Making life uncomfortable

"What stronger breastplate than a heart untainted!
Thrice is he arm'd that hath his quarrel just,
And he but naked, though locked up in steel,
Whose conscience with injustice is corrupted."

                                                                2 Henry VI    III, ii

With arrows darkening the sky, with lances, swords, and axes clashing in the shrieking rage of battle, most noble knights in England's Wars of the Roses did opt for armour. Evidently, as far as they were concerned, an untainted heart alone just wouldn't do.

But a memorable sentiment from the pen of Shakespeare, nevertheless.

Agecroft Hall's small Armour Gallery (shown here) includes English and European armour from both the 16th and 17th centuries. As time passed and types of armour were proven effective or ineffective in battle, armourers began to see the advantages that strongly curved surfaces could achieve, deflecting a striking arrow or sword more effectively. The German example in the foreground, of polished steel and dating to the 17th century, reflects this emphasis on curvature; the 16th-century English armor in the background at far left exhibits less curvature.

The high-crested helmet with peaked brim was similarly designed to deflect the blows of a sword. Archaeologists at numerous English and European battle sites have noted, when examing the skeletal remains of combatants evidently killed in battle, that many died of head and neck wounds inflicted with a downward motion from above. Armourers became aware of the frequency of this type of wound and many tried to develop their armour accordingly.

The gradual increase in the use of firearms in the 17th century made armour obsolete, mere romantic accoutrements for knights in the pages of history. Come to think of it, maybe that "heart untainted" still has its place, after all.