Is Armor REALLY Impervious to Sword Blows?

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When talking about historical arms and armor it's easy to fall for misconceptions or make over-statements in response to those misconceptions. Is a knight in a full suit of plate slow and clumsy or totally unencumbered? Can he tank and shrug off any strike with a sword or does a super sharp blade cut right through?

The truth of course lies somewhere in the middle, and there is plenty of nuance to consider. So let's talk about things like concussions and blunt hits with the spine of a single-edged sword or falchion.

The clip I showed as a cautionary example:
Painful axe hit ends knight fight
   • Painful medieval armored combat ax st...  


** Previous videos on the topic **

The Biggest Misconception HEMA Critics Have?
   • The Biggest Misconception HEMA Critic...  

Why Armor Did Not Make Knights (Fully) Invulnerable...
   • Why Armor Did Not Make Knights (Fully...  

Armor / Damage Types in RPGs Compared to Real Life
   • Armor / Damage Types in RPGs Compared...  

Here is the other extreme, what happens when you make a piece of steel way thicker than they did in history:
   • Forging and Testing a Mild Steel Armo...  


** Music **

"Winds of Stories" by Horror Pen
https://opengameart.org/content/winds...
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

Outtakes:
"Little People At Work" by Horrorpen
https://opengameart.org/content/littl...
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license (CC BY 3.0)

Outro:
"Highland Storm" by The Slanted Room Records
https://theslantedroom.github.io/stev...
Used with artist's permission


** Time stamps **

00:00 - 00:30 Intro
00:30 - 01:31 Skillshare promo
01:32 - 03:30 Armor misconceptions / over-statements
03:31 - 07:08 How hard hits can hurt even with protection
07:08 - 08:29 Different sword types vs. armor
08:29 - 09:30 Medieval depictions of swords cleaving helmets
09:30 - 12:40 Blunt impact with the spine of single-edged swords
12:40 - 13:55 Closing thoughts
13:56 - 14:55 Outtakes / Outro

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#armor #swords #history