Pauldron and Rerebrace MET LC-04 3 111-003

A rerebrace (sometimes known as an upper cannon) is a piece of armour designed to protect the upper arms (above the elbow). Splint rerebraces were a feature of

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

armour in the Early Medieval period. The rerebrace seems to have re-emerged in England, in the early 14th century. As part of the full

plate armour Plate armour is a historical type of personal body armour made from bronze, iron, or steel plates, culminating in the iconic suit of armour entirely encasing the wearer. Full plate steel armour developed in Europe during the Late Middle Ages, es ...

of the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance the rerebrace was a tubular piece of armour between the shoulder defences (

spaulder Spaulders are pieces of armour in a harness of plate armour. Typically, they are a single plate of steel or iron covering the shoulder with bands ( lames) joined by straps of leather or rivets. By the 1450s, however, they were often attached to t ...

pauldron A pauldron (sometimes spelled pouldron or powldron) is a component of plate armor that evolved from spaulders in the 15th century. As with spaulders, pauldrons cover the shoulder area. Pauldrons tend to be larger than spaulders, covering the a ...

) and the elbow protection (

couter The couter (also spelled "cowter") is the defense for the elbow in a piece of plate armour. Initially just a curved piece of metal, as plate armor progressed the couter became an articulated joint. Couters were popular by the 1320s. In fighting ...

References

External links

Cleveland Museum of Art
glossary of arms and armor Western plate armour Body armor {{medieval-armour-stub