Geometric construction of heater shield ENG

The heater shield or heater-shaped shield is a form of European medieval shield, developing from the

early medieval The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

kite shield A kite shield is a large, almond-shaped shield rounded at the top and curving down to a point or rounded point at the bottom. The term "kite shield" is a reference to the shield's unique shape, and is derived from its supposed similarity to a fly ...

in the late 12th century in response to the declining importance of the shield in combat thanks to improvements in leg armour. The term is a

neologism A neologism Greek νέο- ''néo''(="new") and λόγος /''lógos'' meaning "speech, utterance"] is a relatively recent or isolated term, word, or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but that has not been fully accepted int ...

, created by Antiquarian, Victorian antiquarians due to the shape's resemblance to a

clothes iron A clothes iron (also flatiron, smoothing iron, or simply iron) is a small appliance that, when heated, is used to press clothes to remove wrinkles and unwanted creases. Domestic irons generally range in operating temperature from between to . ...

. Examples are depicted in the great seal of

Richard I Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was ...

and John.

Details

Smaller than the

, it was more manageable and could be used either mounted or on foot.''Medieval Swordsmanship'', p. 102 From the 15th century, it evolved into highly specialized

jousting Jousting is a martial game or hastilude between two horse riders wielding lances with blunted tips, often as part of a tournament. The primary aim was to replicate a clash of heavy cavalry, with each participant trying to strike the opponen ...

shields, often containing a ''bouche'', a notch or "mouth" for the

lance A lance is a spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier (lancer). In ancient and medieval warfare, it evolved into the leading weapon in cavalry charges, and was unsuited for throwing or for repeated thrusting, unlike s ...

to pass through. As plate armour began to cover more and more of the body, the shield grew correspondingly smaller. By the mid 14th century it was hardly seen outside of tournaments. Heater shields were typically made from thin

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...

overlaid with

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hog ...

. They were often made of wood braced with metals such as steel or iron. Some shields, such as that of

Edward, the Black Prince Edward of Woodstock, known to history as the Black Prince (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376), was the eldest son of King Edward III of England, and the heir apparent to the English throne. He died before his father and so his son, Richard II, suc ...

from his tomb in Canterbury Cathedral, incorporated additional layers of

gesso Gesso (; "chalk", from the la, gypsum, from el, γύψος) is a white paint mixture consisting of a binder mixed with chalk, gypsum, pigment, or any combination of these. It is used in painting as a preparation for any number of substrates suc ...

, canvas, and/or

parchment Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves, and goats. It has been used as a writing medium for over two millennia. Vellum is a finer quality parchment made from the skins o ...

.''Arms & Armor of the Medieval Knight'', p. 83 Contrary to the common interpretations, heater shields did not strap to the arm, but were held and maneuvered by a combination of a hand-strap and a belt called a

guige A guige ( /ɡiːʒ/, /ɡiːd͡ʒ/) is a long strap, typically made of leather, used to hang a shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to ...

, which was slung around the neck and used to support the shield, as well as sling it around the back when not in use. The heater shield was used by almost every class of society in medieval Europe, from knights to typical soldiers. This design lent itself to being relatively inexpensive and easy to make. It was relatively lightweight compared to other similar shields at the time such as the kite shield, being easy to move around during both mounted and on-foot combat, and had a fairly high amount of surface area, making for a solid defence. This style of shield was not without its flaws. When using a heater shield properly, the legs are left almost entirely unprotected. This disadvantage can be eliminated by moving away from an opponent. "When a sword flies for your leg, make a downward blow to his face or around to his throat: His arms will be wasted more quickly than his head, Because the distance is manifest for a shorter time." Unfortunately, there is very little contemporaneous documentation remaining in the world regarding the proper use of a heater shield with a sword or any other weapon. Heater shields were often used for heraldic display, or display of the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of the wielder. This lent itself to the relatively wide surface area of the shield and its shape, which made it excellently suited for display.

Notes

Bibliography

* Clements, John (1998). ''Medieval Swordsmanship: Illustrated Methods and Techniques'', Boulder, Colorado: Paladin Press. * Edge, David and Paddock, John (1988). ''Arms & Armor of the Medieval Knight'', New York: Crescent Books. *Grazebrook, George (1890)
''The Dates of Variously-shaped Shields With Coincident Dates and Examples''
* "Shield Straps and Holding of the Shield - end 12th Early 13th Century" Nathanaël Dos Reis / Translation : David Tétard (Dawn of Chivalry). 02. mars 2017. Access 20-June-2021. {{Commonscat, Heater shields Medieval shields