Glossary of terms

This is a work in progress. We hope this will grow to become a useful resource for both members of the Paladins and all people with an interest in the times of the Hundred Years War.

Achievement of arms

The achievement of arms, sometimes referred to as the heraldic achievement, refers to the complete armorial award. This includes the escutcheon (frequently referred to as the coat of arms or simply the arms), the helm, coronet, crest, mantle, supporters, motto, scroll and compartment. Read more about achievement of arms.

Agincourt

The Battle of Agincourt, fought on St Crispin’s Day (25 October) 1415 effectively marked the end of the Hundred Years War. King Henry V and a small, weary and diseased force defeated a greater force made up of the flower of French chivalry. Read more about the Battle of Agincourt

Akheton/gambeson/arming doublet

A foundation garment worn under armour to provide some padding and places to attach armour

Archery

The ancient practise of using a bow to project an arrow over a distance to a target. The use of the bow in England can be said to have reached a peak during the hundred years war where for certain periods it was required by law for all able bodied men to practice for a minimum period each week.

Black Prince

Edward of Woodstock (b.15 June 1330 – d.8 June 1376), founder member of the Order of the Garter, was the first son of Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. Edward is considered by many to be the quintessential knight of the hundred year’s war. In many ways he embodied the chivalric ideals, yet this was tempered by his pragmatic approach to warfare. Read more about Edward the Black Prince.

Blazon

A blazon is a written or verbal description which identifies a unique coat of arms. Blazons can be simple, for example: Argent, a bend azure (white with a blue diagonal stripe), or incredibly complex ones which combine several families and ancestry into the one escutcheon. The blazons of each of the Paladins of Chivalry can be found by mousing over their coat of arms on their respective persona pages.

Braies

Medieval male underwear generally held up using a drawstring. For the hundred years war era they range from boxer shorts style in the early 1300’s, to almost briefs in the early 1400’s.

Buckler

A small shield, commonly round with a raised ‘boss’, which is used with a punching motion to deflect incoming weapons. Often used for training, or in battle by archers and other infantry who do not carry full shields.

Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer (b.1343 – d.25 October, 1400) was an English author, poet, philosopher, bureaucrat, courtier, and diplomat. He is most famous for writing the Canterbury Tales and is considered by some to be the father of English literature. He was one of the first writers to publish in the English vernacular as opposed to the tradition French or Latin. Read more about Chaucer.

Chemise

A linen or silk garment of variable length worn as the layer closest to the skin by women (see body linen). A chemise could have sleeves or be sleeveless, pictorial evidence suggest both possibilities. A find reported in 1925 in Germany (see Moritz Heyne, Fünf Bücher deutscher Hauskunst, 1925) consisted of a coarse linen shirt with thin shoulder straps and coarse hems. This style can also be seen in the Wenceslas Bible ("Bathouse babes"). Sleeved chemises appear a lot more, however, in many different sources all over Europe.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms, sometimes referred to simply as the arms, is the unique visual identifier of an individual awarded in England by the King (or in modern times the Queen); or the College of Arms as his representatives. A coat of arms has a unique formal description known as a blazon. The original concept for the coat of arms was for it to be displayed on a shield as identification on the battlefield, to assist both fellow combatants, and heralds recording deaths afterwards. Read more about coat of arms.

Fourteenth Century (14thC)

The fourteenth century was a time of great change in Europe, but especially in England. The plague wrought great social change for the common man and noble alike. Fashion changed faster than it had in the previous 500 years, and this included armour with the evolution of plate harness. Combine this with a state of almost perpetual war with France and constant skirmishes with Scotland and you have one of the most exciting periods in English history to this point. View a timeline of major events of the 14th century.

Kirtle

Often used as a term for either a single layer dress/everyday dress for lower classes or an underdress for a second layer of overgarment.