Knight in Shining Armor Quiz | European

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Oddly enough, the first part of the armor a knight would put on was actually the shoes. Which of these is the name given to the shoes of armor?

Answer: Sabaton

The sabaton was a piece of armor used for foot protection. Naturally, a knight would wear one sabaton per foot. The sabaton was often pointed, and much longer than the actual foot of the wearer. Another name for the sabaton was the solleret.

2. Knights also needed to protect their lower legs; an enemy would slash just about anywhere, so armor even that low was important. Which of these pieces of armor would offer the best protection for the calf?

Answer: Greave

Greaves were used to protect the knight's lower legs, both the front and back. The schynbald was also a lower-leg covering, but only protected the shin, leaving the calf exposed. The poleyn was used to protect the knee, and the tasset was a band hanging from the breastplate to protect the upper legs.

3. As a knight works his way up while he dresses in his armor, the next area to cover is the upper legs. Which of these would be used to protect the thigh?

Answer: Cuisse

The cuisse was placed on the thigh to protect it. Before the invention of the cuisse, a low blow could injure a knight; a skirt would cover the thighs but that didn't fully protect the thigh. The chausses were knee-high, or sometimes higher, mail socks that protected the knight's lower legs.

4. Cover for the hands, of course, was just as important a piece of armor as any. What is the name of the glove used by a knight for hand protection?

Answer: Gauntlet

The gauntlets were often made of many different materials, and covered the hands, fingers, and forearms. Naturally, the gauntlets could not necessarily be all metal (at least, not all one piece), because here it was crucial to have flexibility. Why, the knight had to hold a sword and shield after all!

Sometimes gauntlets even extended up the forearm, giving the wrists and lower arm additional protection.

5. The lower arm was another area with its own piece of armor. What is the name of the piece of shining armor that protected the forearm?

Answer: Vambrace

The vambrace was worn on the forearm to give it needed protection. The rerebrace was a piece worn from the elbow to the shoulder, giving the upper arm protection. The gardbrace was an additional piece of armor worn over the shoulder armor to give extra protection. The cowter was worn on the elbow.

6. Many different devices could be used to protect the shoulder, but some of them left the armpit exposed. In this instance, an additional piece of armor was required to protect the armpit. Which piece was designed for this one single purpose - to protect the armpit?

Answer: Besagew

The besagew was a circular plate (any round plate was called a rondel) that was used to protect the armpit. They were often worn with the spaulder, which was a shoulder piece that did not protect the armpit. The pauldron was a piece of armor that protected both the shoulder and the armpit, and sometimes even the back and chest.

The lame was a band that could cover many places, including the thigh and shoulder. It was used in groups, typically, to protect. For instance, if the spaulder (which uses these plates), used five of these strips known as lame, it would be called a "spaulder of five lame".

7. Leaving the belly exposed would be a bad idea, so before putting on any breastplates a knight would have to protect his gut as well. Which of these pieces was used for such a purpose?

Answer: Plackart

The plackart (or placcard) was an additional layer of armor used specifically to cover the belly, as well as organs within (such as the stomach). The culet was used to cover the backside as well as the rump, the fauld protected the hips and thighs, and the pixane was a collar to protect the shoulders, chest, and back; similar to a small poncho of chainmail.

8. Another piece of armor a knight should put on is the very important breastplate. Which of these is designed to cover the front part of the body, though the word is sometimes used in reference to both the breastplate and the backplate?

Answer: Cuirass

A cuirass was typically used by knights to cover their chest, and the item was typically attached to a backplate to protect from the rear as well. Both pieces together were also considered a cuirass, though it technically refers only to the front part of the armor. Breastplates, of course, were of extreme importance because without such, major organs such as the heart and lungs, would remain exposed.

9. The last thing a knight should put on is the all-important helmet. Typically, a helmet covered the head and face, and sometimes the neck (though other armor covered the neck as well). Three of these are full helmets to protect the knight in shining armor. Which of them, though, is simply a skull cap, and would do absolutely nothing to protect the face?

Answer: Cervelliere

The cervelliere was a steel skull cap that was typically worn underneath some helmets. It was not an all-encompassing helmet that protected both the head and the face.

The armet and close helm were very similar in appearance, and both covered the head and face completely. It had a hinged visor that covered the face, slotted for vision and breathing, similar to that of a hockey mask. The barbute was a helmet that fit close to the face and had a T-shaped slot for seeing and breathing.

To give you an idea of what these helmets looked like, imagine these characters:
The Black Knight on the Black Knight Pinball Machine wore an armet/close helm.
Loki from "The Avengers" (2012) wears a helmet that is a barbute variation.

10. The final item needed to complete the knight's suit of armor was a shield. What was generally put on the shield to decorate it for each knight?

Answer: Family's crest

Important to a knight's armor was the shield (made either of wood or metal). Though armor was quite protective, nothing protected a knight as much as a well-built shield. These shields, however, needed to have 'personality'. Each knight's shield was different, then, because the family's crest was emblazoned upon the shield.

This helped to identify who the knight was; it also made each complete suit of armor unique, so that each knight's was different.

Source: Author salami_swami

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Knight in Shining Armor Trivia Quiz

Knights once wore chain mail for armor, but that proved too weak and ineffective against some weapons. A suit of armor was made; how much do you know about such a suit?

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