Historical Details of Authentic Knight Armor

People generally think that medieval knight armor was the product of medieval times. However, the history of suits of armor stretches back centuries, to the 8th and 7th centuries BC. Greek, Spartan and Gallation soldiers were covered by at least a breast plate and helmet, as opposed to the knights of King Arthur wore medieval knight armor.

One of the original items used for protection in battle was chain mail, considered the armor of poorer medieval knights. Originally developed by the Gaul’s of what are now modern France, Belgium, Switzerland and Northern Italy it was their conquests in the East that introduced chain mail to ancient armies -- and further advancements in battlefield armor via the Roman Army -- back into Europe.

It was not until after many centuries that metals were available enough to influence suits of armor. By the 13th century, medieval knight armor had begun to take the shape of the modern (comparatively talking)
full complement of protective cover. Custom made armor 2mm thick was often made by those who were wealthy enough to commission it. Poorer soldiers, generally those who were common soldiers at arms, were forced to purchase ready-made suits of medieval knight armor that were often only 1 mm thick, and therefore unable to withstand all of the blows received during battle.

It is interesting to note that the refinement of medieval knight armor actually led to a more brutal and less sophisticated form of battle. Before more robust suits were donned, the one victorious was often the more skilled with swords in hand to hand combat. Fighting a knight in medieval knight armor started to concentrate on heavy blunt force trauma to take down a knight in medieval armor.