An Arming Coat of the Albigensian Crusade
   Historical Precedence

A Brief History: the penalty for heresy

One of the milder penalties for heresy is stated in the “Liber Sententarium Inquisitionis Tholosanae 1307-1323” –

as the person “shall carry from now on and forever two yellow crosses on all their clothing except their shirts, and one arm shall be two palms long while the other transversal arm shall be a palm and a half long, and each shall be three digits wide with one to be worn in the front on the chest, and the other between the shoulders. (Weiss, 12)

Historical Examples:

Figure 1: Manesse Codex from 1300 shows gambeson sleeves and tall collar beneath the surcoats. Not much else can be deduced from this image except the parallel lines of quilting running the length of the arm. Can’t tell where it opens.

Figure 2: The Arming Coat of the Black Prince (b. 1330 – d. 1376) Again the parallel lines of the quilting are obvious. And hey, their lines aren’t laser straight either!! It made me feel better when I realized that. There is damage to the neckline in the original. The sleeve is cut in a shorter squarer shape. And the armsyce is not the extended version seen on the Count of Blois pourpoint. The garment is made of velvet and some of the wool batting is visible. Also, there is a seam in the back. There has to be, because the coat is parti-coloured. Can’t tell where or how it opens.

Figure 3: Froissart’s depiction of the “Battle of Meaux” shows a variety of the arming jackets that were in use in the 1350s. The figure in black is wearing a coat that closely resembles the English example above.

Figure 4: The padded pourpoint of Charles of Blois.
Oft cited, this is another example of the techniques and technology used in the making of arming coats (gambesons). This coat is cut with very wide and deep armsyces. Unlike the English example above, this coat is distinctly shaped to follow the fashion of the day. Also the sleeves are far narrower, and require buttons. It opens in the front using stuffed buttons.
NOTE: there is some debate over the pad stitching of the pourpoint. Is it the remnants of the lining and batting? OR is it the remnant of an earlier conservation effort?
<Stay tuned, more to come>

Figure 5: This gambeson is ca. 1450. It is currently housed in the Museum fur Kunst und Kulturgeschichte der Hansestadt: Lubeck. This example allows us to see the various layers of fabric that were used in the construction of the coat. It also shares the armsyce shaping found in the English coat, as well as the four part construction. Where this example breaks from the rest is in the unusual pattern of quilting. It opens in the front, unknown method, suspect hooks.

Figure 6: a reproduction of the Sture Gambeson. The original garment was made in the 1470s. Now this is a Lovely Reproduction… but I can’t find a reference with any of the Swedish museums… so for now… I keep looking… and don’t put much faith in this one. Pretty though.

Figure 7: This is a carving from the grave of Charles VI (b. 1368 – d. 1422). It depicts Charles in armor and the lines of his arming jacket are clearly visible. Again we can see the parallel lines of quilting along the arms, and the shoulder seam. This coat seems to combine both the large square upper sleeve of the English garment and the closer fitting lower sleeve of the Blois garment. The edges of buttons are visible on the lower sleeve. It opens on the front using buttons.

Figure 8: Pattern for the Pourpoint of Henri III (b. 1551 - d. 1589) from Maurice Leloir's Histoire du Costume. Even though this garment is beyond the time of what I hoped to create, I include it here as a foot note demonstrating how little the construction methods had changed. It opens on the front using buttons.