Unhurried Era: How did European soldiers without armor defend themselves?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

The 17th century was the peak of global changes in the life of Europe. This fate has not spared the military industry. The final decline of the phenomenon of medieval knights and the invention of new tactics of warfare led to the transformation of not only the composition of the army, but even the appearance of the soldiers, who got rid of heavy armor - the "unarmored era" began. But this does not mean at all that the army team, dressed in multi-colored uniforms, were left without protection.

The Thirty Years' War introduced significant adjustments not only to the course of history, but also to military affairs. Perhaps its most revolutionary discovery was a qualitatively new approach to combat - the so-called linear tactics. It consisted in the distribution of troops or units of the fleet in a row, consisting of several ranks. This led to the transition of the leading role in the army from cavalry to infantry. With the change of priorities, both the weapons and the protection of the soldiers began to change.

For example, during this period there was a sunset, and then the complete disappearance at the beginning of the 18th century of such a type of infantry as pikemen. The weapon itself also changed: linear tactics made it possible to carry out a massive shelling of the enemy from a large number of weapons at the same time. This required its transformation in the direction of reducing the length and caliber of the barrel.

Lighter weapons no longer required soldiers to wear heavy solid armor, and the armor gradually sank into oblivion. And although it is generally accepted that from the end of the 17th century until the First World War, which returned the helmet to the army's uniform, the "unhurried era" continued, it would be unfair to deny the complete lack of protection.

The history of the transformation of the protection of soldiers begins on the eve of the Thirty Years War, when the Swedish king Gustav II Adolf carried out a serious reform of his army. In parallel, the Dutch stadtholder Moritz of Orange took over the changes in the military industry. Modern historians believe that it was these reforms that laid the foundation for linear tactics.

One of the most notable changes in the uniforms of the reformed troops was the abandonment of three-quarter armor in favor of the cuirass - protective equipment that only covers the chest and back. I must say that knightly heavy armor still existed among the pikemen, but during the Thirty Years War they, along with the musketeers, got rid of it.

However, the cuirasses also briefly lingered in the uniforms of the infantry soldiers. Experience has shown that the protection should be suitable for long marches on foot, and not create additional weight, from which you quickly get tired. Therefore, soon the cuirass remained an element of equipment only for the cavalry.

The process of transforming uniforms did not end only in Sweden and the Netherlands. Following them, Britain took over the tendency to "lighten" equipment. Actually, their activities in this direction are almost identical to those of the “pioneers”.

During the Civil War of 1642-1646, following Oliver Cromwell's Ironsides army as a model, the British Parliament formed the so-called "New Model Army", in whose uniforms only a cuirass remained of the armor. But even in this case, the infantry quickly abandoned it.

Next in line for change was France, which had been at war almost continuously since the mid-17th century. The active work of the army gave impetus to its reform. And here the French have tried their best: according to information from Novate.ru, their uniforms have become an example for other European armies for almost a hundred years to come.

One of the most ambitious changes in the appearance of a French soldier was the introduction of a unified uniform by Louis XIV. According to the royal ordinance, now each regiment had a certain color of the uniform and its own insignia.

Interesting fact:before the unification of military uniforms, the French army dressed according to the principle of "uniform number 8: what we got, we wear it."

The complete transformation of the uniforms of the French army took place during the Dutch war (1672-1678), which ended with its victory. The authority of Louis XIV's "war machine" has grown many times over. The equipment of his army at that time generally lost any protective elements - the soldiers wore caftans cut according to the same pattern.

The only exception was the cuirassiers, who were left with their double-sided polished shell. At the same time, the metal disappeared completely from the head of the French soldier: the army paid tribute to the then fashion and made a choice in favor of wide-brimmed hats with feather plumes.

And yet, the final abandonment of all armor made the soldiers vulnerable, so it was decided to look for other options for protective equipment, but such that it would not cause inconvenience to either the infantry or the cavalry. Dressed leather came to the rescue. It was from her that the main element of the uniform of the soldiers of that time was sewn - pricks. They were mostly light yellow in color, as they were made from dressed moose or buffalo leather. Then it was distinguished by the best density and strength.

The most widespread tunics were in the army of Cromwell. At the same time, the color red entered the army fashion. So, a jacket for an infantryman's uniform was sewn from dense leather like a tunic, to which red sleeves were sewn. In the cavalry, they preferred a completely leather uniform.

The tunic is a lighter alternative to the cuirass.

This trend was changed only by a significant increase in the number of European armies in the middle of the 18th century. Then it became too expensive to use dressed leather for uniforms, and it was replaced by a cheaper dense fabric.

But leather hasn't completely fallen out of use. From it, as additional protective equipment, they began to make wide belts, which were worn crosswise over the uniform. Sometimes such a precaution could really save a soldier's life, because these leather strips softened the impact of cutting objects and even stopped bullets.

Other parts of the uniform, made from durable leather, were elbow-length gloves and over-the-knee boots. The latter, for example, were made not only of thick material to protect against piercing and cutting impacts. The leather for the boots was also smooth, so that the enemy weapon simply glided over the boot, thereby softening the blow.

Interesting fact: in the 17th century, when the boots had just come into use, the soldiers could not get enough of their lightness in comparison with the plate boots. But in the 19th century, when the historical memory no longer kept the weight of knightly armor in the minds of the army, numerous complaints began to flow about the severity of these long boots.

A similar story with gloves. They were also made of thick, sturdy leather, and covered the arms to the elbows. High protective leggings were sewn to them, covering the limbs to the place where plate shoulder pads ended in the past. Such a protective element perfectly saved in close combat, in conditions of frequent use of edged weapons.

Despite the fact that the era of knights ended in the late Middle Ages, something in the uniforms of soldiers of the 17-18 centuries. still reminded of the times glorified in art. We are talking about a gorget, or plate necklace. It consisted of metal plates that covered the soldier's neck and upper chest. These areas of the body were quite vulnerable, therefore they required their own means of protection.

Gorget continued to be used in military equipment in the 17th century, which was now also decorated with engraving or embossed patterns. After some time, the plate necklace, in addition to its protective function, acquired the value of an officer's distinctive sign. So, by the fact whether the gorget has gilding or other enamel, it was possible to find out the rank of the one who wears it. This was quite relevant in an era when shoulder straps were absent in the army.

In the 18-19 centuries. preferences in military tactics and weapons left almost no room for the use of protective uniforms. His return was only marked by the First World War, which saw a surge in the development of rapid-fire weapons and artillery units. It was then that again the question arose of using protective equipment for soldiers, which would save them from shrapnel and bullets. So helmets and prototypes of modern body armor appeared in the army.