16th century ornate armor - photo

[Altair]

Armor of Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria (1529-1595).

Fullsize image: https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/h...r_fullsize.jpg



Previously:

Engraved medieval armor - photos
Medieval parade armor - photo
Dolphin's Armor medieval helmet - photos
Japanese samurai armor - photo
Imperial Chinese leather armor - GIF

[Duke_of_URL]

I bet nobody told him his knees were naked.

[Jon]

Seeing incredibly ornate medieval armor always makes me wonder: did these guys actually participate in real combat in that armor?

High ranking nobles captured in battle were extremely valuable for ransom, so I don't know if they found it wise to call attention to themselves. I am reminded of King Jean II of France, who was captured at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356 and ransomed for an extraordinary sum. Captured nobles were often treated very well; the code of chivalry actually functioned as a sort of diplomatic immunity.

Anyway, at Poitiers, Jean did not go into battle with fancy armor. He actually tried to conceal his status and confuse the enemy by dressing identically to 17 of his knights. He fought, was de-helmeted and surrounded, and surrendered.

[clavius]

There was an impressive collection of armor at the Higgins Armory here in Massachusetts, until is sadly closed down a few years back. From what I was told there, ornate armor like that was typically used as a sort of "formal wear" that was actually worn to parties and official functions as a show of wealth and status.

There was apparently also actual battle armor, as well as armor specifically designed for jousting and sports. I guess if you were really well off, you had different suits of armor for different occasions and jobs.