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Norman-style kite shield. [1]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 flying kite, although "leaf-shaped shield" and "almond shield" have also been used in recent literature. [2]
The earliest depictions of proto-heraldic shields in the second half of the 12th century still have the shape of the Norman kite shield used throughout the 11th and 12th centuries. By about the 1230s, shields used by heavy cavalry had become shorter and more triangular, now called heater shields.
Battle scene from the Bayeux Tapestry, depicting kite shields. It has been proposed that the medieval era kite shield favoured by the Normans was introduced to Europe by the Vikings. [29] However, no documentation or remains of kite shields from the Viking period have been located by archaeologists, and the idea has been discarded. [30]
The Normans introduced the kite shield around the 10th century, which was rounded at the top and tapered at the bottom. This gave some protection to the user's legs, without adding too much to the total weight of the shield. The kite shield predominantly features enarmes, leather straps used to grip the shield tight to the arm. Used by foot and ...
Despite these typically 12th century characteristics, his helmet is conical and he carries a kite shield, both reminiscent of depictions of Norman knights in the Bayeux Tapestry of the previous century. His warhorse wears a caparison.
The 1880 shield nickel is a beautiful bit of coinage, bearing a plain edge and a simple yet stunning design that catches the eye while clearly indicating the denomination. Only 16,000 of these ...
The Bayeux Tapestry's depiction of Norman cavalry charging an Anglo-Saxon shield wall during the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Examples of Anglo-Saxon archery equipment are rare. [ 72 ] Iron arrowheads have been discovered in approximately 1% of early Anglo-Saxon graves, and traces of wood from the bow stave are occasionally found in the soil of ...
Shield of Seedorf (late 12th century), the oldest extant medieval shield, showing a lion rampant. Preserved in Seedorf monastery, Uri, Switzerland. In origin still of the kite shield type, the top of the shield has been cut off at a later date to approximate the 13th-century "heater" shape.