In the later middle ages, Tournaments were one of the most popular forms of spectator sport, and were held in all parts of Europe. A tournament was a spectacle, full of colour, pageantry and showmanship. It is important for us to carry on this tradition by doing our best to live up to the spectacular precedent set by our knightly ancestors.

This does not mean that you need to spend a fortune on armour; far from it, for one thing that differentiates tournament armour from the war armour of the period is the lavish use of fabric (which is much cheaper today than it was in ages past!). While the war armour tended to be of expensive polished steel, tournament armour was also often made of couir-boulli, or whalebone, and was covered in some form of fabric garment.

The good thing about using lots of fabric in your fighting kit is that you can hide a multitude of sins beneath the flowing layers of colorful cloth; modern sports pads, plastic armour, duct tape and half-finished projects you haven't gotten around to fixing. This of course helps you to save on the cost of your armour, as you can start out with cheap, ugly and functional armour, and slowly add better pieces as and when you can afford them.

My advice for starting fighters is this; spend your money on a nice helmet first. this is you most important piece of armour, and one that will last a lifetime of service. It is also the one piece that will always be out for all to see. The next thing to spend your money on is a good set of leg harness, as there are not many late period examples of billowy trousers big enough to hide armour in. The rest of your armour can be quickly and cheaply made, and covered over with one of the types of martial costume described below.

Fourteenth Century long-sleeved tunic

This is a very flashy type of fourteenth century tunic, which can be worn over or under a breastplate. The sleeves can be dagged or foliated for an even more impressive effect, and a brightly coloured and contrasting lining or trim makes them even more striking. This type of can cover the shoulders and body quite well, but leaves the arms exposed to view.

Coat Armour

The Coat armour was popular toward the end of the fourteenth century, and was worn over the mail hauberk, and sometimes over plate armour as well. This example is based upon the Coat Armour of Charles VI of France, which is on display at Chartres Cathedral, and upon many contemporary illustrations in manuscripts of similar armours. These fabric armours cover all of the arm and shoulder, as well as the body, although breastplates and coat-of-plates were sometimes worn over them (See the article in Flame I on gambesons for pattern).

Tabards

Fourteenth Century Tabard

In the fourteenth century, the tabard tended to fit very snugly to the armour beneath, which was usually a coat of plates or, towards the end of the century, early plate armour. The length and cut of the bottom varied considerably throughout the century, usually being slit down front and back.

This type of tabard only covers the body, leaving all of the arms exposed.

Rene d'Anjou Tabard

This is the most common form of tabard used in the later fifteenth century, used both in wars and in the tourney field. It is best illustrated in King Rene D'Anjou's tournament treatise. The arms of the wearer are on the front, back and both shoulders. It was usually fastened down the sides, but it was sometimes worn loose. This covers the body very well, and the shoulders, but leaves the arms mostly exposed.

The pattern for this tabard is very simple and straightforward; the sides can be either brought straight down (better if you plan to wear it loose) or they can curve round to meet the back, forming armholes, if you plan to lace it closed at the sides. The sleeves are simple D-shapes, slightly pleated where they join the shoulders.

Armorial Equestre Tabard

This tabard is based upon those worn by the warriors in the Armorial equestre, which dates from the 15th Century, and is now in the Bibliotheque l'Arsenal, Paris. It is the fullest and flashiest adaptation of the tournament tabard I have yet seen, consisting of full arms (which enclose the arm harness within), a short body which comes down only to the upper abdomen, and a long cloak, all of which are decorated in the full heraldic colours of the owner. This type of tabard is also illustrated in several other armourials, such as the Armorial of the Knights of the Golden Fleece, which dates from the mid 15th Century. It covers the arms completely, but only coves the upper half of the body armour.

The pattern for this tabard is somewhat more complex than the previous one; the arms must be made very large, as they will need to accommodate your arm harness and be able to go through your entire range of motion without snagging. It should be pleated rather heavily at the top, where it meets the body of the tabard, the pleating adjusted to ensure that the circumference of the armhole of the tabard matches up with the circumference of the arm.

The tabard laces up the back, and I recommend that you slit and lace the arms up too to allow you take off or put on your arm harness without having to remove the entire tabard. The rectangular cloak can either be sewn on separately, or joined in at the shoulder seam.

This type of tabard is best suited to a globose breastplate, or coat of plates.

Quick and dirty alternatives

For those who do not have the time or enthusiasm to make one of the fancy heraldic tabards, there is the time-honoured tradition in the SCA of the Mucking big tunic, a large (nay, huge!) tunic of tough fabric that you throw over your unsightly armour and throw a belt around. To flash it up a bit, you can make it parti-coloured, or wear a heraldic tabard over the top of it. (The mucking big tunic is very similar in style to many Tudor period military costumes, see Osprey 191: Henry VIII's Armies for some ideas.)

A variation on the Mucking big tunic theme is the mock Landskeneckt tunic, which is ideal for those who favour the later periods (1500 +). To simulate the puff and slash look favoured by the landskeneckts, simply make the arms out of alternating strips of different coloured fabrics, and sew ties on at intervals to gather the fabric into puffs; you will find that using real puffed-and-slashed constructions will soon lead to grief on the battlefield, as they snag weapons like you would not believe!

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