European Arms and Armour at the Met

A look at the Metropolitan Museum's collection of Medieval arms and armour from Europe. Notable displays include the field armour of Henry VIII and full displays of mounted knights.
www.metmuseum.org/
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[@Kainsdisciples]

You came from Europe, all the way to the US, to look at armour. From Europe.

[@prospero0586]

Solomon Birch irony, thy name is museum collections.

[@queencvnt694]

Solomon Birch there are lots in the UK mate & alot older than these ones!

[@heric_]

The only way for US to show some kind of culture is just by stealing these magnificient pieces (and many other works of art) from us, europeans. US history is so shallow... (Btw I'm italian)

[@heric_]

@@joebloggs3551 You're right but the main difference is that here in Italy in our museums we don't show any piece belonging to Iraq/Iran culture. We don't need them. In case you don't know ancient romans were among the most prolific and original populations in history. Probably you're using right now something THEY invented, like the aqueducts of your city or the heating coils under the floor of your house. Go home and learn history again.

[@heric_]

Joe Bloggs Well, in that regards I have to agree with you. I can’t stand Islam and the culture related to it... I have nothing against US, my comment was just a statement about what they need to show in cultural places due to their short (even if it’s not their fault) history.

[@victorrand8811]

When Sargon defeats the evil forces of Regressivism. This channel can get more love. Find the sword of Kek in the Met. Its will guide you on your quest young seeker.

[@Ike_of_pyke]

If you seek his legacy , look around you.

[@Dja05]

What about the endless horde of alt-righter that will replace them?

[@EEYore-py1bf]

+Gianni Carrea that's obviously the expansion pack, adds a bunch of new characters like MouthyBuddha the monk and Hi I Think I'm Real, the illusionist

[@COctagons]

One thing to note: Armour like hat seen here would not actually have felt heavy to wear, especially the more advanced, upmarket sets, as they were engineered to distribute the weight evenly between the shoulders, waist, and hips. The weight distribution actually made it feel light, especially as all full plate armour was tailor-made, it was also very easy to move in. There are a number of popular historical channels on KZbin who can go into far more detail than I can, and I'd urge you to check them out. But beware, it is a rabbit hole, and you may lose a day watching it. Also, those polearms, specifically the halberds were actually used on battlefields a lot. They were their time's equivalent of assault rifles, with most one-handed swords serving as sidearms. They were also a lot nimbler than they appear.

[@nightreaver9749]

Same with most weapons, like the Warhammer or the greatsword. They weren't that heavy, and the most heavy part for armor was the mail armor.

[@Hellxar1]

If you ever find yourself in Yorkshire you should record yourself going to the Royal Armoury Collection in Leeds. It's well worth a visit.

[@Filip-pz7wu]

Nice to see you using this channel.

[@domenicozagari2443]

Coraz used to shield the parts around the hart, panzer comes from panza plate used to shield the lower part around the belly, it eventually was taken to Germany and used to mean Armour.

[@hollow1me]

Stoked that you have given this channel some much needed attention. Great video! Thanks!

[@_Hell_cat_]

Been waiting for a video on this channel for so long. Thanks for the content Sargon, good change of pace for us both I'm sure.

[@Alexandra-fz7lk]

Okay, I'm a sucker for Medieval European stuff. That's one of my favorite time periods to study. Henry VIII? My ancestor, Edmund Moody, was a footman for him. Saved his life once.

[@misha130]

Alexandra muh ancestors

[@Alexandra-fz7lk]

Misha Okay, I could have thrown in the fact that, if my records are accurate, all four of my maternal grandparents had Henry I as a common ancestor.... :)

[@misha130]

My Liege! :^)

[@kristofantal8801]

The majority of the armours and weapons seen in the first half of the video is from the Middle Ages (specifically the end of the Middle Ages: mid 15th - early 16th century), the rest being clearly early modern period! ;) :)

[@MyMomSaysImKeen]

Happy to see you adding content again. Im blind and loved ypur readings of apocryphal texts

[@fochdischitt3561]

29:40 "I imagine a piece of armor like this would last a lifetime" Yeah good luck getting it to fit 20 years after it was made for you.

[@kekero540]

BlindAF I think it lasted more than a lifetime.

[@jamesward9071]

Typically the most beautiful armor was made for a celebration and was only used once

[@ShortbusMooner]

Excellent! You read my mind! You hadn't posted on here in about 6 months.. Thank you!!

[@616lordofdarkness]

happy this channel is stillup!

[@MegaBananafruit]

11:45 you should watch Lindy's video on that type of dagger. I forgot what it was called but they were mainly decorative defense measures for wealthy city folk.

[@tiavor]

the wheel on red background, that's Thuringia, Erfurt found it :D de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erfurt#/media/File:Erfurt_Pavese.jpg

[@koanbonwa]

Sooooo good to finally see new content here! Return to your loves more often Sargon,

[@texaschizophrenic]

"44 minutes?? I don't have time for that!" Proceeds to watch the whole damn thing. Thank you so much Sargon.

[@donfloyd868]

Finally goddammit! 'Sargon i wish once a month or something you would produce for this channel, i nearly forgot it existed and just joined its Notification Squad.

[@arthuur111]

great work man, thank you!

[@Dominator046]

Good video, my guy. We don't all have to be super informed on history and material culture. You gave us a great show around an amazing collection! The only thing I really want to express in complete spurging fashion: The high-medieval period was typically from about 1066 to some period usually drawn between 1250 and 1340. Both ends of that spectrum are pretty hot, but it seems most people tend to place it at a comfortable middle at around 1280-1290. In the end, all historical periods are arbitrary, as are centuries, but there's a huge disrepency between a mail clad crusader knight of the 'high medieval', and an almost completely plated knight of the late medieval / early renaissance.

[@kkeil9449]

Dammit, I want more. Just wow and you're right these are works of art. Thank you for sharing.

[@Destro7000]

w00t, Ancient Reci' videos! I've been waiting for you, Obi-wan.

[@rometimed1382]

We got a chance to visit the MET in 2019 (shortly before Covid) had a great time.

[@linguisticallyoversight8685]

Also full plate armor may have been heavy so to speak however because each piece was independently attached and the wait was distributed across the whole body it was possible to run jump and even preform calaesthetics and even swim in full armor

[@jmhjr1419]

I love this. Its like a guided tour of the Met.

[@jatelitherius9842]

This is very helpful for the running of my AD&D game, thanks sargon

[@eldereth]

Thanks for this video, Sargon. I enjoyed it a lot. I love medieval weaponry. :)

[@TheKoopaManSho1]

i went to the met on a fifth grade field trip this was the exhibit i was hoping to see, ended up going to the egyptian exhibit instead because public school of course

[@stickemuppunkitsthefunlovi4733]

Bame

[@Nonamearisto]

It's my favorite room at the Met. As I live in NYC, I have visited the arms and armor exhibit several times.

[@maverikmiller6746]

Hey Sargon thanks for the trip. I appreciate it. 6:17 We don't use heavy armor Sargon. Our warfare was highly mobile and ranged. There were some types of maces (şeşber, gürz, topuz etc) carried when on horseback or foot to defeat these armors. Later periods (1400-1500) we switched from composite bow to firearms which made it possible to penetrate armor. Also Ottoman Slap made it possible to fight unarmed against heavily armored opponents such as these ones.

[@AjitB07]

Sargon i recommend you go visit the Wallace collection in London. And if you decide to, take me along too!

[@SemenukTlovingprog]

AjitB07 also the Royal Armoury in Leeds would be another one to visit.

[@nicktrueman224]

Those hussar shield is awesome. Curved with 1 long point on top.

[@linguisticallyoversight8685]

The Rapier was designed to not only disarm the opponent but also to slip into the small gaps between the armor the swept-back point allows it to actually slip into places were normal swords were not able to get

[@claymore2of9]

try the royal armories

[@ragnarwinther4984]

love these videos Sargon

[@PIRATECAPTAINGUY]

22:19 Sargon mate, swords needed to be sharp to do their job, the "swords werent sharp" thing is a myth, if you had armor and were facing down another guy in armor and you both have swords you would do something called halfswording, where you grab the blade of your sword and basicly use it as a spear to jab at your opponents weak points (eyes, armpit, groin) i train using armor and swords, if you want to see how it looks today go ahead and look up "battle of the nations" its an event that happens once a year where teams from every country gather to duke it out, its right fun, anyway cheers from serbland, praise kek

[@inwaldernochsogro7694]

PIRATECAPTAINGUY battle of the nations, though entertaining has little to no historical value in the way it displays combat.

[@n116gtr]

Great video Sargon !

[@yorkshire_tea_innit8097]

It's generally agreed that they would normally raise their visor for hand to hand combat and the down position was mostly for arrows.

[@TheKnoxvicious]

Glad to see some content on this channel again! Don't you see medieval swords in European museums all the time?

[@BubskaLeDeux]

Content! I am pleased!

[@thestrainreview9302]

That Italian armour around 5:00 was awesome, interesting helmet design, very smart

[@616lordofdarkness]

nurnbergs early industrialisation came due to water power those armore were actualy just pressed into a negative as i know, the black colore would help agaisnt rust(making maintenainse easier as less open space needed to be polished and looked after) also it allowed a rougher finish on the blackened parts.

[@616lordofdarkness]

it's quite cozy in such helmets, i enjoy fighting in a closed burgonet and they problem is the high weight of the helmet if it doesn't rests on your gorget

[@brentkozak7025]

Thanks dude.

[@Omegon]

Those swords are gorgeous.

[@616lordofdarkness]

the horsemants shield is called TARTSCHE

[@velikiradojica]

There's actually counter-recoil on crossbows so you might lose control when firing a heavy one.

[@TorvusVae]

Sargon, you should check out a channel called Knyght Errant. He'd clear up a lot of these misconceptions you have about medieval armor and weapons.

[@mjtheko]

0:34 hands were smaller then, and yes, most of the swords there are ment to be held in the "hammer" grip, rather than the far more common later, "handshake" grip. The sword you mentioned apparently was supposed to be held in the 2 finger grip, with the index finger and thumb on the guard.

[@grahambaker9377]

Nice collection

[@SwagMcFresh]

The oddly wide Italian sword is purely decorative. They weren't designed for combat. Italian nobles would display their wealth and status by always keeping heavily decorated daggers and short swords with them. Thinner swords ran out of room for such lavish decoration, so they demanded wider and wider ones in order to display more art.

[@comegdjeja6557]

I see the keks are training the ancient European ways

[@gerythionargarys7848]

The swords with crosshilts that are 1h are usually called longswords quite safely.Or else a knight sword.You can usually get away with one of those two if you are unsure, but you can probably ask Layman if you really wanted to actually know.If.

[@jeffpence6163]

wtf i never knew you had this channel. instantly subbed after looking through vids real quick. WHY DON'T YOU ADVERTISE THIS!?

[@stickemuppunkitsthefunlovi4733]

Because he decided the lotus eaters were a better choice. What an idiot.

[@616lordofdarkness]

halberdiers were the grenadiers of their age the were considered more elite and had to fulfil sometimes special taskes for the piekmen to be able to advance, still the pikes were actualy heavier

[@Nixonitus]

I'm loving the caution tape guy. Basically construction armor.

[@JohnDoe-ex6gt]

When are you going to do a documentary?

[@rabieabdel-samad6396]

hey man you are awesome excellent to listen to can you please make an audiobook for gustav Le bon A study of the popular mind: the crowd ? I would be very thankful

[@mjtheko]

2:29 the reason the counterweights on those are so heavy is due to wanting a balance point on the blade to be closer to the grip. If the point of balance is too far away from the swordsman the blade will want to fly out of his hands during a swing, and will make recovery time after a missed swing very long.

[@mjtheko]

Sometimes they have uneccesaraly large pommels because they just want ornamentation.

[@josephhooton7781]

The really large pommels were usually hollow, so they wern't that heavy. If you need a really heavy pommel to balance a blade its a shit blade to begin with. Pommels were usually more for fine tuning the dynamics of a blade rather than as a pure counterbalance

[@ottavva]

ben there in NOV 1994 ... fantastic

[@markmikolay9019]

This is so badass

[@cromabu5090]

The cinquedea pronounced chin-que-dea was more of a decorative piece than practical carried by nobles on the Italian peninsula. The word cinquedea means five fingered as its as wide as five fingers.

[@616lordofdarkness]

those cloth pieces on the halberds and the partisane indicate these are the weapons of officers or the lifegurd of an important person, which would be equal hierarchy to an officer i think

[@Cimmerian89]

If ever you get a chance to go to Birmingham, check out the Anglo-Saxon hoard that's kept at the museum. Unbelievable workmanship. Good videos, Sargon.

[@somewheredec]

Armor was heavy but didn't feel very heavy. The weight was well distributed and movement would have been still extremely athletic. Extremely cool stuff.

[@autopartsmonkey7992]

I see you made it..did you pick up the book?..massive thing...I got it 20 years back

[@dino-joe]

Do those crossbows have an ivory front? They look so much like elephant tusks

[@TheQueenOfBithynia]

I was just there a couple months ago. I wish I lived in New York, so I could visit daily.

[@huntervelicky7502]

wicked cool!

[@tvd-theremedy2515]

“...decorated with some nice swirls.” Hahaha, this just cracked me up for some reason, as part of a description of an ancient sword.

[@DnBastard]

the triangular swords were made for cutting steel. They would create a puncture then open a triangular shaped hole (because that's the type that steel cuts into easiest) like a tin can

[@funnyguy5746]

AyeJayCee Well this is nonsense

[@martynkalendar]

How long is the spear to the left at 3:55 ?

[@NoneNone-gk9wt]

Lol love it when he said "DONT WANT TO DAMAGE THE ARMOUR.CAUSE IT SO NICE". I can just see someone in battle..... hey hey hey... watch the armour I just had I polished

[@webertheo5448]

clickspring is currently making an antikera mechanism, did you see it ?

[@616lordofdarkness]

crossbows have a recoil or better a coil as they basicly make a small hoops forward

[@fatedkoga7482]

Wow Sargon I didn't know you were a channel necromancer. Bring back thatistheplan next.

[@Annatar0]

I wonder if they had summer and winter armor or only had one type?. Because if during the winter they had to do something they'd probably had more cloths underneath which would make the armor not fit like it used to, or perhaps the craftsmen accounted for that?.

[@jonnysnipes3123]

Fun fact those armor suits have been sitting in the same spot at least since 1925, they’ve seen all your relatives visit them

[@nope2788]

Sargon, fluting on armour tend to be a German thing not Italian. Italians prefer curves and asymmetry.

[@evanobrien5479]

You can really see how the helmets at 9:27 inspired the german helmets in the first and second world wars

[@616lordofdarkness]

also those polearms which look like giant kitchen knifeblades ona spear are called KUSE in germany a dedicated guard weapon becaus eit was invented to have enough inertia to CHOP through chainmail choulders, in an earlier age

[@pieman3141]

Swords were definitely sharp, especially the parts of the blade that are closest the tip. The tip was the most important part against another armoured opponent, but the rest of the blade was kept sharp for less-armoured opponents. Swords (aside from zweihander-sized ones) were also sidearms, not primary weapons. Polearms were the primary weapon of most people, regardless of class or wealth.

[@roccoautelitano7330]

36:28 , the Dos Aguas garniture

[@mrzolo4503]

it's good but put more thing on this channel Sargon

[@mnotsureifserious]

I'm not much into medieval stuff, but these items are pretty fucking awesome.

[@Kosackk]

Im really curious whether these soldier that had these sword were capable of holding and swinging them due to the swords weight! They look really heavy!

[@XxAzraelbanexX]

new series for this channel, this week in history?

[@CHAOTIC120]

I thought you had forgotten about this channel

[@soultraveller5027]

English armour around that time 15th 16th designed armour that totally enclosed the wearer. joint's rear leaving no gaps outstanding craftsmanship amazing

[@nicktrueman224]

That is bluing not paint on armour as far as I can tell, but paint was used on some armours as decoration. Thanks for your video, stunning stuff. I recommend if you have the means to buy a replica sword in your like, I highly recommend you do. But a good smith or company.

[@fantasick8880]

I think the MET is the single greatest attraction in NYC. The volume and quality of historical relics they have is breathtaking. I especially love all the christian art. It's so weird and dark. Such a strange time to be alive.

[@alejandromunozpaz4036]

Is this "armoured™ dude" second channel or what?

[@616lordofdarkness]

pavese shields were often used by crossbow men to built some temporary defenses and they loaded their crossbows behind it , often they also had some "knechte"(payed servants ) who loaded their crossbows in advance behinde the pavese, so the crossbowshooter could fire at a higher rate, with several crossbows

[@SemenukTlovingprog]

I’m surprised just quite how much they have imported for a collection. Sure I get how intertwined our history is (particularly) with early American history, but considering it’s not their history, it is surprisingly. Also how they don’t really have any pre 14th stuff. EDIT: you should defiantly play the Leeds Royal Armoury a visit at some point.

[@iambob6590]

Meh none of that armour was powered

[@steelydan3263]

Or pommel proof

[@andyfriederichsen]

Any early guns?

[@616lordofdarkness]

rhose goosebelly armors are formed that way not deflect lances they are made to deflect bullets

[@616lordofdarkness]

those guys were used as guards or to break the enemy formations but usualy foot men at that time used the half armore so this si probably a knightly armore but not very sure

[@markusjack9208]

5:15 i think primary glance of lances

[@sircastic959]

Sargon, at 8:36 if I heard that right the Name would be Jorg. Now with Jorg the "o" could be pronounced as an "ö" but I am 99% sure you would pronounce it, again, like ".org" with a the J as in "Yo". So Yo.org but just one, short "o" Would almost sound like the city of York. George is close but no cigar. The German equivalent for George is Georg and is pronounced with an "e" as in "get" and the "o" as in ".org" So it would go Ge-org as saying "get.org" just without the t. (And Jorg is a another for of Georg(e) as far as I am aware so your guess isn´t wrong) Your "Wagner" was spot on. 10/10