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POLISH KNIGHT c.1380
An extract from Armies of the Middle Ages, Volume 2by Ian Heath
133. POLISH KNIGHT c.1380
Armour such as that depicted here probably began to appear in Poland c.1360. It is exactly the same as that to be found in use throughout Western Europe, though it inevitably corresponds more closely to that worn in Germany than elsewhere, in particular in the use of splint and stud-reinforced leather arm and leg-harness as described under figure 105. The development of Polish armour thereafter paralleled that of Germany for the rest of this period, Polish and German knights being so indistinguishable from one another that the former felt the need for not only a password but also a field-sign (a knot of straw round the upper arm) for recognition purposes at the Battle of Tannenberg. Though the barrel-helm continued at first to be worn with such armour it was soon replaced by the bascinet, with or without a visor. Note the helmet-crest, which apparently continued to be worn in battle in Eastern Europe until at least the end of the 14th century, many even appearing at Tannenberg.