Spaulders & Pauldrons
There are two types of shoulder protection available, you could have a pair of Spaulder's which first appeared in the
14th century but were still in use in the 15th century, featuring a small dished defense for the shoulder and a number of lames (articulated
bands) extending
down the arm.
Pauldrons cover the shoulders and the upper arm with attached lames which went down to cover the rerebrace.
Also, it was not uncommon to have an upright metal plate attached to the top of the pauldron, running from the front of the collarbone
towards the shoulder blade.
This was designed to catch any sideways blows aimed at the neck, and is often called a “sword catcher”.
Another small piece of armour that is quite often seen with pauldrons are besague’s. These come in pairs and hang off the front of
the pauldrons; and are designed to protect the vulnerable underarm / armpit area from thrusts from the front.
During the 14th century these lames were generally attached permanently to the rerebrace, but during the 15th century many designs
separated the spaulder into a separate piece.
As the desire for greater defense increased, the spaulders grew in size to meet the
demand for full plate protection, to cover the armpit and even part of the back and chest. At which point modern scholars have separated
out the term pauldron to classify these more extensive defenses.
Image to Follow.
Trying to get an photo of a
Man at Arms
with his Pauldrons on!
