An Extremely Specific Question About Braveheart

by mixmastermind

What the hell is this armour supposed to be? Is it meant to be some sort of reversed Brigandine where the plates are outside the fabric?

MrTorson

The predessor to Brigandine armour was known most commonly as a "coat of plates", also known as pair of plates, hauberk of plates, côte à plates or just plates. This piece of equipment was extremely similar to the later Brigandine armour as it was a made up of a series of plates lined inside a poncho-like garment, however there are records of the plates being worn on the outside of the garment in a manner similar to the armour in the picture.

I'm unsure if the coat of plates ever extended down the arm, the armour pictured might be a holywood addition or be based on an alternative style of coat of plates or Brigandine armour. Here is an image of a coat of plates from a mass grave in Visby

C. Gravett, Knight: Noble Warrior of England, 1200-1600 (Osprey Publishing, 2008), p. 104.