The Authentic look - Costumes for Crusaders.

There aren't many remaining pieces of clothing or armour from the 12th Century, which leads to a deal of speculation as to costuming for the era.

We do know that the crusades to the holy land had a huge impact on the Norman and Frankish knights that fought there: Returning, they brought with them the influences of Persian, Arab and Greek cultures: Drastically changing the look of the medieval soldier, from kilted Norman fighter in the 11th century, to full blown great-helmed Crusader of the 12th.

We are indebted to the folks at Myarmoury for their expertise in these matters, and can highly recommend it as a resource for all things medieval.

A great deal of ongoing discussion can be found on the forums there to do with the arms of fighting men of the era in which our story is set.

Thoughts on costuming:

If you have costuming or wardrobe skills we would love to hear from you. Our emphasis is on Viking and medieval peasantry outfits: muted colors offset by the occasional bright splash of color. We are trying to do most of the costuming ourselves, rather than using stock outfits from prop-outlets.

For reference:

Warrior types shall be clad in steel or iron flattened round-rivet maille, with typical linen and cotten surcoats and tunics.

Few  leather artifacts remain from the period, but it is assumed it would have been heavily utilised, especially by long-distance travellers, such as crusaders and rampaging vikings, due to its natural durability.

We have based much of the warrior outfit design on the dollowing sources; as well as relevant intenrest sites such as Myarmoury.com.

Literary sources:

Sometimes Wikipedia just isn't enough. We have used several written sources as a descriptive guide to authentic costuming, and to establish an accurate portrayal of the 12th century:

All of these books are privately owned by the Vé project, and available for loan to interested parties. We are also very interested in any reference material that can lend us greater understanding and insight into the era: Please get in touch if you can help us with any useful details.

email: mike@gitve.com

The Templars and the Assassins: The Militia of Heaven: James Wasserman

 

 

 

 

 

An informative history of both groups, including their eventual downfalls, with emphasis on their interconnecting history as foes. This book was particularly helpful in the decision to lend our main character, a Templar prototype, a more exotic eastern-inspired countenance than the traditional Norman garb of the time.

Knight Templar 1120-1312: Helen Nicholson

Arms and armament of the Templars. A good resource for costuming an early crusader.

The Scandinavian Baltic Crusades 1100-1500: David Lindholm

Arms and armament of the people of the Baltic: very good description of typical battle dress for the Baltic and scandinavian regions during the 12th Century.

Medieval Heraldry:Terance Wise

The 12th century and the crusades saw the initial development of what would become an important stylistic element of knights and their arms: Heraldry. As Knights gathered enmasse on the battlefield, it became important to distinguish friend from foe, and define oneself as a knight (thereby maintaining the right of ransom in the event of capture). This book serves as a limited but useful insight into Heraldric design, especially for shield and surcoat motifs.

An Illustrated History of the Knights Templar: James Wasserman

Very useful history of all things Templar, though much of this book is word-for-word repitition from The Templars and the Assassins: The Militia of Heaven: James Wasserman, above.

Armies of the Crusades: Terence Wise

Useful for detailing the Saracen and Arab forces, in addition to the Christian armies.

Norrřne Guder Og Myter:  Lars Magnar Enoksen

Very detailed description of Norse gods and the myths around them. Very useful for building the intricacies of a pagan religion, given the lack of historical details regarding the "old ways".