Medieval Arms and Armor-Looking for Books

Cafe Society
1

First off, this may be the wrong forum; I’m asking for books about historical facts and personal opinions will dictate what people recommend. I trust in SDMB moderators to put it where it belongs.

I’m looking for some books about medieval European arms and armor. Specifically, I’m interested in transition armor (the stuff that came between mail hauberks and full plate) and contemporaneous weapons. Illustrations are a must. I would like it if they could describe how the weapons were used, though I understand that written manuals for weapons other than swords were virtually nonexistent. Educated speculation is acceptable as long as it is stated as such.

I realize that it was a long period with a lot of regional variation, so there probably isn’t one book that will give me everything I need. I’d appreciate any titles you dopers could recommend, because I only know enough to know that there’s a lot I don’t know* and it’s hard for me to separate the wheat from the chaff.

*If that’s a confusing statement, try this: The little knowledge I have serves only to illuminate my vast ignorance.

2

I’d recommend looking at;

http://www.kultofathena.com/books.asp
http://www.kultofathena.com/books-weapons.asp

3

I’m not sure if this is what you’re looking for or not but how about:

Medieval Armies and Weapons in Western Europe: An Illustrated History by Lepage.
Medieval Combat: A Fifteenth-Century Manual of Sword-fighting and Close-Quarter Combat by Fahoffer.

4

I’m not an expert on the field at all but DK has illustrated guides that are visually interesting and give a historical background

This one is for younger readers

5

Osprey Books* Men at Arms* series is a large range of fairly slim, heavily illustrated books covering armour, weapons and uniforms throughout history. I’ve browsed several of them and they usually show the correct or accepted uniforms but then also show various variations and how they changed over the time period they’ve chosen to illustrate.
This is one of their titles and others are shown below it, but which ones would be of most use I couldn’t say.

6

Osprey’s what you want, like Meurglys said.

7

Or to be more specific, a title like this oneon French armies of the 100 Years War (Landsknechts are a little late for what you want). Any of the 100 Years War books covering the earlier part (which can be as specific as books on one battle) should have some of what you’re looking for.

8

Just want to add - it’s not true that period manuals only cover swordfighting. Quite a lotof the fechtbucher, like Talhoffer or Kal, cover Poleaxe too. The actual books are mostly later period, but the techniques likely are consistent with earlier training.

9

This is a great how-to book about being a medieval knight, including info on armor and weaponry: https://www.amazon.com/Knight-Medieval-Warriors-Unofficial-Manual/dp/0500251606/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0500251606&pd_rd_r=5SMS22A222CJN21KDP4K&pd_rd_w=GJP4q&pd_rd_wg=k5H85&psc=1&refRID=5SMS22A222CJN21KDP4K

10

Thanks Meurglys and MrDibble those look like exactly what I want!

That’s what I was talking about in the OP. I heard somewhere that nearly all extant period manuals were for sword fighting and the guy seemed to know what he has talking about, so I believed him.

11

You’re welcome

Naah, they often covered all sorts of combat, also including knives and grappling. That site has digitized a bunch of them, browse around.

Poleaxes were probably much more common than you’d expect, they’re depicted a lot in art, were often preferred for judicial duelling in Germany, and a lot of skull injuries in e.g. Battle of Visby seem to be more consistent with poleaxe than sword. It’s a mistake to think of them as some peasant weapon, they were as much a part of a man-at-arms’ arsenal as a sword.