A plackart (also spelt ) is a piece of

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

and

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass id ...

era

armour Armour (British English British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specificall ...

, initially covering the lower half of the front torso. It was a plate reinforcement that composed the bottom part of the front of a medieval

breastplate A breastplate or chestplate is a device worn over the torso to protect it from injury, as an item of religious significance, or as an item of status. A breastplate is sometimes worn by mythological beings as a distinctive item of clothing. It is ...

. Edge David. "Arms and Armour of the Medieval Knight". Bison Books, London 1988. p188 They were predominantly worn in the 15th century. Sometimes they were worn with a metal finish, while the top part of the

cuirass A cuirass (; french: cuirasse, la, coriaceus) is a piece of armour that covers the torso, formed of one or more pieces of metal or other rigid material. The word probably originates from the original material, leather, from the French '' cui ...

was covered in material (often velvet), the difference in finish making a contrast. The plackart stopped at the natural waist, and metal plates, much like a skirt, were attached to the bottom of the plackart. These were called

faulds Faulds can refer to: *Andrew Faulds (1923-2000), British actor and politician * Clare Faulds (born c. 1949), Manx lawyer and vicar *Henry Faulds (1843-1930), Scottish scientist who is noted for the development of fingerprinting * Kristopher Faulds ...

, and protected the hip and the groin. The plackart originally protected the bottom half of the torso, and was attached to the breastplate which covered the top half of the torso. The plackart could be attached with rivets in such a way that it could slide and give movement, though sometimes they were fixed, so the whole front part of the cuirass acted as one solid piece. Eventually, especially in Italian armour, it evolved to the point where it covered more of the front of the armour, covering nearly the entire breastplate. This form of plackart was later employed by

cuirassier Cuirassiers (; ) were cavalry equipped with a cuirass, sword, and pistols. Cuirassiers first appeared in mid-to-late 16th century Europe as a result of armoured cavalry, such as men-at-arms and demi-lancers, discarding their lances and adopt ...

s and other armoured cavalry of the late 16th and 17th centuries as a reinforcement designed to give added protection against firearms. Plackarts of the German

Gothic style Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages * Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes ** Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths ** Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoke ...

were often fluted (a form of decoration that gave straight ridges to the armour) and generally more decorated than the Italian style. Fluting decorated the armour while also making it stronger, and possibly deflected sword blows by guiding them off the armour. The tip of the plackart, where it met the breastplate, was often decorated.

References

{{Elements of Medieval armor Medieval armour Western plate armour