Leather Armor? (NO HOLDS BARRED!!)

[Dan Howard]

A 12th century account by Gerald of Wales: "...in the war against the Welsh, one of the men of arms was struck by an arrow shot at him by a Welshman. It went right through his thigh, high up, where it was protected inside and outside the leg by his iron cuises, and then through the skirt of his leather tunic; next it penetrated that part of the saddle which is called the alva or seat; and finally it lodged in his horse, driving so deep that it killed the animal. (Itinerarium Cambriae, (1191))"

I will concede that there may have been an error in translation, and the 'arrow' may be a 'javelin'. However, it would still seem that plate was penetrable, even backed by mail and subarmalis. Also, I understand that not all bodkin arrowheads were made of iron, and some at least were made of steel.

There are indeed errors in translation. Gerald wrote some two centuries before plate armour was worn by the Normans. The armour in question was mail, not plate and Gerald is well known for gross exaggerations. In that translation "cuises" should be replaced with "chausses".