News - Gothic Armor: Epicness as it is!

Gothic armour. The name alone gives a feeling that we are talking about something special, right? About something that has a story. About something that was the pinnacle of its time engineering. And indeed it was. But let's start with the definition.

What is a Gothic armour?

As a rule, when someone mentions Gothic armour, they mean plate armour produced in the second half of the XV century in the Holy Roman Empire. Usually, the following features define this type of body protection: fluted parallel lines, pointy parts, a design that provides high mobility to its owner and a sallet helmet with a long and sharp rear-plate. However, there are examples of this period German armour suits without fluting and combined with helmets of other types.

Gothic armour is a direct ancestor of the so-called Maximilian armour. Moreover, emperor Maximilian I himself (1459-1519), after whom this later type of full plate armor was named, wore Gothic armor made by the famous armorer Lorenz Helmschmid before the new type was invented. Here is an image of the armour Maximillian probably used when he was a young prince, and, apparently, later presented it to his uncle, archduke Sigismund von Tirol. Just look at this beautiful piece of art.

Late XV Century Gothic Armour Set
Historisches Museum, Vienna 

Here in ArmStreet we have created our own version of a late XV century Gothic armour. In fact, the one we want to tell you about is a 3rd generation historically inspired Gothic armour, as we started experimenting with it very early on. 1st and 2nd generation sets are not available now, but you can check out the photos.

The newest version is very different and much more sophisticated. We have used premium materials and have left no inch of this armour unadorned. We have also focused on one of the key features of the historical Gothic armour: granting high mobility to its wearer. The new set is lighter and provides better freedom of movement both for the limbs and for the torso of the owner.

This harness is optimized for cavalry and is very elaborate in design. Something like this could belong to a wealthy knight or a royal personage. Fluted plates are decorated with brass, the whole set is anatomically shaped, and edges are covered with roped steel wire. If one is going to fight on foot, some additional groin protection may be useful, otherwise, the set is ready for combat use. Just pick a helmet to your taste. And, of course, it is assumed that you are wearing a proper padded jacket under the armour. In case you do not possess one yet, we have a variety of options to offer.

The default version we offer is made of stainless steel, but if you want a more historical mild steel — this option is available too. Unfortunately, a loyal squire needed for the constant maintenance is not included, so we recommend considering the modern metallurgy achievement that does not affect the appearance of the set, unless you are the kind of person that loves to spend a lot of time with a sponge and vinegar cleaning your lovely armour kit.

But let us take a look at single parts of the set.

The full wrap greaves and steel sabatons are a fundamental part of the set and not only will protect your feet, shins and calves from sneaky attacks, but also make your kicks unforgettable to all your less equipped foes. In addition, you no longer need to be afraid of slamming your toes on the corner of the couch or dropping a hammer on your foot. Well, this is a nice bonus, isn't it? Everything is anatomically shaped, the sabatons are segmented allowing your foot to flex naturally.

The leg harness is very well articulated, making it easy to move. It can be attached to your gambeson or an arming belt with lacing for the best weight distribution. And it is also attached to the greaves, creating solid yet flexible leg protection. The knee piece and upper leg part are riveted together, and there are sliding rivets on the outside of the leg. There are beautiful sculptural fans at the knee cops, and three smaller plates of steel under it, overlapping the greaves.

The gauntlets. Here in ArmStreet we take hand protection very seriously since it is one of the most frequently injured body parts for sword fighters and everyone who uses armor for sports activities. The inability to perform fine work during a long recovery — that is something we want to spare our customers from. We have invested a lot of effort into improving our gauntlets, and the ones present in this set are the most recent and sophisticated, meaning they are the best looking and best protective. The main parts are made of 1.5 mm steel, with smaller plates being 1.0 mm thick, and everything is assembled with solid brass rivets. The inner glove is made of leather and is reliably sewn to the plates on the fingers. The gauntlets cover your arm from fingers to mid-wrist.

The arm harness in this set is no less special. Сonsisting of three shiny (or more subdued, if you prefer satin finish) parts, it provides you full coverage from the wrist up to the armpit. It is difficult to overestimate the level of protection it provides, while you can still bend your arm freely, with ease. It preserves the aesthetic motif with the whole set, with big fans around the elbow parts very typical for the Gothic style armour. It has ornamental roping covering sharp edges and convenient push-pin closure.

The pauldrons could be tied to your gambeson or arming doublet and are secured around your arm with a leather strap. The main plate is lightly fluted, and down from it, there are four additional lames, that overlap the arm harness. The front parts of each lame are connected with solid rivets, the rear ones are connected with sliding rivets. This allows the wearer a bit more movement freedom, while the protection level remains the same. The floating besegews are decorated with punchwork and a laser-cut floral style piece in the middle. They are connected to the pauldrons with leather straps, which means they are not going to constrain your movement at all.

For the gorget we have used our popular and optimised for combat design, and given it a slightly fancier Gothic twist with the roped wire edge and light fluting. Two articulated pieces form a collar, and underneath there is a roped edge part that covers your neck. The roping is not only beautiful but is also a vital structural element that reinforces the whole piece and can even prevent blade getting to your jaw from accidental rising thrust. The reliable push-pin mechanism makes closing and opening very easy, and there is a simple hinge on the other side. The rear plate covers a decent part of your back with a square-like shape.

The main part of the set, the cuirass, is formed by a front and back plates, faulds and tassets — these are removable if you do not wish to use them in a particular situation. It is anatomically shaped, designed to sit right on your waist. All the parts are beautifully fluted, including the faulds that extend the coverage of the breastplate and provide great mobility. This design is especially useful for the mounted combat when you need to deliver a lot of blows on the heads of the pathetic fools that dare to challenge you and your loyal squires. If you need to to go down on one knee in front of a beautiful lady — it will also be very convenient to do in this set ;)

And there is a variety of finishes available for you to choose from. As we have already mentioned, the set can be manufactured in either mild or stainless steel. You can also choose a finish: either mirror that is so dazzling shiny that it can blind your opponents, or more matte satin finish that gives a more modest, but not less aristocratic look.

Are you ready to be epic?

This is your chance!