How expensive was medieval armor?

In fact, buying armor except for mining tanks on the battlefield or winning a tournament was a very costly undertaking. However, as there are differences in the quality of the armor, there must have been differences in their value. The low and medium quality armor available to citizens, mercenaries and the lower nobility can be bought off the rack at markets, fairs and city shops. On the other hand, there was a first-class armor that was custom made in the imperial or royal workshops and the famous German and Italian gunsmiths.

Armor written by some of the most famous craftsmen was the highest achievement in weaponry and was extremely expensive.

The Armor of the King of England, Henry VIII, 16th

Although examples of the cost of armor, weapons, and equipment have come to us in some historical periods, it is very difficult to translate historical costs into modern analogs. However, it is clear that the cost of arming cheap, inferior or outdated second-hand items available to citizens and mercenaries varies to the cost of the English knight’s total armament, which was estimated at £ 13 in 1374. It was comparable to the cost of 5-8 years for renting a merchant’s house in London or three years for an experienced worker, and the price of a helmet alone was higher than the price of a cow.

At the top of the scale, you will find examples such as a large armor (the main set that could be customized with additional objects and plates for various applications both on the battlefield and in the tournament) ordered by the German King in 1546 (later) – Emperor) for his son. In compliance with this decision, the forensic scientist Jörg Seuzenhofer from Innsbruck received an unbelievable 1,200 gold coins for the working year, which corresponded to the twelve-year salary of a higher court official.

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