This list identifies various pieces of

body armour Body armor, also known as body armour, personal armor or armour, or a suit or coat of armor, is protective clothing designed to absorb or deflect physical attacks. Historically used to protect military personnel, today it is also used by variou ...

worn from the medieval to early modern period in the

Western world The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and state (polity), states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.

, mostly plate but some

mail armour Chain mail (properly called mail or maille but usually called chain mail or chainmail) is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. It was in common military use between the 3rd century BC and ...

, arranged by the part of body that is protected and roughly by date. It does not identify fastening components or various appendages such as

lance rest A lance rest ( French: ''arrêt de cuirasse'' or ''arrêt'') is a metal flange or hook that is typically attached to the right side of a breastplate, just under the armpit. The lance rest appeared in the late 14th century, remaining in use until ...

s or plumeholders, or clothing such as

tabard A tabard is a type of short coat that was commonly worn by men during the late Middle Ages and early modern period in Europe. Generally worn outdoors, the coat was either sleeveless or had short sleeves or shoulder pieces. In its more developed ...

s or

surcoat A surcoat or surcote is an outer garment that was commonly worn in the Middle Ages by soldiers. It was worn over armor to show insignia and help identify what side the soldier was on. In the battlefield the surcoat was also helpful with keeping ...

s, which were often worn over a harness. There are a variety of alternative names and spellings (such as ''cowter'' or ''couter''; ''bassinet'', ''bascinet'' or ''basinet''; and ''besagew'' or ''besague'') which often reflect a word introduced from French. Generally, the English spelling has been preferred (including ''mail'' instead of the lately used ''maille'' or the inauthentic term ''chainmail''). The part of armour on the hand is called the ''gauntlet'', which is based on a French word.

Japanese analogues

The following components of

Japanese armour Scholars agree that Japanese armour first appeared in the 4th century, with the discovery of the cuirass and basic helmets in graves. During the ''Heian period'' (794-1185), the unique Japanese samurai armour ''ō-yoroi'' and ''dō-maru'' appea ...

roughly match the position and function of certain components of occidental armour: * Kusari zukin (mail coif) * Mengu (mask) *

Kabuto ' (兜, 冑) is a type of helmet first used by ancient Japanese warriors which, in later periods, became an important part of the traditional Japanese armour worn by the samurai class and their retainers in feudal Japan. Note that in the Jap ...

(helmet) * Dō (cuirass) *

Kote Kote may refer to: * Kotë, a place in Albania * Kote, Karnataka, a village in India * Köte, a charcoal burner's hut in Germany's Harz Mountains * Kote, a pair of mitts worn when practicing kendo * KOTE is a radio station in Eureka, Kansas, p ...

(vambrace and lower pauldron) * Han kote (gauntlet) * Sode (roughly pauldron) *

Suneate ''Sangu'' is the term for the three armour components that protected the extremities of the samurai class of feudal Japan. Description Traditional Japanese armour had six main components (''hei-no-rokugu, roku gu, or roku gusoku''), the dou or d� ...

(greave) * Kusazuri (fauld or tasset) * Wakibiki (bezagews) * Nodowa (gorget) * Kusari katabira (hauberk) * Kikko katabira (brigandine) * Kôgake (sabaton) * Kusari shikoro (aventail) {{Elements of Medieval armor Medieval armour Body armor Western plate armour

Medieval armour Body armor, also known as body armour, personal armor or armour, or a suit or coat of armor, is protective clothing designed to absorb or deflect physical attacks. Historically used to protect military personnel, today it is also used by variou ...