Tribe after tribe rode out of Northern China, through the steppes of Russia to dramatically influence European Civilization.
First of these were the Tiurks. They did not fight, acting as middlemen in the trade between Rome and China, they fed off Rome's lust for luxury and drained her economy. The business practices of the Tiurks, even more than the violence of the Teutonic barbarians, became the downfall of the mighty empire.
The route which the Tiurks laid from East to West became known as the "Silk Road." For generations after, this "Road" would take successive waves of horsemen west, in search of greener pastures.

To collect what was left of Rome, came the Huns. A federation of tribes under the great Attila, they prospered more on the fear which they inspired then on military exploits. Using that fear, Attila led a campaign of national extortion against both Eastern and Western Rome.
The federation split soon after Attila's death but the tribes which had formed it, by themselves and in new federations, continued to ride through history. Some, like the Uigurs, left their names as demons haunting the fairy tales of Europe.

The Hero Fights his Child In Persia - Rostam and Sohrab, In Ireland - Cuchulain and his Son, In Russia - Ilya Murometz and his Son or Daughter. Here, the younger warrior wears a Turban helmet with maile curtain, a shirt of scales with scale pauldrons over a maile Hauberk, and shallow, maile connected Bazubands, The older one wears a Proto-Turban (or "Egg") helmet with lamellar curtain, a Brigandine vest with lamellar pauldrons over a maile hauberk, scale cuises with knee-coups, and deep, hinged Bazubands.

But their influence on history was not just one of terror. When the word of Islam began to spread through the world at the point of a sword, it was two of these horsemen tribes that stopped it.
The kingdom of the Khazars spread forth from the river which they called Itil (the same river which gave Attila his name) near the Caspian sea, into the mountains of the Caucas. A strange kingdom for the middle ages, a succession of Shamanists, Christians, Moslems, and Jews ruled here, on the outer eastern edge of Europe, under the aegis of religious freedom. It was these nomads, only recently settled and still living outside their cities for half the year, who stopped the unstoppable armies of the Caliph of Baghdad from pressing on into Europe.

To the East of the Khazars, in the Himalayan mountains, stood the kingdom of the Turkuts. This horseman kingdom became the other immovable barrier. It became the wall which stopped the noble Caliph's armies from bringing the saber of Islam to China and India.

At other times, often as adherents to Islam, these, or other horsemen tribes fostered the flowering of Arts and Poetry and enforced peace and civility in troubled times.
So they came, tribe after tribe leaving their hoof prints on each page of history. Their names were legion but, standing out among them were the Mongols. Western Europeans called these horsemen "Tartars" (from the Greek for Hell) because to them, the Mongols seemed like demons out of Hell itself.
The last of these tribes to write it's name on history were the Ottoman Turk. Arising in the fifteenth century, this empire quickly grew in power, matching or surpassing the might of the British until the twentieth century. But it took the wrong side in the War of Empires. In the aftermath of World War I, this last empire of the wild horsemen fell.
The influence of the horsemen is reflected in the armour of the East. From China to Russia the forms of armour are a continuum. Discussion of the arms of one nation naturally leads to that of another. Additionally, in those countries, like Poland and Japan, which were on the outer edge of the influence of the horsemen, this influence is also clearly evident. This catalogue, therefore, in an attempt to present a complete picture of the armour of "The Horsemen", addresses all of these national forms in some way.

CONTENTS
Use this Table and brief versions of it at the other pages to jump to specific articles of interest, or use the "Next Page" link below the table and similar links on each page to navigate the articles in order.
Latest Changes:
6/15/2003 - NEW PAGE - Reconstruction of an Arm Defense of overlapped bands - photographs and text.
5/29/2003 - NEW PAGE - Armoury Stock Sale - Your chance to buy stock armour and swords that I'm planning to otherwise put on Ebay.
4/10/2003 - NEW PAGE - Exhibit in Russia of Khazar armour (9th century plate Limb Defenses).
5/24/2002 - Address information changed (due to unfortunate issues in the corporate merger world - Yahoo killed my normlaw address and RCN bought my online catalogue provider deleting that site).
8/15/2001 - NEW PAGE - Photographs and text on a helmet "Two Helmets in One".
I really did the page about a year ago but never got a chance to link it in. Sorry about that.
8/15/2001 - NEW WEBSITE - For all of us Eastern European and Central Asian reenactors who have been stuck on the fringes of Western oriented groups ...presenting
THE RED KAGANATE - finally a group to represent the cultures that really were the world of the Middle Ages!
9/28/2000 - Photographs and text on an Armour of Bands.
9/28/2000 - Photograph added to "Scale".
9/20/2000 - "Jewish Warriors" page and related "Khazar research" page are a NEW separate full fledged WEB SITE - Expansions of this will NO LONGER be listed here.
6/22/2000 - Substantial additions to the "Brassier" article ("Mirrors and Brassiers" page).
5/22/2000 - The new Khazar research page edited.
5/05/2000 - NEW PAGE - A Lament on the sorry state of Khazar research today.
5/02/2000 - Substantial additions to the "Arm Defenses" article.

Cloth Armour and Armour Padding Maile Mirror and Brassier Armour Chahar-Ai-Ne Disc Armour Scale Armour Lamellar Armour of Bands Brigandine Maile and Plates Helmets Introduction (Parts of a Helmet) Rigid Helmet Domes Soft Helmets Face Protection Back and Side of the head protection Arm Defenses Leg Defenses European Armour and Eastern copies Archery in the East Book Recommendations -- In Association with Amazon.com NEW Page Armour Exhibit - 9th century plate Limb Defenses Measurements for a Fitted Armour The Silk Road Designs Armoury is a member of these Web Rings

NEW Page Armoury Stock Sale - Buy stock armour and swords before I put them on Ebay Photograph with comments of Author in Full Suit of Central Asian Armour Photographs with comments of an Armour of Bands NEW Page Photographs and comments on "Two Helmets in One" (an SCA take on a Central Asian helmet). Photographs with comments of a Leg Armour NEW Page Photographs and comments on An Arm Defense of Bands NEW Web Site Jewish Warriors NEW Web Site The Red Kaganate Warrior Women - an overview Table of Armour Types

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Articles and Illustrations by Norman J. Finkelshteyn.
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Contact us at normlaw@yahoo.com
Copyright Norman J. Finkelshteyn 1997 -- All articles and illustrations at this web site are Copyright protected material. Use of these articles and illustrations is subject to appropriate restrictions under United States, International, and local Law.