Knights in Heavy Armor

The earliest mentions of plate armor can be traced to 1200AD, when warriors wore them beneath the gambeson‒a padded defensive jacket. But by the 1400s, knights had begun wearing full plate armor on their heads, shoulders, arms, legs, and torso. And usually, this armor was carved from bronze, iron, or steel.

We don’t know how stories about the massive weight of plate armor began to spread. But somewhere down the line, people began to assume that warriors were trudging along the battlefield with such heavy pieces. When in truth, plate armor weighed between 33 and 55 pounds, providing the wearer with enough agility and mobility.