Vambraces

[john m roberts]

The armor you hang on to is the sort that protects your life, i.e. your helmet and torso armor. A wound to either place can easily mean death. Limbs can be protected when convenient or take their chances when not. It is interesting to contrast the armor of soldiers with that of gladiators. The latter usually left the torso bare while variously armoring the limbs - soldiers were armored against getting killed, gladiators against getting crippled. Gladiator helmets were often huge, redundantly protective affairs, meant for maximum show and to keep the fights from being too short. You don't need the equivalent of a medieval greathelm for fighting a man whose sword is not much more than a big dagger, but for gladiators the show was everything.

As to conquistadores, Bernal Diaz states that they always had at least helmet, body armor and gorgets. By implication, the limbs were seldom protected except among the few horsemen, some of whom wore full plate while others were armed a la jineta (Moorish-style, as lightly-armored lancers). He often refers to armor as padded, but it is unclear whether this was because it was regarded as better armor or out of necessity. Remember that the Cortez expedition did not set out from Spain, where armor was easily obtained, but from Cuba. Diaz states that Cortez had padded armor for the expedition made in Cuba and had the local smiths hammering out helmets. Some of this armor must have been very crude in appearance, though undoubtedly serviceable.