Armor Kit “Hound of War”

Halberdier's armor set, early 15th c.

By the time he was born, the bloody war had already lasted for several decades, and as a boy, he saw little else other than the painful poverty caused by the drawn-out confrontation and the internal chaos of war. Some men would grow bitter… others would see a chance for profit, or an escape from a life of struggle. Sure, there’s a strong chance he would find his death on the battlefield… but when you grow up in the dirt, you don’t really fear the grave. You’re driven forward by the chance that you might one day have to return to that life.

This series is intended to highlight the variety in armor and creative solutions used over the course of the XV century, specifically during the Hundred Years War. We aimed to produce a typical set of armor for a common soldier based on the historical accounts, drawing inspiration from artworks and extant pieces.

XV century infantrymen were often armed with polearms - pikes and halberds. Pikes were a widely used weapon, perfect for a variety of scenarios due to their length. Historically, there is a lot of conflicting information about how halberds were used on the battlefield, though one thing is for sure: when Halberdiers came into the battle, they spread havoc among the enemy ranks. Guided by strong hands, a halberd could cut through helmets, shields, and chainmail as if it’s paper. With the help of a halberd, one could conduct heavy chopping and powerful thrusts.

The halberdier’s armor kit includes:

Brigandine

The brigandine which consists of 400 stainless plates and chainmail rings, riveted onto a layer of thick cotton from the inside with approximately 1,250 brass rivets. This is a difficult and time-consuming body armor to make, but it’s worth it! A snug fit offers superb ergonomics, as the armor weight is distributed evenly throughout the body. Overlapping plates riveted with a degree of movement between each other ensures flexibility. The outer layer is made of natural wool, with lacing on the sides and shoulders.

Pauldrons

Stainless steel pauldrons featuring a number of lames and scalloped edges, with light fluting that make them resemble seashells. They protect you both from glancing strikes and from cutting off the brigandine ties. Their back part is assembled with sliding rivets, while the front has thick genuine leather straps. Underarms are protected with detachable oblong bell-shaped besieges.

Arm harness

The arm harness consists of layers of splinted metal and leather, working together to create a difficult-to-penetrate defense. It can be worn all together when tied up or disassembled to get separate splinted rerebraces, bracers, and half-closed stainless elbow couters. The interior and exterior of the bracers are staggered with riveted splints. The elbow joint is protected from the inside with a protruding element and detachable rondel.

Mitten gauntlets

Mitten gauntlets are designed specifically for infantry wielding pikes and halberds. These reinforced gloves feature an extremely deep outermost plate that perfectly protects the fingers and stands up to impacts and punctures well. Segmented thumb plate mounted on a hinge allows the wearer to securely hold the weapon without sacrificing any form of movement. Comes complete with riveted inner gloves made of genuine stretchy leather.

Leg harness

The leg harness can also be disassembled into their component parts to wear the splinted cuisses, greaves, and knee poleyns separately. An efficient combo of leather and metal plates makes them rigid and highly protective. Anatomically molded to conform to the natural shape of calves, the greaves are the jewel in the crown: made of naturally tanned leather and drawn on a boot-tree, they provide an excellent snug fit. The back of the knee is covered with a large rondel from the outside and a small rondel on the inner side of the knee.

Please note: helmet and bevor aren't included, as well as the other items shown in the pictures but can be ordered separately in our store.

A halberdier's armor must be strong enough to withstand blows from any direction due to their lack of shield. Double layers of protection, made through combining leather with metal is perfectly suited to this purpose. Therefore, the brigandine armor matched with splinted limb protection was common for almost 200 years, from the 14th to the 16th century, until armor stopped being widely used.

To check how to measure yourself please click here.

Please contact us if you have any additional questions.

Safety disclaimer: Sword-fighting and fencing is a dangerous sport. Fencing, historical fencing, medieval reenactment and martial arts as well as other related types of activity, are inherently connected to a certain risk level of injuries or death. The Company declines all responsibility for any traumas or harm done to oneself or to the third person, along with any material or consequential damage, impaired during the products usage. We admonish that all acts with armour, weapons or their components have to be performed before designated person who is responsible for safety of the particular event and accredited to supervise armour and sport weapon conformance to the event’s standards.