Jason Kingsley OBE, the Modern Knight tells some funny stories and answers key questions about wearing and using real medieval armour. #knight #medieval #armour Join this channel to get access to perks: / @modernknight
@@johnree6106 Early ale was around in the 15th century, although not even close to beer as we know it today. Closer to water with berries and grass floating in it :-)
You look absolutely Stunning in your armour. My Milanese set Is finally on its way to my door. I'll porbabky Ask you a thing or two about proper maintenance, as I see your kit is still in Prestine conditions. Anyhow very very interesting practical answers from real experience. Loved It.
@@aduantas can't say I remember seeing that when I visited Bayeux. Plenty of arrows and dane axes and kite shields, but no wireless microphones for some reason.
Fighting those old battles had to be a nightmare in and of itself. But fighting in one while also battling bubble guts HAD to be the ultimate in 'having a bad day.'
Sounds like my Hud Apt! I'm thinking about charging the Roaches rent !😅😄😃😂😁 Ahhhhh it will be a fun day in court this summer !!! Playing 'dumb' and being 'dumb' are two different thin!!!👍😎
@@ghostcityshelton9378 not ereading more...CROWHOUSE on LBTy duswwde, damn Im twashe hdfgr yeah, I''m msf hahhaha, even trying to spell zi ican't. SO YOU THINK? I RULE YOU! hehehe, it's sop up the milk fun using a paper towel to get your milk.
@@Krshwunk das rite! stumble traps & a a floor littered with Rottweiler nail clippings. =) I'm a mess. Only drunk once a day. Well sometimes twice on a day off.
I was stationed in Büdingen, Germany for a few years and one time I was walking around the main town area and could hear what sounded like someone crushing a ton of soda cans in the distance, or better yet, it sounded like someone swinging a trashbag full of sodacans against another trashbag full of sodacans. It was a rather loud, metallic, crunchy sound that echoed through the narrow streets. I walked around to the old medieval gate area in the town and realized the sound I was hearing was actually 4 or 5 dudes all in full armor re-enacting a fight. I instantly realized that if the armor of those 4-5 dudes were making that much noise, It would've been insanely loud with thousands of people doing it. And that was JUST the sound of the armor moving around, not hundreds of swords hitting, dudes yelling/screaming/cursing, etc. Just dudes reenacting, not an actual battle and it was still very very loud all things considered...I'm glad I got a pic of them, they looked sharp in their gear.
The sounds of Iron arrowheads hitting the amor from hundreds or thousands of arrows during war was also extremely loud. Similar to the sound of a bullet hitting a metal target during practice. Tod's workshop channel has some simulation
The debate over visor open vs visor closed has a modern parallel in the decision of tank crews to fight closed or open hatch. Closed hatch offers much more protection, especially from artillery, but at the same time, the additional situational awareness from the tank commander fighting out of the hatch can shave seconds off an engagement time or prevent the tank from going into a ditch.
So then, we have an answer. The visor goes up for visabilty and long range scouting but down for close combat or full charges as a gallop. (Or arrow volleys. Rare as it was ,probably, getting an arrow shot from long range to the eye; an arkabus or bolt from a crossbow up close ought to do it.
Well i guess that this was jousting helmet only and they took different type into real combat, where they needed to see more. Jousting was like highend sport, real battles was something much different. After all they had only one lance and after first attack they had to use another weapon (mace, warhammer etc)....as most lances were broken, or left behind in bodies of unlucky enemies...
Just make a tank with cameras instead of a hatch there are plenty of materials that can protect the cam albeit expensive but its war so who cares about expenses lmao
I was once asked by a young boy if Knights used electricity, and if there was a risk of getting hit by lightning. I admit, the "did they use electricity" was a fantastic question and while I was trying to answer him, in my mind I had these epic visuals of knights blasting each other... ZAAAAP! Or, chasing each other around the castle zapping each other with static-electricity , rubbing themselves over the tapestries....
They didn't understand magnets. According to the troubadours, the "Mad Jester Troupe": "Water, Conflagrations, Heavens, and Soil. Magnets be buggered! What deviltry enables them?"
Videos like these are why I love this channel - as well researched as the medieval period is, you simply cannot get this kind of authentic detail through anything other than first-hand experience. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!
Since the heat inside isn't rising at an instant, you will not feel it as strong as the people suddenly touching the hot helmet. But it is hot in there, even with the padding, because at a certain point, the padding itself heats up too. The running sweat cools it off a bit, but damn, it is still hot. You are getting cooked slowly. And being exhausted, your brain will not recognise it as good as it normally would. Look at professional sportspeople: what gibberish they talk after large soccer sessions or something ike that: the brain get's less oxigen, is drowned in adrenalin and you are done. You will not recognise the heat as sever as it is. One moment fighting soldid, the next moment gone down thanks to overheating. And yes, wetting your garments is a thing and it helps extremely well.
Your torment at the...”hands” of a fly caused me to laugh, not only because of your description, but because once when in dress USAF uniform, bloused trousers, white boot laces, white ascot and gloves, and hands completely occupied holding the national ensign aloft, a fly chose that moment to land on my right eyeball. It then executed a loop and vanished from view right up my right nostril. Fortunately, a modest snort ejected the beast but he then landed on the left corner of my mouth, which was a bit distasteful and caused me to instinctively curl that side of my mouth inward and upward in a bizarre grimace. So there I am all spit ‘n polish with VIPs and generals and possibly the ghost of Curtis Lemay himself eyeballing us intensely, and I’ve got one eye squeezed shut, my lip all twisted out of anything like a normal expression, and it was at that moment that a crystal clear Technicolor mental image popped into my mind and I was convinced that everyone was staring at my Popeye The Sailor impression. 🤣 As always, I love your viddies and your channel. Thank you, sir. 🌹🤙🏼
@@moreparrotsmoredereks2275 I can confirm that lol. Modern combat helmets are fantastic for sleeping en route in a vehicle :D I think everyone in uniform eventually learns to sleep in those weird positions. Helmet is great. You can lean your head against any steel part of the vehicle and not care :D
"I wear this for festivals and events sometimes and there are questions that I always get asked." Children at Pokemon festival "Mummy, why is that man wearing armour?"
Pretty sure there was a D&D rule at some time; that if sleeping in armor you get a level of exhaustion. Most people didn't run it and I think it got dropped in the newer editions.
@@Arrek8585 Yes, there was a feat which allowed you to sleep in armor i think. There were also rules about placing your armor on hastily. Though as in videogames, lots of realistic mechanics are being replaced by more action-driven mechanics. (i.e. much faster health regeneration).
The ship has sailed 40 years ago to give a serious overhaul of D&D. People play D&D for the nostalgia and experience of playing D&D. Changing D&D to be true to life would be like changing Monopoly to be like real life real estate investing. It would change the game into something entirely different. What games should take note are the King Arthur Pendragon games or Paladin: Knights of Charlemagne. Those games are meant to actually simulate the experience of a historical medieval knight.
The armor getting hot when in hot weather was likely the reason we saw a lot of the earlier Crusaders wearing surcoats over their mail as it would help shield the metal mail from the Sun and keep it cooler, which I believe was adapted from the Middle Easterners wearing a similar garment to help cover their bodies in the harsh desert sun.
The last three minutes of the video made me wish to read such details in a book: "watch out, our master is approaching, but he can't see us from the horse!" or "damn, we should have attacked earlier. Now I'm charging with an annoying fly within my helmet!"
Exactly why I'm watching, AND loving all of this channel. I write fantasy myself, in a medieval-like setting, and sincerely hope that at some point in my life I'm going to be able to impress someone that's reading my books with one of these details hahah
Jason, I've noticed that you personally reply to so many of the comments from your viewers, compared to other RU-vidrs. It shows how much you appreciate your followers, and I bet folks are delighted to get a reply from you. I stumbled across you via the equestrian side of things, and whilst I had no particular interest in the medieval historical stuff, I have found your vids fascinating and have been subbed for a while now. Also, I like your followers, they're a great bunch and not horribly rude and confrontational like some I've seen on other sites. See a lot of humour in some comments and replies, and clearly a lot of knowledge out there too.
We always called them " blue rockets", or "rockets" in the Canadian military, likely due to the likelihood of being in one when a rocket attack would occur overseas...
In Swedish, one word for them is Baja Maja (baja means to poop, and Maja is a name, probably chosen because of the rhyme). In scouts we have the chant "Baja Maja Baja Maja usch usch usch, Baja Maja Baja Maja skiiiitbrraaa", which roughly translates as "porta potty porta potty yuck yuck yuck, porta potty porta potty daaamn good (also there's the fact that "skit" means "shit")
I haven't worn armour in nearly a year and a half. I seriously miss the hobby; the rich atmosphere at festivals, the talks around the evening campfire, the battles, the entertainment, and so on. Here's to resuming it soon!
I imagine it's like when you're gloved and gowned for surgery. There's nothing you can do so you just do your best to ignore the itch and press on. I'll bet when they took the armor off they enjoyed a good scratch, though.
My dad got a wasp trapped in a motorcycle helmet on a busy A road, it did sting, repeatedly, he just had to focus on riding safely until he could stop.
If Jason rides around in front of the Queen wearing armour, maybe he will get leveled-up to KBE. He has a horse, he has the armour, he can joust - I mean, is anyone better qualified to be a Knight? Then he will be Sir Jason.
The way you answer questions always shows such genuine interest in the subject. Not an academic interest or financial, but a genuine interest and love of what the past may have been like. I feel most sources I read or watch on this period either try to glamorise, or make ridiculous life at this time, but your portrayal always has both: how great armour looks, and how it protects your life and limb, but also the little things that frustrate like the story of the fly or how you might go to the bathroom. These make the past seem much more alive with people like you or me, and it's something I really appreciate.
I imagine the heat is why you always see depictions of Templar knights with a white cloak (I guess thats the term I’d use) over their gear. Granted it was centuries earlier but I think the same principle applies.
Good Guy Jason: I'll be nice to non-metric people and give two units of weight. :-) Troll Jason: uses stones instead of pounds ;-) PS - without armor 80 kilos is 176 lbs, with armor 112 kilos is 246.4 lbs
I've re-enacted the american revolution for nearly 30 years. We always get asked 'aren't you hot in that" was we wear waist coats, coats and bearskin hat. At the battle of monmouth in 1778 the heat was so high more men were dropped by heat than bullets.and that was just in wool coats.
Ive heard the same thing happened to some knights during battles, especially during the crusades when the poor bastards mostly wore wool. I can only imagine what it felt like with mail armor and wool gambeson in the middle of a Syrian summer.
Whenever I reenacted wearing chainmail and gambesons during the summer I would often get asked if it was warm to wear... While I was sweating profusely lol
It might help to cover up the armour with a big cloak, but that sounds impractical for battle or jousting. I’m sure someone with practical experience could figure out a way to make battles on sunny days possible.
I still have questions. Is he able to pull down his trousers all the way to the knees and sit down (or squat) to take a dump? Or can he only pull the front of his trousers down far enough to pee while standing? Or was the whole “yes you can go to the toilet in armor [and then talking about soldiers soiling themselves on the battlefield]” meant as “yes you can soil yourself in your armor because no, you can’t take your trousers off quickly”
@@Mike-oz4cv Split hose (with a codpiece covering the groin by the 15th century) would allow a knight to relieve himself of “number one” without taking off the armour, but “number two” might be a problem, especially if it’s very urgent (like it would be in a case of dysentery).
Fun fact: I can't think of many people who haven't went to the toilet on themselves in modern day combat. If you're lucky you can find cover and take a quick pee. But otherwise, wet pants. 😅 Never had a bad experience with #2, but I know a few people who have.
@@TeaBurn some professions do that too. I've known some linemen and drivers who've done that since they may be stuck away from a bathroom for hours and a soggy diaper is better then trying to discreetly pee in a bottle while your 30 feet above a freeway. I've heard pilots wear diapers if its a long flight (especially some fighter pilots can fly for 8+ hours)
@@arthas640 I know that “maximum absorbency garments” are used in human space flight on days when they’re in a suit rather than regular clothes, as it’s impossible to go to the bathroom when strapped in your seat for launch or landing, or when you’re wearing what is essentially a human-shaped one-person spacecraft. They don’t generally intend to use the MAG, but they’d much rather be wearing it and not need it, than need it and not be wearing it.
@@ragnkja I've talked to some drivers who have the same "rather have it and not need it then need it and not have it" attitude. I knew a trucker and tank driver who wore diapers on occasions (the trucker more because of traffic jams) because they couldn't leave their vehicles for long stretches
Well that's going to change a lot for my DnD campaign. "You're not going to take your armour off!? Well role me a con save to see if you get a point of exhaustion or not."
In the Stormlight Archive books, they asked the same question about when you had to poop while wearing armor, and they gave the same answer you did. It also led to one of the funniest quotes in the entire book series: "Yes. I, Prince Adolin Kholin, heir the Kholin Princedom, have shat myself three times in my Shardplate, all on purpose."
That was the first thing that crossed my mind when he brought that up. I have the GraphicAudio version of that's and the voice actor's are so good in that up to Rhythm of War where cast has been changed for quite a few and including those two.
"I normally weight round 80-82 kilos-ish..." Those darn Europeans, what's that in FreedomUnits™ "Which is about..." Ah, the conversion for us Americans "12 stone maybe 12.5 stone" And people say our measurements make no sense 🤣 For us American's though he's about 176-180 lbs out of armor and about 249 lbs in armor, or 333 and 470 Big Macs respectively. (Yes, I know a kilo is roughly 2.2 lbs and I used metric at university here, just taking the piss)
Really enjoyed the lesson! Thank you! Great info! Excellent! Hope you will make a video with you and another Knight josting and go over the etiquette,rules, ect.
Here's a question for you...how did knights determine who was friendly or foe...once off your horse...did they paint symbols on the front and back of their armor to identify what side the fought for?
Brightly colored plumes, tabards and capes; heraldry on helmets, breastplates and shields. Any properly socialized nobleman would have known the relevant colors and emblems by heart and could more or less recognize who is in front of them. It still could get very confusing a lot of the time, of course, but it worked about as well as modern day marketing logos work to help people recognize different brands at a glance.
I was going to write a snarky comment along the lines of "well if you're in the front line of a charging crusader army and a legion of saracens fire their tempered steel arrows at you, you'll be going to the toilet mid stride as the air in front of you suddenly becomes a wall of solid pointy metal". Then within the first few seconds, Jason very sensibly makes this point, and I'm once again relieved that this channel, and a few other historical channels such as Mr. Twonsends' has not stooped to the level of broadcast television. Thanks for the fun video!
Heh. Your anecdote about the fly in the helmet reminds me of the time my stepfather had to drive with catpiss in his. He was a rally driver, and was going to a competition; he was slightly short on time so just grabbed his kit and went. Of course, when he went to put on his helmet, there was a moment of "oooof, the cat cot in here earlier", but he had to put it on and keep going.
To be honest this doesn't sound a whole lot different to my military time. The weight of full kit sounds roughly the same, and yes you get used to it since it's spread all over the body. Going to the toilet is a pain because you have a crapton of layers on you, especially if you have rain and cold protection gear on as well, but hey... you get it done, and in combat your adrenaline and stress usually keep your body from wanting to go anyway. Doesn't sound all that different to me (ok except for the noise that thing makes :D ) Having the visor down is basically the same as in a tank. if possible tank crews also left their ports open and only buttoned up if necessary, because you just have such a worse situational awareness looking through tiny slits.
What always amazed me is this constant number of the battle weight. Roman legionaire, knight, modern soldier, they somehow always wear those 20 to 40 Kg of equipment, according to their wealth/skillset (or wealth of the state equipping them).
I've been binging a lot of Tod's Workshop videos and he's constantly mentioning this as well, that throughout history there seems to have been a certain weight of armor that you just don't go over.
Well except the SAS etc lol. They train and do ops carrying absurd amounts of kit. But then again, they are specifically trained for it, and are at peak physical fitness with the help of modern nutrition and medicine. Like everyone has said, normal people haven't changed much
Thank you Jason to you and all your team at Modern History TV. It truly is a delight to watch whatever you put out. I've learned more from you than i have from history classes in school. No Joke!
My favorite 2 questions I was asked at a re-enactments were " Is that a real fire?" I had made it with a flint and steel, period. The other a baby was crying next to my spot "Is that a real baby?"
As someone from a small village in northern Norway, someone asking “is that a real fire” baffles me. Building and lighting a good campfire was part of my childhood education, learnt before my age reached double digits.
@@ragnkja I would say yes, but it's a question that's asked suprisingly often. I have also heard a story from a friend, that they once had a person walking into their kitchen-tent, spitting into the cauldron and saying "You wouldn't have eaten that anyways.".
@@noctaqua1925 True, I was asked that while eating oat cakes, while portraying a Jacobite soldier. It was my 3rd favorite question. My fourth was are those weapons real sword and musket.
It’s crossed my mind. I’m a butcher and used to wear a chain Mail apron and glove on left hand. You don’t notice the weight at all. I’m guessing it would have been the same with full armour.
I'd imagine it works reasonably well. It would protect the covered pieces of armor from direct sun rays which is one major part in heating up the metal. If you're already heating up from the inside however, I'm afraid you're back in the good ol' oven.
@@ragnkja I imagine a thin white cloth cloak would serve the same purpose as thin white loose fitting robes do in the middle east and Africa. They actually vent the heat of direct sunlight away from the body. Metal gets much hotter than textiles do. This is mostly conjecture on my part so take it with a grain of salt.
I love your videos where you interact with your animals. But this was, by far, the most informational and entertaining video you've done. These are the kind of insights only actual recreationists can provide. Thank you.
In Iraq I had 100 pounds of body armor and equipment on me, going to the bathroom required practice, talent, and luck lol. It's pretty funny how the experience of the soldier hasn't changed much despite technology.
I think almost any soldier from history would recognise similar experiences to each other. Weapons change as does comms, but the personal side of carrying stuff and putting up with conditions would be universal.
@@TheMonkey747 I don’t know anyone who ever got stung by a bumblebee. Probably because they do so rarely. I didn’t even know that they can until I read the Wikipedia article. But to be fair it’s quite possible that they would do so in this kind of situation. I would be scared too if I would be stuck in someone’s nose (Especially considering my size).
@@lordrewwot7336 I'm pretty sure it didn't sting him, the bee was probably stunned from hitting a guy doing 60 and didn't have time to think before it was blown out. If it survived I wonder if it thought, "So that happened... but what did happen?"
@@lordrewwot7336 Bumblebees are extremely easygoing, and if you get stung by one it’s because of something you did. I’ve only been stung by one once, because I accidentally stepped on it. In my defence, I wasn’t expecting there to be a bumblebee on the kitchen floor!
The question about sleeping in armor I think come from some D&D players, because, at least in the old rule set, you can sleep in full plate, but you have some malus for it. About the heat, I can confirm that the heat here in sout Italy can cause you to pass out even with an incomplete set of armor. During a filming session wearing only the upper part of a plate armor (with no back plate) one of my colleagues passed out, and I've had also problems, despite being, at that time, really fit. Great video as usual, Jason and beautiful armor.
What I learned from this video: the armor might look cool, but the reality of being a knight, during the medieval era involved being extremely uncomfortable nearly all the time, potentially have flies or wasps flying around in your helmet, not being able to see... all combined with really lousy toilet facilities.
A belly full of short beer, shitting yourself with dysentery, unable to hear or see stuff well, flies buzzing in your helmet, and getting baked by the sun. A Knight's tale.
Not all the time. The vast majority of a knight's time would be spent doing stuff that did not involve wearing your armor. Knights were lower nobility and one of the perks and compensations was land. Outside of war and practice, they probably lived alright.
@@mortacheAs your eviscerated body fades away, to the sound of the flys and wasps buzzing in your helmet, you’ll at least be comforted by the fact that, while your armor and chainmail didn’t stop that sword, at least your guts aren’t displayed.
I had a fly inside my gas mask during my conscript service in Finnish army. I had left my glasses under the mask to see, since there was no tear gas in that exercise.
I love learning new things ! Being a CIVIL WAR Reinactor is sure alot easyer than being a Knight ! I luv taking care of the horses and ridding and talking to young kids who really get into it and they ask cool questions, a fun way to learn.
Speaking of leaving armor out in the sun... A story from back in the early LARPing days in freshly post-Soviet Lithuania, there was an incident of an acquaintance of mine using his (makeshift) breastplate to fry eggs.
