does show hints of multiple tunics being worn, which suggests a layered approach to protect the wearer rather than a thick quilted material like gamberson.

[01:03:11]Next, the knight wears his male Horberg.

[01:03:15]This is a particularly high-end example of what 11th century malemaking craftsmanship could achieve.

[01:03:22]The rings are 6 mill internal diameter and each one is riveted to the next which makes it much stronger than buttered male.

[01:03:30]The hall has been oil blackened by the use of boiled linseed oil which is then heated and then burnt onto the metal surface creating a matte black layer.

[01:03:41]This protects the rings from rust which may be of additional benefit considering this is a Norman knight from the Italian or Sicilian regions. so may be more in contact with seafaring activities than the Norman knights of England and Normandy.

[01:03:59]During the 11th century, male was the pinnacle of armor and came at a very high cost, only being available to knights and important soldiers that a knight or malite noilis could personally pay to arm in order to protect him on the battlefield.

[01:04:16]The Norman knight now wears a leather belt which holds his sacks. [snorts] This is a typically higher status medium-sized sacks which was just as much a Norman weapon as it was an Anglo-Saxon or Viking weapon throughout the 10th to 12th centuries.

[01:04:34]The sax was used as a common tool as well as a battlefield weapon which had the option to include fancy fittings and decorations to make it higher status.

[01:04:44]Daggers being worn as a secondary sidearm wouldn't become a thing until around the 13th century, at least not made visible in artwork from the period.

[01:04:58]The Horberg features an integrated koif and a male ventail which acts as a face guard for the lower half of the face.

[01:05:05]The ventail is attached to the wearer by the use of small brass hooks connected to the side of the head. Then a lace is tied around the back of the neck to hold the male close to the throat. The male koif appears to be an invention of the 11th century and they would continue to be used right into the early 1300s until they were replaced by the bassinets with integrated aventales attached to the helmets. However, bassinets with male aventales were worn mainly by knights and mena arms and other soldiers would continue using male armor like this right throughout the 1300s.

[01:05:42]Despite being of Viking heritage, the Normans were Christianized in 911 AD following the siege of the Frankish city of Chartress and the diplomatic agreement that followed, which formally recognized the Normans with their newly awarded land in northern France, which would become known as Normandy.

[01:06:01]The knight is given his sword. It is worn with a scabbot and belt.

[01:06:07]Throughout the 11th century, swords were considered a very nightly weapon and boasted a certain level of status.

[01:06:15]Thords weren't particularly useful against male. However, the vast majority of soldiers on a typical 11th century battlefield would not be armored, so a sword would prove to be an effective chopping weapon to hack limbs and cause significant and likely fatal lacerations to opponents.

[01:06:34]Next, the knight wears his helmet.

[01:06:38]This beautifully crafted helmet is called a friian nasal helm and was made by myself.

[01:06:45]I had made a video showing the full process of making this helmet, but now that I have much better footage, I will be remaking this video in much higher quality.

[01:06:58]This helmet would have been very expensive in the 11th century. And considering both the fine sword and the high-end maleberg that the knight is also wearing, he would have indeed been a very wealthy nobleman to own these items.

[01:07:13]The first friian helmets appeared during the Greek periods and seemed to have been especially popular with the friians.

[01:07:21]During the Roman period, they seem to have largely died out, but then suddenly appear again, featured in contemporary artwork during the 11th and 12th centuries, particularly common in Spain and around the Mediterranean.

[01:07:34]We do not know exactly how they achieved this brass finish as no surviving examples exist, and the artwork is suggestive at best. There is evidence for heating the metal surface of the helmet, then using a metal brush with brass bristles, brushing over the heated helmet, which made the brass attach to the metal surface and then cool down.

[01:07:56]Then the helmet would be finally polished to give it a shiny golden finish.

[01:08:03]Finally, the Italo Norman knight is handed his axe.

[01:08:08]This is a large two-handed weapon with a crescent-shaped axe head. Importantly, this is not a Dan axe.

[01:08:16]Instead, it appears to have been inspired by Middle Eastern weaponry, which may have influenced the Norman knights through trade via the Mediterranean Sea.

[01:08:26]This style of axe head was very popular with Italo Normans throughout the 11th and 12th centuries and were useful for shock combat tactics.

[01:08:36]A hefty cleave from one of these axes would be enough to cut down a horse in a single hit. The crescent axe head would also be useful to hook an opponent's shield or weapon, pushing it out of the way to make the enemy more vulnerable.

[01:08:51]A two-handed pole arm like this could also be used to shove an opponent out of the way, with the butt of the shaft being enough to wind an enemy with a quick jab to the ribs.

[01:09:04]With adequate training, two-handed axes were incredibly versatile and dangerous weapons, and knights would train with these to ensure that they remained lethal warriors on the battlefield.

[01:09:17]I would like to thank all the reenactors featured in today's video. Please show your support to everyone involved by following their social media, which I have left links for in the video description below.

[01:09:30]If it was not for these highly dedicated and passionate reenactors who have each tailored their kit to the highest quality, then I simply wouldn't have anything to make my historical documentaries for you to watch and enjoy.

[01:09:44]By recreating these depictions from history, it helps us better understand how people lived and fought, bringing us closer to them and helping us understand their world. I will of course also be making a later medieval collaboration of all my 12th to 15th century documentaries. [music] These subjects certainly aren't finished as there is so much more to show you in terms of medieval military history and the how a man shall be armed series will surely continue. But for now, thanks for watching.