ARMOR (through OF. arnpure, armeiire, Lat. urinal OM. armor). In common usage, clothing or coverings worn to protect the body against weapons. (ln the English statutes it includes offensive weapons as well.) Among primitive nations the armor ordinarily consisted of the shield alone. Before gunpowder was com monly used, each nation, as it. gained greater skill in warfare, adopted other means of defense, in addition to the shield. Skins, leathers, vari ous materials like cloth, metals in many forms, were adopted as protections. The Greeks of the 1Tomerie Age had helmets. cuirasses, greases, and shields of bronze. The later Greeks used the same pieces of bronze armor, hut developed them so as to protect the whole body more thor oughly, and frequently used a corselet of quilted linen. of Oriental origin, in place of the metal cuirass. The shield was smaller than the Ho meric shields. The used practically the same armor, but endeavored to develop it along the lines of superior protection and less weight. For part of the body armor they substituted iron in place of bronze. For the cuirass they used frequently leather, on which iron rings were sewed. The shield was of wood, covered with leather, and had a metal rim.
The early Germans had no armor except the shield. From contact with Roman weapons, they learned the necessity for more, and accordingly adopted some of the Roman armor. But for a long period armor was rare and costly. Charles the Great enacted laws repeatedly forbidding the sale of byrnies (q.v.) outside his realm. If any merchant disobeyed, he was to forfeit all his property. Every large landowner had to own a byrnie; and if he appeared without it, he for feited his benefice. As, in place of national lev ies, feudal armies became the rule, more stre:ss was laid upon a knighCs having a complete suit of armor. The foot-soldiers and attendants were protected mainly by gambesons. but the knight strove to cover every portion of his body with metal armor.
The period beginning with the Twelfth Cen tury, when the use of the crossbow became com mon and when the Crusaders came into conflict with the armies of the East, is the time in which armor developed most rapidly and became most perfect. For the byrnie was substituted, first, the grand hauberk, and later, in the Fourteenth Cen tury, plate armor. The small, conical-shaped hel met of the Eleventh Century was discarded for a much larger one, cylindrical in form, which cov ered both head and face. When the visor was down, only a few openings were left for seeing and for getting air. The body also was entirely covered with plate armor. When thus clad a knight was unrecognizable, and this necessitated armorial bearings as a means of identification. The shields were still made of wood, and elm seems to have been preferred. In thoroughly equipped bands of mounted men, the horses were also partially protected by plates of armor.
Armor, by its development, had been able to keep pace with the improved forms of the cross bow and the long-bow. But when gunpowder came into use, armor was of little service. Con sequently. it was discarded for the most part, except among the very wealthy, who continued to wear coats of mail as late as the close of the Seventeenth Century, and in certain troops of cuirassiers. some of which still retain in their uniforms traces of armor. Even now some of the helmets worn by cavalry may be classed as armor. After coats of mail were discarded be cause they were ineffective and emnbrous, buff coats and jerkins were much used for defense.
For this whole subject consult Demmin. Die Kriegsira ffen (fouri h edition. Leipzig, 1895), which contains thousands of illustrations. For the separate pieces of armor, consult the articles: AILETTES: BARD ; BRASSARTS ; BREASTPLATE; BRIGANIHNE ; BYRNIE CHAMFRON ; CnArssr:s: COAT Or MAIL; COIF; GAMBESON, etc. See also CHAIN-MAIL.