152 



A HISTORY OF CAVALRY. 



[period II. 



influence to the nobility, who alone were able, or permitted, 

 to provide themselves with the elaborate equipment of a 

 knight. They were, however, very unwieldy, and para- 

 lysed by the weight of their armour, so much so that 

 rapid evolutions could not be carried out by them,' and 

 sometimes, as at Agincourt, the superior activity of 

 the light-armed infantry was more than a match for 

 them. 



The French knights also suffered severely in the con- 

 tests with the troops of the cities of Flanders. 



The heat of summer was insupportable to the wearers 

 of heavy armour, while the slightest impediment delayed 

 them, or threw them into confusion. 



The different parts of armour, in addition to the Gam- 

 beson, or under garment, were — ' 



1. The hauherk, or coat of mail. 



2. The breast and hack plates, or cuirass. 



3. The helmet, or head-piece. The larger head 

 coverings being called heaumes or helms, the later ones 

 helmets. 



4. The haussecol, or gorget, covering the throat. 



5. The pauldrons, or epauUeres, covering the 

 shoulders. 



6. The brassards, or rear and vambraces, covering the 

 arms. 



7. The gantelets (mitten, or fingered), covering the 

 wrists and hands. 



8. The cuissards, or cuisses, covering the thighs. 



9. The tassettes, covering the hips (or rather the 

 pockets, derived from the German word for pocket). 



10. The greves, jambes, oTJambeaux, covering the legs. 



11. The genouillidres, covering the knees. 



12. The sollarets, or sabbatons, covering the feet. 

 The shield was made sometimes of metal only, and 



sometimes of wood covered with hide or metal, and 

 bearing armorial devices. It varied in shape, and, when 

 not required in action, was carried by a strap over the 

 shoulder. 



The spurs were fii'st formed of a single spike, but in 



spurs 



a 



Ldwy, 88. 



