Sabaton

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A duckbill-style German sabaton for the right foot, c. 1550 German - Sabaton for the Right Foot - Walters 51591.jpg
A duckbill-style German sabaton for the right foot, c.1550
English-made Greenwich armour sabaton, 1587-1589 Wallace CollectionDSCF7486.JPG
English-made Greenwich armour sabaton, 1587–1589

A sabaton or solleret is part of a knight's body armor that covers the foot. [1]

Contents

History

14th and 15th-century sabatons typically end in a tapered point well past the actual toes of the wearer's foot, following fashionable shoe shapes of the era. Sabatons of the late 15th and early 16th century followed the duckbill shoes of the time, ending at the tip of the toe but often extending greatly wider. The sabatons were the first piece of armour to be put on, and were made of riveted iron plates called lames . These plates generally covered only the top of the foot. Some sources[ who? ] maintain that the broad-toed variant is the true sabaton, whereas the earlier versions should be referred to as a solleret. [2]

At least in theory, French princes and dukes were allowed to have toes of Gothic sabatons 2.5 feet (0.76 m) long, lords (barons and higher) 2 feet long and gentry only 1 foot (0.30 m) long. [3]

The sabaton was not commonly used by knights or men at arms fighting on foot. Instead, many would simply wear leather shoes or boots. Heavy or pointy metal footwear would severely hinder movement and mobility on the ground, particularly under wet or muddy conditions. Attacks against the feet are not common in dismounted combat,[ citation needed ] as a strike to an enemy's foot would typically put the attacker in a very awkward and vulnerable position. Conversely, a mounted knight's feet would be at perfect height for strikes from dismounted soldiers, and so sabatons or other foot armour would be vital when riding into battle.[ citation needed ] An earlier solution was for the mail of the chausses to completely cover the foot, but later the mail terminated at the ankle, either overlapping the outside of the sabaton or extending beneath it. [4]

The effigy of Richard Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick in the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick, shows how 15th century Italian-style sabatons would have been worn. These consist of a toe cap, four articulated lames, a foot plate and ankle plate, and a hinged heel cap, joined with buckled straps. Although the spurs are missing from the effigy, remains of rivet holes and staples may represent the way that the spurs would have been directly attached to the heel cap of the sabaton, rather than being strapped on afterwards. [4]

Other uses

"Sabaton" is also the name of a type of broad-toed Flemish shoe, popular in the Late Middle Ages. [2]

Sabaton is the name of a Swedish heavy metal band who write songs based on military history.

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Footwear</span> Garments worn on feet

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boot</span> Type of footwear extending above the ankle joint

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuirass</span> Type of armour that covers the torso

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poulaine</span> Shoe with long pointed toe from Poland, popular in 15th century Europe

Poulaines, also known by other names, were a style of unisex footwear with extremely long toes that were fashionable in Europe at various times in the Middle Ages. The poulaine proper was a shoe or boot of soft material whose elongated toe frequently required filling to maintain its shape. The chief vogue for poulaines spread across Europe from medieval Poland in the mid-14th century and spread across Europe, reaching upper-class England with the 1382 marriage of Richard II to Anne of Bohemia and remaining popular through most of the 15th century. Sturdier forms were used as overshoes and the sabatons of the era's armor were often done in poulaine style. Poulaines were periodically condemned by Christian writers of the time as demonic or vain. Kings of the era variously taxed them as luxuries, restricted their use to the nobility, or outright banned them. After becoming more common as women's footwear and expanding to awkward lengths, poulaines fell from fashion in the 1480s and were seldom revived, although they are considered an influence on some later trends such as the 1950s British winklepicker boots.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laminar armour</span> Type of armour

Laminar armour is an armour made from horizontal overlapping rows or bands of, usually small, solid armour plates called lames, as opposed to lamellar armour, which is made from individual armour scales laced together to form a solid-looking strip of armour. Prominent examples of such armour are lorica segmentata of Ancient Rome and certain versions of samurai armour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toe box</span> Part of a shoe

The toe box is the section of footwear that surrounds the toes on closed-toe shoes. Toe boxes that are too tight can cause injuries and foot deformities, whereas wider toe boxes may be used to treat or prevent common foot conditions such as Morton's neuroma. Toe boxes come in a variety of shapes and styles of construction, some of which are a matter of fashion, and some of which are designed for specialized functions.

References

  1. "Sabaton". The Free Dictionary. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  2. 1 2 Bradbury, Jim (2004). The Routledge Companion to Medieval Warfare. Routledge. p. 259. ISBN   978-0415221269.
  3. Fred & Liliane Funcken, Le Costume, l'Armure et les Armes au Temps de la Chevalerie, "2: Le siècle de la Renaissance (2)" ISBN   2-203-14319-3 (in French)
  4. 1 2 Walker, Paul F (2013). History of Armour 1100-1700. The Crowood Press Ltd. ISBN   978-1847974525. (Chapter 9)