The iconic “knight in shining armour” is a symbol deeply rooted in medieval chivalry and romance, evoking images of noble warriors riding into battle or rescuing the helpless. While the phrase today suggests heroism and gallantry, its historical roots tell a more complex story. These knights were elite warriors, trained from a young age, clad in polished plate armor that shone in the sunlight—both a practical defense and a striking statement of status. This article dives into the myth and reality behind the term, tracing its evolution from historical truth to literary legend.
The Armour of the knights evolved over time from the beginning of the middle ages until the Renaissance period.
While the initial Armour comprised of makeshift metal pieces to minimise damage during combat, later armour was highly sophisticated.
The knightly armour in the 12th and 13th centuries, for instance, comprised of a solidly built helmet, plates covering the front and the back of the knight, a chainmail separating the armour and the body, as well as several other accessories.
Knight in Shining Armour History
The phrase “knight in shining Armour” was typically invented much later. In fact, it came into usage when the age of the gallant knight was well over.
According to extant sources, the phrase first came to be used during the Victorian era and hearkened back to the days of gallant and chivalrous knights.
The phrase soon came to be associated with the chivalry of the knights who, like those in the mythical tales of King Arthur, rescued maidens from bandits and offered help to those in distress. Since the medieval knights had their armour well-polished, the phrase fitted well.
Medieval Knight’s Armour
The armour of the medieval knight was fairly elaborate. In the earlier middle ages, the knights mostly used chainmail which effectively blocked any piercings but weren’t effective against heavy blows.
In the later period, plate armour began to be used that was made from metal and elaborately covered a knight’s body.
This type of armour was so extensive that it essentially covered the whole body of the knight. It included an iron helmet, breastplate, pauldrons, vambrace, rerebrace, gauntlet, cuisses, poleyns, greaves and other pieces.
Plate Armour hid the knight behind a thick sheet of metal from head to toe. Sometimes, the knights wore chainmail under this layer of plate armour as added protection.
Types of Knightly Armour
Chain Armour was briefly used as a standalone type of Armour. On its own, the chainmail was worn as a shirt of iron rings held together which was called a hauberk. The chainmail alone weighed 30 pounds and had to be used with a thick padding used under it.
In contrast, plate armour which was developed later weighed as much as 60 pounds and was a lot less flexible than chainmail. While chainmail was flexible, it offered less protection while the plate armour, although it was heavy, offered greater protection from piercings and heavy blows.
Armour Advantages and Disadvantages
Chainmail armour helped a knight ward off any piercings and wounds. Weapons such as axes and swords mostly couldn’t pierce through the chainmail armour.
However, chainmail wasn’t very effective in warding off heavy blows. Plate Armour, in comparison, was ideal to stop heavy blows and avoid any piercings, so it had a notable advantage over chainmail.
