Armour of the Fifteenth Century: Design, Function and Recommendations

Armour expert Dr Toby Capwell on the design and function of 15th-century plate, plus practical advice for first-time wearers. The fifteenth century was the golden age of plate armour. Across Europe, armourers in centres such as Milan, Nuremberg and Augsburg were producing harnesses of extraordinary sophistication: articulated, closely fitted and engineered to let a fighting man move with surprising freedom while protecting him from the weapons of the day. In this live talk, Dr Toby Capwell FSA, one of the world's leading authorities on medieval armour, explores how these harnesses were designed, how they actually performed on the body and in combat, and why the old image of the clumsy, immobile knight couldn't be further from the truth. Drawing on surviving pieces, period sources and practical experience, he'll look at the craft of the armourer, the relationship between armour and the weapons it faced, and the arming garments and fitting that made it all work. Toby will explore: • How it was made: a look at the armourer's craft, from munition harness to the finest Milanese and German work • How it worked: what plate actually protected against, how it moved, and why the myths about clumsy, immobile knights don't hold up • The fifteenth-century revolution: why this was the high point of plate armour, and how design kept pace with changing weapons • Wearing it in practice: weight, fit, layering and the arming garments that made it all work • Getting started: practical recommendations for anyone buying or commissioning their first harness, including what to prioritise, what to avoid, and how to budget The session closes with practical guidance for anyone thinking about getting into armour themselves, whether for historical martial arts, reenactment or study. What should you look for in a first harness? Where is it worth spending money, and what are the common mistakes to avoid? Whether you're a seasoned enthusiast, a HEMA practitioner or simply curious about the knights of the late Middle Ages, this is a rare chance to hear from a leading expert in the field. About our Speaker Dr. Tobias Capwell FSA is an independent scholar and leading authority on medieval and Renaissance arms and armour. He has worked with many of the world’s great museum collections, including the Imperial Armoury in Vienna, the Liverustkammaren in Stockholm, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. He has served as curator of Glasgow Museums (2003–2006) and the Wallace Collection (2006–2023). Toby is the author of many books on armour, weapons, tournaments and chivalry, including Masterpieces of European Arms and Armour at the Wallace Collection (2011); Arms and Armour of the Medieval Joust (2018); and most famously his Armour of the English Knight series (2015, 2021, 2022). His most recent book is Armour of the English Knight: An Armourers’ Album (2025). Toby is also a practitioner of the knightly fighting arts, a jouster of thirty years-experience and a frequent armoured combatant in jousts and tournaments all over the world.