The Anglo-Saxons had their ranks of privilege, of course, in just the same way as the Normans.
As far as the former was concerned, a member of the King's household was an Aetheling. This would be male or female.
The Thegn came next in greater or lesser form. The greater was a King's Thegn, the lesser would have been the equivalent of the Norman knight.
As we've seen, in the early days, knights were the equivalent of the worst and most violent type of biker! They'd fight on foot as much as they would mounted, and they wore a thick, sleeved shirt, and fairly tight fitting draws over which they wore their mail tunic, which fell to mid-thigh. It was split to the hip for easier movement.
Their helms were in the fashion of the old 'spangenhelm.' They were made by riveting, usually four, strips of iron to the inside of the circular head band. Then they were pulled over so that they met at the top and gave the helm a conical form. Shaped iron pieces were riveted inside these strips to make the complete helm. Naturally, some form of padding was provided inside, and the helm would have been fastened by a strap passing beneath the chin.
At the time of which we write, around 1000 A.D., the shield was still round, although even at this time, the well-known kite-shaped shield was on the horizon. The round shield would have been around 3/5ths." thick, made of wood and faced with leather at the front and possibly, too, at the back.
The sword may well have been a hand-me-down and probably made by pattern welding, a technique we'll explore at a later date. At around 900 A.D., improvements were made in the forging of steel, and the old method of pattern welding was phased out.
The weight of the weapon would have been between 3 lbs to 3 1/2 lbs, give or take an ounce or two. It was double edged and used for both cutting and slashing and as sharp as a razor. It was around 31 inches long and a fuller ran down the length. This wasn't a blood gully, but a method of lightening the sword without weakening it.
The scabbard was of wood, lined with fur or wool, the natural oils of which would have prevented the sword from rusting. The sword was, without any doubt, the knight's most prized possession, second only to his warhorse, or destrier.
We'll have a look at the destrier later on, but there was one more weapon in the knight's arsenal. His lance, or certainly until Hastings, his spear. The head was of iron in the shape of a leaf or lozenge, mounted on a plain ash shaft. The 10th. and 11th. centuries saw a shift from spear to lance, essentially.
A look at the Bayeux Tapestry shows the mounted knights at Hastings using them to stab, throw and at least one is shown with the weapon couched under his arm, the position of the lance in the nascent cavalry charge
Mike Bond, describing the basic dress and weaponry of the Norman knight. He has a new Website devoted entirely to historical artifacts, and believe us, it's well worth a visit. http://www.thedestrier.com
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