You're an Italian linguist with an English accent, perfectly pronouncing words in all languages, playing video games and talking about history on RU-vid. You're my new idol!
+Metatron For the white Italian armor I can totally understand the leather straps on the outside. I cannot see any effective way to cut them because they are on the from of the cuirass and a very accurate draw cut with a sword other cutting/chopping weapon would be needed to cut it. This along with the fact that the person in the armor would have have at least one arm or weapon between their opponent and their chest would make it exceedingly unlikely for their opponent to be able to make a clean chop or slash to these straps. Also, if I was faced with someone wearing white Italian armor I probably would not be paying attention to non vital areas on their body.
The Italian armor looks like it's worn by the nice, kind, well spoken, chivalrous guy, who gets brutally killed by some bandits at the beginning of the episode. Then Guts comes in his Gothic armor, and just destroys the bandits.
Metal helmets in WW1 and after were callbacks to medieval helmets. Functional helmets had so long been unused in battle that all participants designed new models after medieval helmets. Why not stick with what works?
Both the Adrian and the Brodie helmet were based off the Kettle hat a verry common helmet existing during the medieval period and were especially popular with the peasant soldiers as it gave very good protection from attacks coming in from the top such as arrows and downwards sword blows, which meant the ww1 helmets were very effective at protecting from ovehead shrapnel
Im going to say I honestly prefer the German Gothic Armor becuase it looks much darker and menacing from an aesthetic perspective, but also becuase I have worn both suit styles and honestly felt better in the Gothic armor.
3 years later, but my impression is exactly the opposite. Yes, the sallet is badass, but the Italian armour with its big shoulder protection and solid surfaces looks more badass than the finely fluted and shaped Gothic armour.
I'm no expert but i thought that German steel (as a material) was supposed to be a little higher quality even if the designs were pretty similar? That could just be a revisionist view since Germany industrialized quickly and became one of the best sources of steel during the modern period though.
I am an American with a German and Irish bloodline, but I still find the Italian White Armor to be the most aesthetically pleasing. All Time Favorite Armor hands down!
I am an Italian American, with family from Castellammare del golfo,Sicily and Avellino, Campania,.by way of Bensonhurst and Canarsie Brooklyn,..Cosa Nostra Soldato,..Italian armor is the Best,like all things Italian,..Morte Prima Di Disonore
Hence the mass use of weapons such as Halberds and Polehammers in the 15th century, though it wasn't long after this that firearms started to make plate armour utterly redundant.
Although armor could withstand bullets as well. That's where the word "bulletproof" came from. They shot a bullet into the armor and the dent was the "proof" that it could withstand a bullet. It just got to be too expensive to arm and armor the knights and the feudal system was changing.
plate armour was still a thing until way after firearms where implemented, however full plate largelly disapeared, what we got instead where extremely heavy breast plates that where angled forward to deflect musket balls, which where worn by cavalerymen, as they where simply too heavy for foot soldiers. armour against firearms completely disapeared when rifles where invented, which gave shooters enough accuracy to simply aim for the less well armoured body parts, especially when cavalerymen are just charging in a straight line. and the later invention of smokeless gunpowder made rifles so powerfull that they could have punched through any form of plate armour easily.
@@windhelmguard5295 not quite because if that were as true as you imply kevlar and the metal plates they put inside would be useless. The truth of the fall of the knights is that a untrained man could easily learn how to use a gun while knights spent many years training and shit tons of money on armor. In summary its just cheaper, faster, and easier to just give some peasants guns than to employ knights.
@@Stoic_Zoomer i do t know but i trust more the other guy coment seems more realistic, your lacks some things armor can stop early weapons 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 even early 18th armor was present maybe in small parts of the body like the chest or helmets even leg parts and we you combine armor with guns man that is EPIC im not saying that i am a expert but i know that the Armor was present in those centuries
no but really, I love both of the armours, if I could I´d combine parts of them (definitely that sweet german helmet with the great looking italian breastplate) Grüße aus Deutschland!
I'm with you on this. I think both types are great, but sword to my head... I'll go with the Gothic. No! The Italian armor. No! The Gothic armor, hands down...but the Italian armor is great.
Aesthetically I prefer gothic armour to Italian armour, but I prefer Italian armour to Maximilian armour. The most beautiful in my opinion though, is 16th century Greenwich armour. Unfortunately I don't have enough hands-on experience to form an opinion from a practical perspective.
Lancer... I agree with you entirely in relation to your thoughts on Greenwich armour. The foot armour made for Henry VIII to use in tournament at the Field of the Cloth of Gold (then unused, as the French decided to change the arming rules shortly before the event) was, in my opinion, the finest harness ever made.
The 16th century Greenwich armour is a copy of Bavarian armour, like the famous examples in the Metropolitan Museum : www.metmuseum.org/-/media/images/about-the-met/curatorial-departments/arms-and-armor/arms-and-armor_teaser.jpg?la=en
Well since I'm south German I have to side with the gothic armor. But the Italian is amazing as well it's a hard choice especially if I'm not only going by esthetics. So like I said I have to go with the gothic armor it gets a slight bonus because of its place of origin :D
While I certainly appreciate the workmanship, beautiful detail and lines of German Gothic Armor (and a sallet just looks plain mean), the aesthetic of a beautiful Milanese harness with it's big swooping compound curves, asymmetrical pauldrons and a gorgeous armet just does it for me (maybe it's my Italian heritage)! Oh, and I couldn't help but notice your use of a very familiar harness to me for your example of a 14th century knight! Thanks! ;)
Knyght Errant My pleasure, I have just seen three in a row xD We have a similar subscriber count, how about a shout? We could mention eachother's channel in our next video, our channels need to grow to spread the beauty of armour and history to the world, and interchanging the comunity would be a good way to do so, what do you think? ^_^
Knyght Errant Fantastic, it will be an honour to be mentioned in your channel, I had seen that video of yours, how a man shall be armed a long time ago, and I think I must have watched it 10 times xD And I remember that I had showed the one about mobility to a person who wouldn't believe you could run in armour xD Ok I will do that too in my next video pal, keep it up ^^
I love the Gothic style, but I love the Italian simplicity and efficiency. Almost like the modern Japanese philosophy of technology. Great video again 😊
You know i rarely subscribe to people online unless I really like their videos, and I gotta say I subscribed after the second video I saw. Love the explanation armour design purposes I enjoy minor blacksmithing and making concept art for armours so this really helps make my designs more practical.
I like elements of both armour and I find both look good. I like for example the fluting of Gothic armour and I like the asymmetric element of Italian armour. It is really hard to pick one over the other. And even combining the two in to one (Like you sort of see with the Maximilian armour) does not necessarily make it more Aesthetically pleasing. It often is down to the indivdual armour it self for me then a specific style.
wearing complete armour looks verry verry hot, as in, warm. Must have been verry hard to fight in wars during Italian summer in full armor due to the heat. Maybe some knights even fainted.
Interestingly enough: The knight would arrive onto the battlefield in just a triple layered arming Gambeson. His squire would carry his armor onto the field and fit the kit onto him as troops were lining up for battle. This way, the knight didn't have to fight for too long in full plate. I personally own two kits. A custom forged suit of Churburg armor. And a Suit of Milanese armor. I too wear the multi layers. Starting with a base layer of Underarmour Heatgear. Then with the tailored Arming Gambeson/Doublet. Then with the Arming cap. Then with the Riveted Chain skirt. Then with the Riveted Chainmail. Then with the Riveted Chain Aventail. Then with the suit of 14ga cold rolled steel plate. Then with the leather belt, pouches, bota bag etc. Then with the Arming Sword and Heater Shield. All together it weighs just at 150lbs. And you have no idea how miserable it gets. If the outside temp is more than 60 degrees. You will bake alive inside it. Your sweat cannot evaporate, so it soaks into your gambeson, making it heavier, causing chaffing. You eventually start to get light headed and can collapse from heatstroke if careless. If the humidity outside is more than 50%. You're fucked. You might aswell just leave the armor on it's stand. I recently figured out a way to combat the cooking alive inside the closed up quadruple layered armor. A Liquid Nitrogen cooling vest. It's a vest with veins of nitrogen attached to a lithium battery pack you can strap to your belt. The battery lasts about 6 hours fully charged and keeps you surface temp at around a comfortable 70 degrees.
Worth noting though is that as armour got more and more advanced, the less padding you needed. In the late middle ages you had almost no padding under the armour simply because you didn't need it. As I'm sure you know, plate is quite an effective shock absorber on its own, and even if it was more protecting to wear a thick gambeson underneath it, a man-at-arms would chose to not wear one simply because you cannot fight properly, as you describe. Of course, all this differs depending on the year. In the 14th century gambesons under plate were more common than they were in the late 15th century when plate got better.
Well, I consider the two to be different things. But yes, an arming doublet was worn, though it had less to do with padding and more to make the armour more comfortable to wear, and providing a means to fasten your armour.
noobkaka567 Breathing through the full helmet looks particularly challenging, I'd ditch the helmet and just guard my face proactively if I were a soldier in those tines
You don’t need the word “mail” in what you’re saying here. Mail is used for the colloquially-named “chain mail”, the mesh of inter-connected rings. The armor which is being spoken of here is simply called plate, or plate armor if you want. “Chain mail” is simply called “mail” or “maille”. The addition of the word “mail” to the end of medieval armors (examples being “plate mail”, “chain mail”, and “scale mail”), is mainly a thing which comes from DnD and other such games, where the aforementioned armors are actually called Plate, Mail, and Lamellar Armor.
I like the Italian armor better. It really looks like the maximized the coverage of all of the weak points to make an overall more defensive armor. Then again, I'm Italian-American so perhaps I am biased too.
Agree. Italian Armor looks like a knight errant while Gothic German Armor looks like a royal knight/knight in shining armor. Just my opinion since both are awesome.
My favorite have to be the white Italian armor, fluting is nice, and the gothic armor is very ornate but the white Italian armor simply looks like the main character of the movie XD and the gothic looks like the villain to me, idk why haha but the white Italian is definitely my taste
gothic still looks heroic tbh. maybe not nice-guy white-cape stereotype hero, but more badass darkened brooding hero. if you want a villain look, id think more black with spikes and a barbute
Nice comparison! You could do analyses like this with more emphasis on the pros and cons of the armors. Like compare the helmets and other elements and describe which helmet does what better. Also factor in costs, material, working hours and required skill of the armorer. And in the end you could do a summary of the points and a final verdict.
Im Canadian and I like the White Italian armor over the others. I have heard and from engineering understanding how the fluting adds strength but I had thought the smooth Italian would be better at deflection. A blow landing between two flutes for instance is now buttressed on each side to not deflect. That is an opinion and wondering if you have references on fluting deflection.
B1 Laxson I agree but I think bladed weapons would be pretty ineffective against plate armour anyways and the fluting would add much needed protection against blunt weapons, which were intended for armoured individuals.
GREAT VIDEO! I think Maximilian Plate is my favorite from an aesthetic point of view. I really liked your explanation of the practical reasons for the construction of each set of armor. Thanks for posting the video.
This was very informative and interesting. I personaly find bot types of armour to be stunning to look at. But in the end i must say that despite the amazing handycraft of the gothic type i still find the italian style to be my favorite. It just looks amazing and splendid with those sleak curved lines.
Overall enjoy the skepticism on the videos (skepticism as a good thing, as a philosophical term) and the fact that you seem to have a good understanding about actual combat skills. However... so much referencing as many of these centuries as medieval is kind of irksome. One of the important things about most of these armors is that they were developed in the early-mid Rennaissance... ironically where it originated: Italy. I think people are too stuck to the idea that Knights only existed from the medieval period and while I understand that there is a transitional period for nations all over Europe, the Rennaissance was perhaps the most interesting time to be a Knight because it perfectly symbolizes the ever present need to evolve warfare to overcome your enemy.
Ho sempre pensato che fossi italiano dal momento in cui ti sei presentato nel primo video che ho visto e qui ne trovo conferma. Davvero molto interessanti i tuoi video. Hai un nuovo iscritto.
Even though I'm a German, I have to say I prefer the Italian armour over the German one. Biggest reason is probably because I don't like the look of sallets that much, and there's pretty much no way around sallets for German armour of that time. Also, Italian medieval fashion is the best, I've centered my own reenactment clothing around Northern Italy. :)
+TheDragonoftheWest contrariwise i'm italian and I prefer the aesthetics of Gothic armor ....I believe that the German is better for an horseman while the italian it's better for a footman (more mobility)
@Metatron I am hungarian and some time ago I looked at some artwork from the battle at Mohács in 1526 and saw on the hungarian knights and warriors kinda gothic armor. So I wondered if the hungarians had they own armor style or did they just copy others like the gothic style. If it is a big enough topic I would be glad to see a video of this topic.
fun fact if you want to know the strength of fluting, all you need to do is get a regular aluminum can, and a coconut water can (the ones with fluting) and try and crush them with your hand. it surprised me just how STRONG it is
+Agustin Aiello Italian armor protects better (atleast as a footman) Gothic armor protects you better when you are on horseback. It has better/more armor there where you are supposed to be hit when you fight mounted.
+Eurobean that is the opposite of the truth. the Italian armor developed the way it did because after the dark ages, Italy was doing fairly well, and could afford to participate in more leisurely armed sports like jousting. in jousting you want a smooth glancing surface to deflect lance blows. its also why Italian armors have asymmetrical pauldrons, couters, and sometimes even gauntlets; because they needed the large guards on the left, and mobility/space on the right to hold a lance. The Germans vastly preferred armored foot combat, like longsword fencing. for this, they weren't worried about a lance catching on the fluting, they were much more concerned about things like the beak of a war hammer punching through the plates. not that jousting can't be done in Gothic plate, but imagine trying to hold a lance with the large besagews right in the armpit. sorry about the rant, but I feel like you missed half the point of the video.
My family used to make that style of armour near Brescia where they were from. They went to Torino for a while and I was surprised to see that a large portion of the exhibits in the armoury there were either their personal sets, or sets produced by them. They even had a mini one for a kid from our family. The collection was one of the most ornate things I have ever seen. I got the impression that it was as much about showing off as it was about functionality.
I'm with you italian armor is just sexy. Also I've preferred the armet style helm since I was a kid and that was before I knew about the practical benefits.
Thanks for concretely matching up phrases from different eras, with other descriptive details. My armor choice is tossed between these styles; this comparison confirms why, and less anachronistic than i figured.
Was medieval Spanish armor similar to the Italians or did they employ both? Especially during their age of empire and even prior to that? Would be interesting to see something about the Spanish tercios too and their knights, armor, crossbowmen, and etc..I love your videos btw .....
Wow just wow. I honestly thought everything I knew was right but seeing this I was so damn wrong. Thank you so much for showing true and actually giving me reinforcement on works and study of medieval arms.
This must be the fifth or seventh video of yours I watch. Il suo inglese é perfetto. Sono italiani anche, e non ho potuto notare vostra cadenza. Now, back to English again, dear sir, the way you explain things and prepare your material is only comparable to that of a very good University professor. Extremely well done, will keep watching them as time allows me. Cheers and may you have a great day!
It varies from suit to suit but overall the White Italian has more of a modern, minimalist aesthetic, while the German Gothic looks a lot scarier. Ironically I associate the minimalist aesthetic with 'northern' design, and the elaborate fluting/detail with 'southern' design (though my palette is admittedly quite limited).
metatron, i'm a fan from italy and i've got a question, can you explain me how a man with a full plate armour like gothic armour can kill another man with another gothic armour with only a sword?
+Aiden Stanner Si certo, si usa una tecnica chiamata "half swording", la trovi nei manoscritti e trattati "gladiatoria" del 1435 - 1440. Ho fatto un paio di video dedicati a half swording. ps: sono italiano anch'io ^^
+Aiden Stanner also using the hilt of the sword as a hammer. normaly the blades would have different grades of sharpness along it for this kind of techniques so you can weild the blade safely.
I just found your channel. You look exactly like my late friend. Being German by blood I like the Gothic armor but I like the Italian armor as well. You do realize that our people mixed from ancient times. The Romans controlled parts of Germania and later the German tribes controlled most of Italy from Rome North. That's why the best armorers were found in Sothern Germany and Northern Italy. I'm mostly into Viking weapons and reenacting being Saxon and Dane but I love the Medieval weapons and armor as well. Thanks again for sharing.
You have no idea what you're talking about. Several Germanic Tribes sacked Rome and controlled Italy from Rome Northwards. Go read some more before you post nonsense you found on the internet. Thank you
referring to "etruscans" in the 6th century A.D. is the same as calling the greek colonists of the 8th century B.C. in Byzantium "Byzantines". The Etruscan League had long since disappeared, and all Latin peoples were romanized by the time of the Lombard invasion. Also, guess who conquered Italy after the Langobards? The Franks (Germanic) and the Normans (who were also kinda Frankish), excluding the southern parts which were conquered by muslims. Also, how are the italians the only people in europe? You really need to study a bit more my friend :)
Rafael Maier actually the South was "conquered"by the Normans,and in greater extent compared to the arabs,and their influence and aristocratic dominance was pretty strong till 1860.
Dear Metatron i must say your videos are very informative and systematic and i truly enjoy them, i hope that this fantastic channel grows and i wish you all the best! Greetings from Serbia! Keep up the great work and thank you for these wonderful videos!
As I understand it from those whom know more than myself, Italian was 'white' because unlike Gothic it was always bare polished metal where as Gothic could be either white, black leaded, painted, gilded, heat oil blued or indeed a combination. The surface treatments no doubt helped to keep rust at bay in the rainy climates of northern Europe. The rivets in Gothic armour, excepting perhaps those at pivot points, were set with one of the steel plates with a sliding slot to enable a measure of movement in one direction, so they're not necessarily less mobile than the Italian.
Non me lo sarei mai immaginato tu fossi italiano prima di sentirtelo dire in questo video! In sti giorni ho guardato diversi dei video che tu hai fatto e diobono pensavo tu fossi di Londra a giudicare dall'accento! Comunque devo dire che apprezzo molto come ti poni nei video e l'accuratezza storica, Io ne so di più riguardo la storia militare romana e bizantina che europea medievale, tuttavia mi sembra comunque che tu parli con cognizione di causa e dica cose molto ragionevoli . Continua così!
I think I will go for the Italian armour, because I just love the looks of it - so fancy! Even though I'd prefer a different helmet. Great video - and subscribed!
I have to say if it were up to me I would get all 3 of them, the Gothic Armor ones just look so artistic, it's fluting gives it so much character, it's very designed spring to mind of famous paintings, you could literally decore the whole thing via fluting, but the Italian White Millanes Armor, look at all that sleek polish design but the design of the overall plate, the angle of the shoulders & the armet, it literally ties the whole thing together, then we have the Maximillian Armor, la creme la creme of armors, fluting all around yet new and more improved angle designation of the plates, sleek & strong, for I would get a riveted chainmail shirt & cover pieces for the exposed parts, boiled leather padded armor with wool, for the underside, zweihander and tabard with the Teutonic Knights, my favorite knightly order. and I would be very happy! :D Just put all that thing on, walk around in or outside, to show off, oh
These late medieval/early renaissance era armors look damn nigh impenetrable against everything short of a firearm. I couldn't imagine going up against such a defense with any melee weapon.
+buckwheat219970 In Italy still survives the expression, when someone is in a close dispute, "essere ai ferri corti" ("to be at the short irons", were the "short irons" are the short bladed weapons, like the daggers). It originates exactly in that period, when, in most cases, after the knights grown tired and can't lift the sword (or mace, hammer, axe...) any more, the final blow was given by the winner with the short blade through the openings in the plates (armpits, neck, eyes...)
Neutron Alchemist That's quite ironic when put into perspective. You have these amazing armors capable of withstanding sword blows, glancing spear points, maces, and most arrows, only to find your biggest threat is someone closing in with a blade the length of a knife whether it be via half-swording or an actual dagger.
I really like the gothic armor style. It has an artistic style to it. And what I learned was the fluthing was to strengthen the armor. And not to look nice as I thought.
