Meyrick's Medieval Knights and Armour

Book excerpt: Captivated by military antiquities, English scholar Samuel Rush Meyrick (1783–1848) pursued a lifelong passion for studying and collecting medieval armory. The results of his work are a continual source of learning and fascination for weapons buffs and anyone interested in the medieval period. Brimming with over seventy full-color illuminated engravings from Meyrick's original 1842 survey of weaponry from the Middle Ages, here is a stunning historical showcase of European armor spanning the ninth to fifteenth centuries. From Richard the Lionheart in full battle regalia to the equipage of numerous anonymous knights, Meyrick presents a splendid panorama of medieval paladins and their weapons. Since earliest times, man has fashioned items for personal defense—shields, swords, crossbows, helmets, ornate suits of body armor for knights and their steeds, and much more. Meyrick's Medieval Knights and Armour chronicles the military regalia of the Middle Ages in all its forms, and when applicable, highlights its connection with mythology, religion, the arts, civil polity, and entertainment in ancient, as well as modern, times.