This page was created by Zachary Barney. The last update was by Amanda Luyster.
Composite Stechzeug - What does This Tell Us about the Medieval Globe?
This set of German jousting armor witnesses Europe's transformation in the 15th and 16th centuries. The armor is the culmination of hundreds of years of technological development focused on safety in military contexts, with its flexible joints, adjustable sightline, and different strengths of metal carefully modified throughout the suit. Over the course of the previous five hundred years, Europeans had converted armed cavalry charges into tournament spectacles fit for nobles and knights to participate in without the significant threat of death that would have been a reality in the past. The jousting armor also shows the wealth and power the Holy Roman Empire still held over Europe in the Renaissance.