\Clay"more`\,
n. [Gael. claidheamhmor a broadsword; Gael. claidheamh sword + mor
great, large. Cf. Claymore.] A large two-handed sword used formerly
by the Scottish Highlanders.
European
warriors of the early Middle Ages used both indigenous forms
of military equipment and arms and armor derived from late
Roman types. One of the most widely used types of helmet was
the Spangenhelm. Body armor was usually either a short-sleeved
mail shirt (byrnie), made up of interlocking iron rings, or
a garment of overlapping scales of iron, bronze, or horn.
Shields were oval or round and made of light, tough wood covered
with leather. Metallic mountings lined the rims. A hole in
the center of each shield was bridged by a hand grip inside
and a shield boss outside. Weapons were the spear, sword,
ax, and the bow and arrow.
At
the height of the Middle Ages, Saint Anselm (ca. 1033–1109)
listed the equipment of a knight: his war horse (which by
the thirteenth century was protected by mail and fabric),
bridle, saddle, spurs, hauberk (a long-sleeved mail shirt,
sometimes with a hood, or coif), helmet, shield, lance, and
sword. Toward the end of the twelfth century, a new flat-topped
type of helmet with side plates, which hid the face of a knight,
became popular. To distinguish friend from foe, the knight's
triangular shield was painted with identifying symbols. By
1200, mail for the legs, called chausses, was commonly worn
by mounted warriors. Later, boiled leather or steel pieces
protected the knees (kneecops), while small squares of the
same hard materials covered the vulnerable shoulder joints
(ailettes).
By
the fourteenth century, the improved crossbow was able to
pierce shields and mail armor. To counter this, knights first
wore a poncho-like coat with small rectangular plates riveted
to it, while articulated plate armor was developed for the
legs, arms, and hands. The small, square, convex shield of
the time (the targe) was eventually relegated to use in tournaments,
since improved body armor made it unnecessary. A new form
of helmet joined the all-encompassing great helm and the wide-brimmed
chapel-de-fer (war hat). This was the more streamlined, close-fitting
bascinet, with a curtain of mail (camail) from chin to shoulders,
which frequently had a movable visor. By the late 1300s, solid
breastplates first appeared to protect the chest as part of
the short, tight-fitting coat of plates called a brigandine,
while smaller plates covered the abdomen, hips, and back.
Within
a few years, by about 1420, full head-to-toe plate armor was
in use, completing the image of the knight in shining armor.
At
the height of the Middle Ages, Saint Anselm (ca. 1033–1109)
listed the equipment of a knight: his war horse (which by
the thirteenth century was protected by mail and fabric),
bridle, saddle, spurs, hauberk (a long-sleeved mail shirt,
sometimes with a hood, or coif), helmet, shield, lance, and
sword. Toward the end of the twelfth century, a new flat-topped
type of helmet with side plates, which hid the face of a knight,
became popular. To distinguish friend from foe, the knight's
triangular shield was painted with identifying symbols. By
1200, mail for the legs, called chausses, was commonly worn
by mounted warriors. Later, boiled leather or steel pieces
protected the knees (kneecops), while small squares of the
same hard materials covered the vulnerable shoulder joints
(ailettes).
By
the fourteenth century, the improved crossbow was able to
pierce shields and mail armor. To counter this, knights first
wore a poncho-like coat with small rectangular plates riveted
to it, while articulated plate armor was developed for the
legs, arms, and hands. The small, square, convex shield of
the time (the targe) was eventually relegated to use in tournaments,
since improved body armor made it unnecessary. A new form
of helmet joined the all-encompassing great helm and the wide-brimmed
chapel-de-fer (war hat). This was the more streamlined, close-fitting
bascinet, with a curtain of mail (camail) from chin to shoulders,
which frequently had a movable visor. By the late 1300s, solid
breastplates first appeared to protect the chest as part of
the short, tight-fitting coat of plates called a brigandine,
while smaller plates covered the abdomen, hips, and back.