What prompted the evolution of arms and armour during the Middle

>>1888506
Fashion

>>1888506
metalurgy

>>1888509

>joust to the right

established trading networks, advances in metalurgy, economic growth, guilds and centuries of constant warfare evolving through trial and error.

There was apparently a revolution in steel technology in the 14th century when they shifted from buckets and chainmail to predominantly thin steel plates.

I don't know what technology was responsible. Wootz steel, giant furnaces with bellows, crucible steel, the blast furnace... Trade may have played a role allowing access to low impurity ore from Sweden and Northern Spain.

>>1888506
mail might keep you from getting gutted, but it does nothing to absorb the energy from a blow. I.e, you get struck on the back with a sword. Good News: You won't get cut. Bad News: Your spine might be broken.
A breast plate will absorb the energy so your body doesn't have to. Now what if we can do this for every part of the body instead of just the head and torso.
Finally, certain convex surfaces will divert missiles or blows away from parts of the body, while concave surfaces will tend to collect them at strong points. Firguing ways of diverting blows from vulnerable body parts and toward ones better suited for this was the final trend in pre-gunpower armor.

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Armor you say?

Stand aside knaves, I got this

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>>1888693

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>>1888506
I don't think they actually LOOK the best, but I just love 1100 and before.
Seeing proto-knights and understanding their role in that time period more than others helps most likely.

>>1888693
t. peasant

metallurgy. blacksmiths simply didn't have the knowledge needed to make good quality full plate. arms on the other hand evolved to surpass current level of armour they were meant to face.

Armor guys, what were chainmail feet like? Did they have soles or padding or was it just straight chainmail on feet?

>>1888506
Arms and armour after 1400s are response to gunpowder.

>>1888865

<citation needed>

>>1888506
>Smith figures out how to make bigger pieces of metal
>this makes better armor
>this is much faster to make than mail
That's it, really.

>>1888800

Padding of course

You cannot wear chainmail comfortably on naked skin, it's too cold/hot and it nibbles your hair and chafes against the skin

>>1889065
What? No. I've worn mail far too many times. It warms to the body temperature and stays there (unless exposed to sunlight in hot weather, this si why you need tabards) and doesn't chafe at all. It doesn't really do much with hair, either. Might get caught occasionally.

Padding is just that: Padding. It's there to help protect you. Normal clothing will do more than enough to keep mail comfortable.

>>1888800
Open bottom, you'd presumably have shows on. Mail is going to get shit traction and you're never going to have the bottom of your foot attacked anyway.

>>1888536
This, metallurgical advances triggered new weapons and new armors. The water powered blast furnace and water hammers allowed to produce more steel cheaper and in bigger slabs, this started in the 11th century.

>>1890345

Imagine how it will bite into the skin if you are struck with a sword or god forbid a mace. That is mainly what the layer of padding beneath is for, to protect you from the chain-mail itself. Of course if you got hit with a mace all bets are off anyway.