![]() ![]() Master of the Codex Manesse, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons They are listed in chronological order to help you better understand their evolution over the centuries.ġ) Buckler Shield The small buckler shield was most effective in hand-to-hand combat. The following are five of the most popular shield types used by knights during the early, high, and late Middle Ages. However, the shield as a symbol of the nobility continued to be important, with shields displaying the heraldry of royalty and elite European families. The extensive protection offered by plate armor eventually made most shields redundant. As the Middle Ages entered the Renaissance period, knights relied less on shields and more on innovate plate armor. Shields used by medieval knights evolved with the improvement of armor. Shields protected a knight in different battle scenarios, whether on horseback or on foot. Shields were essential components of most knightly uniforms. Unlike lesser soldiers, knights could afford the best protection. Bellow the shield is usually the motto, a phrase or sentence on a scroll.Medieval knights relied on armor and specialized equipment when fighting on the battlefield. On the top of the helmet is the crest which initially continued into the mantling. Around the top of the helm is the torse also referred as wreath, a twisted roll of protective cloth worn over helmets depicted in two colors, usually in the same pair of colors as the mantle. Above the shield is placed the helmet or some other headgear such as crown or coronet tied with mantling, a drapery which was worn by knights from their helmets as a protective cloth covering. Under the shield and the supporters is a design called the compartment depicting some sort of landscape. On either side of the shield are the supporters, real or imaginary figures depicted holding it up. In contrary to the shape, patterns or division of the field and charges (image occupying the field) of the coat of arms were strictly regulated. The main constituent of the coat of arms is the shield or escutcheon the shape of which clearly indicates the influence of medieval shields used by knights in the battles although other shapes were possible as well. The rules of design and display of coat of arms greatly varied from country to country but there were some common standards such as the basic consisting elements and seven basic colors or tinctures (gold, white or silver (argent), red, blue, green, purple and black). Therefore the study of coat of arms is called heraldry. The use of coat of arms was strictly regulated and overseen by the herald, a professional officer of arms. A descendant of prominent parents sometimes borne ancestral coat of arms of both parents split into two parts. Ancestral arms of other descendants featured some changes such as addition of a distinguishing charge, while unmarried female descendants borne ancestral coat of arms in a shape of a lozenge or rhombus. Coat of ArmsĬoat of arms came to be considered a legal property transmitted from father to son in many medieval European countries. Patterned and ornamented shields were often crucial for identification on battlefields, while armorial insignia in the 13th century also became an instrument of identification of an individual or noble family impressed in sealing wax on documents, carved on family tombs and flown as a banner on castles and manor houses. Medieval shields worn by the knights in the battles greatly influenced the development of coat of arms and heraldry. However, the knights ceased to use the shields after the introduction of plate armor, while lightly armored troops continued to use the shields. The form and design changed through time from long, reversed teardrop shape of the Kite shield which was commonly used from the 10th to the 12th centuries to the smaller, triangular Heater shield and the round Buckler. Shield was worn on the arm or shoulder and held in hand during hand-to-hand combat. It was used as a protective weapon and often intercepted attacks of bows and arrows, swords and even blows. The shield was very important piece of defensive armor of medieval knights before the advent of plate armor. ![]()
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