Kite shield
A kite shield is a large, almond-shaped shield rounded at the top and curving down to a point or rounded point at the bottom. The term "kite shield" is a reference to the shield's unique shape, and is derived from its supposed similarity to a flying kite, although "leaf-shaped shield" and "almond shield" have also been used in recent literature.[2] Since the most prominent examples of this shield have appeared on the Bayeux Tapestry, the kite shield has become closely associated with Norman warfare.[3]
History
The shield was developed for
Kite shields were introduced in large numbers to the Middle East by the First Crusade, when Arab and Byzantine soldiers first observed the type being carried by Norman crusaders; these left such a favourable impression on Byzantium that they had entirely superseded round shields in the Komnenian army by the mid twelfth century.[2]
Around the mid to late twelfth century, traditional kite shields were largely replaced by a variant in which the top was flat, rather than rounded. This change made it easier for a soldier to hold the shield upright without limiting his field of vision.[5] Flat-topped kite shields were later phased out by most Western European armies in favour of much smaller, more compact heater shields.[5] However, they were still being carried by Byzantine infantry well into the thirteenth century.[3]
Construction
To compensate for their awkward nature, kite shields were equipped with enarmes, which gripped the shield tightly to the arm and facilitated keeping it in place even when a knight relaxed his arm; this was a significant departure from most earlier circular shields, which possessed only a single handle.[5] Some examples were apparently also fitted with an additional guige strap that allowed the shield to be slung over one shoulder when not in use.[5] Byzantine soldiers frequently carried kite shields on their backs, sometimes upside down.[3] At the time of the First Crusade, most kite shields were still fitted with a domed metal centrepiece (shield boss), although the use of enarmes would have rendered them unnecessary.[2] It is possible that shields may have been fitted with both enarmes and an auxiliary hand grip.
A typical kite shield was at least three feet high, being constructed of
Gallery
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Kite shield on theBayeux tapestry
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Kite shields as depicted on the Temple Pyx
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A 15th century depiction of theArchangel Michaelwith a kiteshield
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Reenactors with kite shields
See also
References
- ^ Drawing from Wendelin Boeheim, Handbuch der Waffenkunde (1890), p. 172, after a miniature from the Second Bible of St Martial Abbey (early 12th century).
- ^ ISBN 978-9004185487.
- ^ ISBN 978-0812216202.
- ^ ISBN 978-0812216202.
- ^ ISBN 978-0786408979.
- Grazebrook, George (1890). The Dates of Variously-shaped Shields With Coincident Dates and Examples.
External links
- A Byzantine Manuscript of the Iliad, including kite shields, 10th century. BNM Mss. Gr.Z.454. Marcian Library, Venice.
- Carolingian Soldier with Kite Shield in the ornate letter at the start of Deuteronomy, Northern France, 976-1000AD. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Latin 46.
- Kite shields in Codex Aureus of Echternach, 1030-1050AD. The Gospel of Otto III
- Medieval Chronicles > Kite Shield