Live Demonstrations by Knyghtly Armes

Interactive Demonstrations for the Classroom

Did a knight’s armor really shine? How many squires did it take to arm a knight? What was a knight’s most expensive purchase? Could a knight get up if he were knocked over? Did a knight need a crane to get on his horse?

Knyghtly Armes seeks to foster a love of history in the next generation. Designed to make history both educational and entertaining, our presentation can be modified to fit your current curriculum. We understand that classes have very limited budgets. Our fees are primarily dependent upon the travel costs associated with reaching your chosen venue.

Do you have follow-up questions that you forgot to bring up? Feel free to contact us even after we have gone. We will be happy to answer your email correspondence.

Workshop Seminars

Unlike some eastern martial arts which have been handed down from generation to generation, knightly combat completely died out for hundreds of years. It has only been in the past few decades that a growing number of historical fighting treatises, primarily from the fifteenth-century, are being re-printed and made available to the public. Much of material in these “fightbooks” is dedicated to armoured combat.

Knightly Armes strives to dispel the many myths and misconceptions long been perpetuated by Hollywood and popular culture. Allow us to demonstrate how properly-fitted armour really works.

Next Live Demonstration

We have been invited to conduct an interactive educational program entitled "A Knight in Shining Armour: At Tournament and at War" on Wednesday, June 17, from 4 to 5 pm at the South Branch Public Library on 3228 Teasley Lane in Denton, Texas. Unlike the lumbering oaf often depicted in movies and television, the fifteenth-century Knight was able to run, fight, climb a ladder, mount a horse, and command the men around him. His armor was not a bulky metal shell; it fit him like a modern, tailored suit. Medieval tournaments were more than extreme sporting events. They also served as important training grounds, allowing competitors to hone the skills that would keep them alive on the battlefield.
A Knight in Shining Armor is an interactive educational program focused on dispelling many of the myths and misconceptions perpetuated about the medieval knight in popular culture.

Q: How much did armour cost?

A: There are a number of contemporary sources that may be referenced in order to get an accurate idea of the cost of armour during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The chief source of income for nobles and gentry was through the collection of rents and taxes. Every landowner worth his salt had at least one clerk on his payroll, and professional clerks are, obviously, very meticulous record keepers. There are extant documents that detail the amounts of rent collected from various tennants, inventories of individual estates and manors, and salaries of individual servants and retainers...

Q: Was armour only worn by the knightly class?

A: In late Medieval Europe, various kinds of armour would have been widely seen and used by all classes of society. By law, every able-bodied freeman in England was expected to be “well and defensibly arrayed” as befitting his status in the event of war. For many, that body armour might only be a padded jack—quilted coat made of between 15 and 30 layers of linen—sewn by his wife or mother. For a few shillings more a man might acquire a crude sallet to protect the head, mitten gauntlets over the hands, and maybe even protective pieces on the arms and/or legs made from boiled leather, or “cuir boulli”.

Q: Did a knight's armour really shine?

A: Many of the armours made in bulk to be sold “off the rack” would have been left unpolished in order to reduce the cost. One has to remember that these armours were created in an age before the high-powered electric buffer wheels. Today, almost everything constructed of metal is highly polished. During the Middle Ages, it was much less common. It required significant time and energy to grind and polish a satin sheen on hammered steel. According to Tobias Capwell, curator of arms and armour at the Wallace Collection in London, that additional work could account to as much as 80% of the cost of a suit of armour.

Q: Where did a knight buy his armour?

A: Similar to buying a suit today, there were a number of options depending on the amount of silver a knight was looking to spend. Some gentry were more “landed” than others. Those on the lower spectrum were forced to buy “off the rack” from merchant armourers. More merchant-middleman than armourer, these businessmen essentially bought armour from distant manufacturers in bulk and re-sold it to their local clients.

Do you have a question you want answered?

Check out the site's Question & Answer section. If you cannot find the answer there, use the Contact Form to submit your question. Knyghtly Armes will do its best to provide you with a prompt answer or refer you to someone who can.

Knyghtly Armes Publishing

Knyghtly Armes now has its own imprint dedicated to the publication of historical fiction and fantasy horror titles set against a well-researched medieval backdrop and featuring a member of the knightly class as a principal character. All titles are available in trade paperback and eBook formats.

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Live DemonstrationsFostering a love of history in the next generation