Milanese gauntlets “Conrad”
Article- Area of usageReenctment
- Area of coverageWrist, half of the forearm
- RegionEurope
- Period of usageMiddle of the 15th century
- Weight1200 g
- Area of usageReenctment
- Area of coverageWrist, half of the forearm
- RegionEurope
- Period of usageMiddle of the 15th century
- Weight1200 g
Milanese gauntlets in modern times are used for reenactment, although sometimes one can notice them on fighters. The protection of the thumb is not bad but will not provide needed protection from aggressive hits in the wrist. Milanese armor was made for export that is why they were quite widespread in Europe.
Milanese gauntlets in modern times are used for reenactment, although sometimes one can notice them on fighters. The protection of the thumb is not bad but will not provide needed protection from aggressive hits in the wrist. Milanese armor was made for export that is why they were quite widespread in Europe.
Description
Milanese gauntlets in modern times are used for reenactment, although sometimes one can notice them on fighters. The protection of the thumb is not bad but will not provide needed protection from aggressive hits in the wrist. There are also additional scales for the rest of the fingers but it will be very traumatizing if you get hit with the halberd. In the medieval times such scales protected from cuts and hits very good. Back then the strategy of the fight and weight of the weapon were different from the modern ones. The long cuff protects more than a half of the forearm but does not provide needed movability for the one-handed weapon. They will do just fine for the two-handed weapon.
Milanese gauntlets are Italian gauntlets of the 15th century, mainly produced in Milan and Venice. Italy of the 15th century had one of the best schools of armor construction. Italian armorers of Milan, Florence, Venice, and other cities created high-quality armor for the internal market as well as for exporting, which was quite rare for that period of time. Maybe that is why such gauntlets were widespread in Europe. There are also many mentions of the Italian mercenaries hired for service in neighboring countries.
Milanese gauntlets had specific unsymmetrical features of right and left hands. The reason for that is probably the fact they came with the full set, which only the rich people could afford. They preferred fighting on the horse. The left hand held reins and was under shield and did not require movability while the right hand was supposed to move a lot. In general, the Milanese armor was not symmetrical with the left side being as solid as possible and the right side was light and movable.