"It wasn't the reward that mattered or the recognition you might harvest. It was your depth of commitment, your quality of service, the product of your devotion -- these were the things that counted in a life. When you gave purely, the honor came in the giving, and that was honor enough."
                -- Scott O'Grady
« previous next »
Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Kite Shield Question  (Read 3633 times)

Sir Patrick

  • Knight of the Order
  • Forum Acolyte
  • ****
  • Posts: 1,647
  • Nex pro inhonesto, Deus pro totus.
    • The Order of the Marshal
Kite Shield Question
« on: 2014-09-24, 22:48:22 »
This may be a stupid question, but is a kite shield with a boss held by a center handle, like a Viking shield, or strapped like a standard heater shield?  I notice some have bosses and some don't. Does the boss drop off and strapping evolve over time somehow?
Logged
Gules, a chevron argent between three cinquefoils ermine.
"Better to live one day as a lion, than a thousand as a lamb."
Knight, Order of the Marshal

Henrik Granlid

  • Peacock extraordinaire
  • Forum Member
  • **
  • Posts: 65
  • Another 14th century
Re: Kite Shield Question
« Reply #1 on: 2014-09-24, 23:17:27 »
To my knowledge, strapping begins life as a cavalry version, whereas center-grips remain as an infantry option. It later turns into the occasional centergrip heater or later dueling shields, but as shields grow smaller than shoulder-height, the new strapping takes over for infantry as well.
Logged
Shiny.

Mike W.

  • Squire of the Order
  • Forum Acolyte
  • ***
  • Posts: 541
Re: Kite Shield Question
« Reply #2 on: 2014-09-25, 17:13:35 »
They are shown as straps in this section of the Bayeux Tapestry
Logged
D’azur à trois fasces d’argent, et au chef gueule chargé de trois étoiles d’or.

"The first duty of a man is the seeking after and the investigation of truth." - Marcus Tullius Cicero
Pages: [1]   Go Up
« previous next »