Gothic Knight Pauldrons with Rondelle

Shoulder armor with ornate besegews

When you’re looking for beautiful, functional armor, one style that will always come up time and time again is medieval Gothic. This specific style of armor was created in the XV century and can be observed on many suits of armor that you can now see displayed in museums all over the world. This sleek, aesthetically pleasing style is easily recognized by its streamlined shapes and ornate folds in the metal referred to as “fluting”. Some Gothic armor is incredibly ostentatious, whereas other styles are a little bit more subdued. Regardless, this armor has a reputation for being very well articulated and closely shaped to the wearer's body.

ArmStreet is no stranger to Gothic armor. We have always loved the shape and artistry of it, and have spent many years perfecting our designs. This is an incredibly difficult type of armor to make, and our master blacksmith has invested a lot of time into researching and crafting this, our third iteration of Gothic armor, which is better than ever before! The design of this particular suit is very knightly and intended to be a good kit for someone on a horse - though of course, it works just as well for foot combat.

These stunning pauldrons are probably some of the most beautiful shoulder armor we have ever made. They begin with a line of twisted roping, made from stainless steel wire. This roping looks fancy, but also reinforces the steel and makes the pauldron even stronger. The first piece includes two holes that allow you to easily lace the pauldrons onto your gambeson or arming doublet. What begins as a small central ridge in the first piece moves down to a second articulated lame, connected by brass rivets and internal leather, before reaching the central piece which is the largest and most protective. The ridge branches out in gentle fluting to create an image that is reminiscent of a seashell. Four additional lames then span down from the central piece, connected with regular rivets at the front and sliding rivets at the back to allow for great flexibility without sacrificing protection. The bottom of the pauldron is finished with the same roped edge you’ll find at the very top, creating a balanced aesthetic. It connects to your arm near the bottom with a leather bicep strap.

The most eye-catching aspect here is, of course, the besegew. It combines all of the trademark aspects of gothic armor (fluting, punchwork), while also incorporating a little bit of creative magic devised by our master smith. The entire besegew is fluted out from a central point, with the folds spanning out like a flower. Around the edges, you’ll find punch work in a trefoil design, matching the subtle points around the edges of the circle. In the middle of the besegew is a beautiful cross shape, thought up by our talented in-house designers after many hours of research into historical shapes and motifs. This shape is laser-cut and well finished and attached at the outside with tiny brass rivets, as well as a large central rivet. These are attached to the pauldrons with a leather strap, leaving the besegew floating.

This pair of pauldrons is crafted with quality materials. 1.5mm stainless steel is used for the main parts of the pauldrons, and 1mm stainless steel used on the besegew and cross in the middle. Solid brass rivets are peened over washers for a solid construction, and small cast brass buckles are used where there are leather straps. We have two different surface finishes available: mirror polish and satin. The mirror polish is perfect if you’re looking to be a knight in shining armor, whereas satin is a little bit more toned down and less shiny. We can also construct these out of mild steel, though we highly recommend stainless - it is rust resistant, stronger, and requires much less maintenance.

To check how to measure yourself please click here.

Please contact us if you have any additional questions.