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Saxon armour & weapons

60 second histories

This video covers:

A description of a thegn warrior serving King Athestan; the armour he wears and his weapons such as the kite shield and battle axe

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As you can see I am dressed ready for battle. I’m wearing my ordinary clothes underneath, a pair of woollen hose shirt and tunic. On top of this I have a heavily padded linen coat called a Gambeson and on top of that, a coat of mail. On my head I have a mail coif here which helps to protect my head neck and shoulders and all this is topped off with a conical shaped helmet with a nose guard. Around my waist you can see I have a belt, complete with a sword and scabbard. In battle I carry what is called a kite shield, which is better than the more traditional round shield because it’s lighter, and covers more of my body especially when I am on horse back. And here is my battle-axe, together with my shield they really are the tools of my trade. I can push with the shield and cut down and across with the axe. Mind you, I do have another weapon, a spear, as you can see this one has a long pointed blade which is sharpened on both sides, it helps to keep the enemy at a distance.
Eras: 
Anglo Saxon
Topics: 
Uniforms & Equipment
Weapons
Character: 
Saxon warrior
Key words: 
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