I notice that the latest trend in movie and t.v. fantasy is to depict women, especially princesses, as kick-ass warriors with painted-on body armor. How about a reality check? There is no record that Guinevere or any of the ladies of Camelot, in any version of the legend, was a warrior woman, but even if we can buy the idea that Arthur needed his queen to do his fighting for him, is this what she would have worn? It's difficult to know where to start ... high heeled boots? Arms totally exposed? If our female warrior happens to meet an opponent who is not totally distracted by cleavage, she'd lose an arm at first contact. And let's talk about that cleavage. The breastplates guide the blade exactly where it should not go, right into the heart, not to mention that pointy piece of jewelry about to pierce her sternum. Okay, okay, it's fantasy, I don't want to spoil anyone's fun. If you follow the Excalibur Rising chronicles, you are going to meet some powerful women, but I like to think they wouldn't be caught dead in a chainmail bikini.
So, what is the reality? Did medieval women take part in combat, and if they did, what did they wear?
Armor is uncomfortable, and the only possible way to wear it for an extended period of time is to wear a padded undercoat, called a gambeson. This undercoat had long sleeves and reached to mid thigh. For most women, once they had put on the gambeson, projecting "boob" plates would be totally unnecessary. History has many a record of women taking part in fighting, especially to protect their own homes, but if they wore armor at all it would be a chain mail hauberk or some other practical item borrowed from the men of the family. Very few women, or, I would venture to say, no woman kept a set of "barely there" armored underwear .
We do have records of queens wearing full plate armor. Eleanore of Aquitaine, traveling with the Second Crusade, wore armor and rode astride, carrying a lance. Queen Isabella of Spain fought the Moors for 10 years, wore men's armor, and somehow managed to give birth to 10 children during that same time period.
Perhaps the most famous fighting woman of the Middle Ages was Joan of Arc. Given the purity of her motives and her subsequent rise to sainthood, it is unlikely that Joan wore a chain mail bikini, or an armored bras. So what did she wear? There are no surviving images of Joan in her armor that were made in her lifetime. In fact, the only known image of Joan made during her lifetime is a sketch by Clement de Fauquembergue, who never saw her and sketched her based on reports of a young maid leading the French army carrying a sword and a banner; he puts her in a dress. When she is depicted in armor by later artists, she is typically depicted in the style of that artist's day. However, one of the major charges laid against her was that of "cross-dressing", and a record exists of Joan being measured for custom made armor in 1492, so there is little doubt that Joan wore plate armor and the charge of cross dressing arose from the fact that she wore men's armor.
We do have records of queens wearing full plate armor. Eleanore of Aquitaine, traveling with the Second Crusade, wore armor and rode astride, carrying a lance. Queen Isabella of Spain fought the Moors for 10 years, wore men's armor, and somehow managed to give birth to 10 children during that same time period.
Perhaps the most famous fighting woman of the Middle Ages was Joan of Arc. Given the purity of her motives and her subsequent rise to sainthood, it is unlikely that Joan wore a chain mail bikini, or an armored bras. So what did she wear? There are no surviving images of Joan in her armor that were made in her lifetime. In fact, the only known image of Joan made during her lifetime is a sketch by Clement de Fauquembergue, who never saw her and sketched her based on reports of a young maid leading the French army carrying a sword and a banner; he puts her in a dress. When she is depicted in armor by later artists, she is typically depicted in the style of that artist's day. However, one of the major charges laid against her was that of "cross-dressing", and a record exists of Joan being measured for custom made armor in 1492, so there is little doubt that Joan wore plate armor and the charge of cross dressing arose from the fact that she wore men's armor.
As for the famous movie scene where Queen Elizabeth I, wearing silver armor and riding a white horse, addresses the troops at Tilbury, there is no record that Elizabeth ever wore armor, but if you want an image of a powerful Queen, this is so much better than the alternative.
And here is the alternative.
In the interests of fairness and in defense of today's women warriors, the Army has recognized the need to redesign body armor to make it easier for women to wear, but it doesn't include armored boob projectiles, chain mail skivvies, or high heeled boots.
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