17 Parts of Medieval Armor & Their Names

Medieval weaponry expert Raven Eastwood shares the most crucial pieces of medieval armor

Co-authored by Raven Eastwood and Elaine Heredia, BA

Last Updated: January 19, 2026 Fact Checked

The medieval suit of armor is iconic not just for its historical significance, but also for its use in many classic Hollywood films. Today, cosplayers, LARPers, and historical reenactors make suits of armor for their own pleasure and wear them to comic conventions and Renaissance fairs. If you're interested in joining their ranks or just want to learn more about armor, we've got you covered! Keep reading to discover the different medieval armor parts and their functions, and to learn a few fun facts about knights along the way, with insights from medieval weaponry expert Raven Eastwood.

Medieval Knight Armor Parts Diagram

An illustrated diagram of a suit of medieval-style plate armor with labeled parts.

Medieval weaponry expert Raven Eastwood says the most important components of medieval armor are the helmet, gauntlets, and cuirass (chestplate). Other important pieces include:

Gorget: Protects the neck and throat
Plackart: Extra protection for the abdomen
Fauld & Culet: Protects the waist, hips, and buttocks
Tassets: Protects the upper thighs

1

Helm

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The helm, or helmet, protects the knight's head in combat. A mind is a terrible thing to lose, and so is an eye, an ear, or a nose. The helm protects them all! The thin slit close to the top allows the knight to see out, and the holes by the nose and mouth let in a small amount of fresh air. Knights would also wear an arming cap and a mail coif underneath their helmet for extra padding and protection. The cap was a hood made of many layers of fabric, whereas the coif was made of steel chain mail links.^{[1]
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- Eastwood says that the helmet is one of the most important components of medieval armor. “Whenever you look at medieval artwork, even the poorer soldiers, the first thing they buy is a helmet. It’s almost always what they equip themselves with first. And for obvious reasons: If you get almost any hit to the head without a helmet, if it’s not going to be lethal, it would absolutely hurt, or it’s going to affect your vision, your hearing, [or] your smell.”^{[2]
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- Did you know? The medieval era saw many different helmet designs. Some, like the Great Helm, covered the entire head and had a thin eye slit for vision. Others were more like caps and only covered the top of the head, and sometimes the bridge of the nose or the ears.^{[3]
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Meet the wikiHow Expert

Raven Eastwood is a jousting and medieval weaponry expert based in Round Rock, Texas. He’s also a competitive jouster and medieval reenactor, and he’s knowledgeable about historical armor and armored combat.

2

Gorget

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The gorget (gor-juht) is a collar that protects the knight's throat. Without this essential piece of wraparound armor, there would be a gap between the helm and the breastplate. A knight would then be vulnerable to attacks on his neck, where an enemy's sword could easily slice through his carotid artery or even cut off his head.
- Did you know? The bevor is a piece of plate armor similar to the gorget. But instead of just protecting the throat, the bevor also curves upward to protect the chin and the lower half of the face.^{[4]
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3

Haubergeon

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The haubergeon (hab-er-juhn) is a short coat of mail worn under plate armor. A knight might say that back in his day, he wore a haubergeon made of chain mail instead of plate armor. Later in the medieval period, however, knights wore this sturdy coat underneath their cuirasses. The combination was the ultimate protection on the battlefield.^{[5]
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- Did you know? Knights might also wear a gambeson instead of or in addition to a haubergeon. A gambeson is a quilted fabric jacket or tunic that gives the knight even more padding to resist blows.^{[6]
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4

Cuirass

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The cuirass (kwer-ass) shields the knight's chest and back. Another place you definitely don't want to be stabbed is in the heart, or it's curtains for you! Getting stabbed in the kidneys or getting your intestines carved out isn't fun, either. To prevent these grim scenarios from occurring, knights would wear a large piece of armor called the cuirass. The front part is called a breastplate, and it covers the knight's entire torso. It also comes with a backplate to help protect against attacks from the rear.^{[7]
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Raven Eastwood
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- Eastwood says this was another important piece of protection for medieval soldiers, to help protect them from getting stabbed in the heart or lungs.^{[8]
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- Did you know? If you were a medieval knight who was wounded or fell during battle, all was not lost! You might not have been slain. Instead, you might have been ransomed, meaning held captive until your lord or king paid a certain sum of money for your release.^{[9]
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  - If you were a lowly infantryman, however, you probably wouldn't have such good fortune.

5

Plackart

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Let's say you're a knight who's really worried about your guts spilling out from a well-placed stab. In that case, in addition to your cuirass, you'll want to wear a plackart. This piece of armor reinforces the breastplate, offering an extra layer of metal between you and the pointy end of your enemy's weapon.

6

Fauld & Culet

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A slice to the waist or hips is terribly inconvenient, but even more so is a cut across the buttocks. The fauld and culet fortify these sensitive areas. The fauld wraps around the front of the torso under the breastplate, whereas the culet wraps around the lower back. Both are apron-like pieces of armor with overlapping layers of metal.

7

Tassets

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Tassets hang from the fauld and protect the knight's upper thighs. If you want to hobble through the battlefield in excruciating pain, getting stabbed in the thigh is the way to do it. But if you're a sane knight who wants to avoid this terrible experience, wear tassets. These simple plates of armor hang from the bottom of the fauld or the breastplate and act as your upper thighs' personal shields.
- Eastwood agrees that soldiers wanted their limbs protected, as "getting stabbed or cut in the leg or the arm isn't great." However, he notes that historically, it's a lot less lethal to get stabbed in these places. That's why he says the "head, hands, and chest are the most important" and "prioritized historically," as they're the most valuable assets.^{[10]
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- What would your name have been if you lived in the 13th and 14th centuries? Find out with our fun Medieval Name Generator!

8

Pauldron

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In some cases, this meaty piece of armor also protects part of the chest—talk about being an overachiever!^{[11]
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Research source} But when you're a knight, it's better to be safe than sorry, and pauldrons were essential pieces of a knightly ensemble. Some of them are equipped with extra pieces on the top called haute (howt-eh). A haute prevents swords, lances, and other weapons from slipping up the pauldron and wounding the neck or the head.^{[12]
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9

Gussets

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Knights wore gussets! These triangular pieces of fabric or another material are still sewn onto clothes today to reinforce the garment's strength or provide more flexibility. Some knights wore chain mail gussets around their elbows and shoulders to make movement easier, while still protecting these sensitive areas.^{[13]
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10

Rerebrace

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The rerebrace (reer-brace) protects the knight's upper arm above the elbow. This piece of armor provides shielding for the part of the arm between the shoulder and the elbow. In other words, it helps prevent weapons from piercing your bicep and rendering your arm useless.
- Don't think you could have cut it as a medieval knight? Fortunately, there were other ways to make a living. Explore 90+ jobs you could've had in medieval times!

11

Couter

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Getting whacked or sliced in your funny bone is no laughing matter. That's why a knight would cover it up by wearing a couter. This piece of armor wraps around the point of the elbow.^{[14]
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Research source} The earliest versions of it didn't move, but later iterations were hinged to make it easier for the knight to bend their arm.

12

Vambrace

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The vambrace protects the forearm from the elbow to the wrist. It can be made out of steel plate armor, but also out of tough animal leather and hide. Knights used it to deflect blows aimed at their head or neck by their enemies. It came in especially handy in close combat, when long sword blades are of little use in defense.
- Did you know? Some people confuse the vambrace with a leather sleeve called a bracer. But while vambraces are often made of steel and are used by knights bearing swords and lances, bracers are less sturdy and are worn by archers. Their primary purpose is to protect the inside of the archer's arm from the bowstring when it bounces back.

13

Gauntlet

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A gauntlet protects the knight's hand, fingers, and wrist. Think of this piece of armor like a big glove. Except it does more than keep you warm in the winter: it also protects you from pulling a Luke Skywalker and getting your hand chopped off! The fingers have articulated joints, so the knight can still hold weapons, their horse's reins, and whatever other objects they may need.^{[15]
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Raven Eastwood
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- Eastwood says that gauntlets were often the next thing that medieval soldiers bought after a helmet. “Even the poorer soldiers prioritized gauntlets or hand protection, even if that’s just gloves.” He says this is because they fought with weapons, “so hands would often get injured more than just about anything else. Blades are sliding down off another blade or a pole arm, and they’re hitting hands.”^{[16]
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14

Cuisse

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In Mel Brooks' classic slapstick comedy Young Frankenstein, Gene Wilder's character accidentally stabs himself in the thigh with a scalpel. But if he had been wearing a cuisse, the scalpel blade would have glanced right off! Of course, a knight is vulnerable to attacks from all sorts of terrible weapons, so wearing thigh protection is an absolute must.^{[17]
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15

Poleyn

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A poleyn (po-lane) is a piece of armor that wraps around the knee cap. Also called a knee cop, the poleyn protects a knight's knee from getting slashed and impairing their ability to walk upright. It also makes a lot of extra noise when their knees are knocking in fear of the enemy!^{[18]
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- Did you know? A fan is an optional piece of armor some knights wear to protect the backs of their knees. The piece attaches to the poleyn and sits on the side of the kneecap. It flares out so that any weapons that come into contact with it simply slide off.
  - This TikTok by @robinswords shows the fan in action!

16

Greave

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To prevent their shins and ankles from getting banged up or sliced, knights would wear concave pieces of armor that extended from their ankle all the way up to the poleyn around their kneecap. Some greaves only shield the front of the left, whereas others wrap all the way around the calf on the opposite side of the leg.

17

Sabaton

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The sabaton (sab-uh-ton) protects the knight's foot and toes. There'll be no toe stubbing in these shoes! A sabaton is basically an armored shoe that fits over the toes and foot and connects to the greave. The toe of the sabaton can be round or pointed, depending on the fashion of the era.^{[19]
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Research source} If it's pointed, your close combat kicks will pack more of a punch!
- Did you know? You may think that wearing all this armor would wear a knight down, but scholars say it wasn't as heavy as we think! Knights had to be able to move around on the battlefield, as well as mount and dismount their horses, and their armor was light enough to allow these actions.^{[20]
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