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A question, a query, of the leather, the leather!

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Eva de Carduus Weald:
I am looking into perhaps going leather for a while rather than lace, er um, rather than metal.:D

Seriously though, I am curious if anyone knows anything about 1356-ish leather armor. What kinds there were, how they were made, style, etc?

Thorsteinn:
I too am wanting to learn. :)

Sir Edward:

Oh boy, unfortunately, I think information is pretty sparse. We know Cuir Bouilli armor existed, but as far as I know, the manuscripts and surviving depictions are pretty scarce. And I'm not sure if there are any surviving examples of the armor itself, since leather is one of those things that tends to decay over centuries.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong. It's not one of my strong areas.

Ian:
That's a can of worms...

The notion of cap-a-pie leather armor is much more fantasy than reality.  There is definitely evidence for cuir bouilli (hardened leather) armor pieces in the 14th century, like hardened leather skull caps, archer's bracers and there is a surviving rerebrace that is thought to have been worn over maille (housed at the British Museum).  And of course you have leather as the foundation for splinted armors and possibly coats of plates. 

It's hard to tell if the intent of any manuscript illuminations were trying to depict leather.  Thick leather was also not cheap, so it wouldn't have been a poor man's armor like the modern aesthetic would think of it.

If you go back to the Dark Ages then the can of worms gets even worse.  It's a widely held belief in popular culture and among some reenactors that the Vikings and Saxons were using leather armor.  Of that there is virtually NO evidence at all.  The only surviving leather armor from that period is a lamellar cuirass attributed to the Rus or another steppe culture.

What specifically are you envisioning the use of leather for in the 14th century?

Sir Nate:
This Video makes a statement that poor Knights could be found wearing hardened leather. And Mike loades is involved with it.
(When I say poor I mean less wealthy)
He says it at 10:50

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