x-post from /k/
So what was the purpose of couched lances, exactly? It's like carrying a small tree under your arm, attached to the plate armor. I am getting the impression their purpose was not to pierce, but rather to break bones and formations.
To ride very fast, and hit something or someone with the pointy end...
Also to knock people off their horse. Aside from the injuries caused by the fall, it leaves them vulnerable and unable to rejoin their unit when it charges through or breaks off.
Wasn't it usually dropped after the initial charge?
Very useful in a charge not so useful in a melee
> I am getting the impression their purpose was not to pierce
in the same sort of sense that daggers werent make to stab things, perhaps...
A war lance was sharp, and it was designed to focus energy on a tiny area, specifically to punch through even plate armour.
the couch was to control it, and to allow more force to be transferred, compared to the uncounched, or overhand spear-thrust used by the Norman era knights. Couched lances transfer an order of magnitude more force.
this is what a war lance tip looks like - a 4-sided spike, like a bodkin, to punch through.
I am asking because the piece of wood is ENORMOUS, and the point is relatively dull. I would not use that to push a blade through someone. Also some of the lance heads have three points around a common center, as if to ensure the point does not pierce.
Plus, the mechanism that attaches the lance to the armor would effectively mean you control the point's position be leaning forward.
>>839546
You sure you're not looking at tournament lances as opposed to war lances? It's really bad form to fatally stab someone at a list field.
>>839449
To transmit as much force to the enemy as possible.
If you simply hold it in your hand your hand will be the limiting factor and a really hard hit might breaks your wrist. Couching it allows you to transmit more force.
>>839449
The horse is the weapon; the horse provides the force. The force is too much to harness, so it is couched. And usually the lance breaks.
>>839531
If you use it properly you should be able to hit so hard the wood would snap, quite impressive.
If someone returned from a charge with his lance unbroken that was a rather shitty thing to do, other guys would call him the medieval equivalent of a noob.
>>839449
What you see there is a jousting armour, specifically made for the jousting variant called "Rennen" (race). The armour was called "Rennzeug".
Neither the mechanism to hold the lance, nor the armour itself was used in warfare. It was exclusively sports equipment.
Rennen was also called "joust of war", since people originally competed in field armour with regular war tips. They would wear have large, heavy targes (Renntartsche) to protect them. The goal was here commonly to pierce the targe and lift it out of its resting place or to unhorse the rider. The process was called "Abrennen" (to run someone/something off). This terminology was already used in the High Middle Ages, e.g. you find Ulrich von Lichtenstein mention that mail rings were "run" out of his armour from the jousting.
Later they introduced specialised armour for this sort of jousting variant too, which you can see there. First came a special sallet, called Rennhut (racing hat), which wouldn't get in the way of the targes, later came special cuirasses, often with these sorts of elaborate lance rests. Why they used them is unknown, possibly because they wanted to use larger and heavier lances in order to make someone being dismounted more likely, but maybe also in order to make the attacks more accurate and thus less likely to accidentally kill someone in the process since - as was mentioned - the armour was light and the lances had sharpened war tips.
>>839449
so you can have bigger lance without having to masturbate 24/7 to achieve that muscle mass in your right hand.
>>839610
When it comes to lances being used in the field, we can see depictions of them being wielded in a much more mobile fashion, with less rules involved obviously.
>>839621
>>839627
I don't know but if that shit was still around I'd be rich, I'm a master lancer in Mountain Blade and if any of you worthless nerds want to challenge me we can fucking go 1v1 anytime
>>839546
>some of the lance heads have three points around a common center,
those are coronel (crown) lances, and are specifically designed for jousts.
You've pretty much been looking at sporting equipment, and assuming its for war.
>>839668
Thanks.
>>839650
>I don't know but if that shit was still around I'd be rich,
You wouldnt be.
It is still around. but as one of the champion jousters in the world puts it, its a bit like "demolition derby in Lamborghinis".
An *average* harness of plate safe for the joust will cost over $10,000. The horses cost as much. and you'll wear a harness of plate out in 2-3 years.
>>839680
Did he really sell that armor? Must have been offered lots of money.
>>839610
>sports equipment
I dunno m8, if I were a rich nobleman in the 15th century I'd sure love to try my sports equipment against some dirty rebelling peasants.
>>839692
sold for about $30,000. the guy paid him in cash.
but then toby's had 14 different harnesses in the last 10 years. Mad bastard.
>>839699
no you wouldnt, because (a) the whole rebelling peasants thing didnt really happen much, and more importantly,
(b) you wouldnt use sports equipment on the battlefield, when you have dedicated kit for war as well. that's as stupid as saying that you'd have a set of american football pads and a helmet, and an airsoft gun, sitting beside your class III trauma plates, kevlar helmet, and AR15, and when war comes, you cant wait to fight some people off with BBs....
>>839449
You should give it to European Medieval Cavalry.
It's a one trick pony but it does that trick pretty well.
>>839640
Is this manual available online somewhere?
>>839826
Paulus Hector Mair's "de arte athletica"
http://bildsuche.digitale-sammlungen.de/index.html?c=viewer&lv=1&bandnummer=bsb00006570&pimage=00006570&suchbegriff=&l=en
and book II:
http://bildsuche.digitale-sammlungen.de/index.html?c=viewer&lv=1&bandnummer=bsb00007894&pimage=00007894&suchbegriff=&l=en
>>839640
savage
>>839449
>So what was the purpose of couched lances, exactly?
Reach and shock. Couching a lance allows you to hold it further away from its center of balance to trade flexibility with an imposing reach.
>>839640
Horse-mounted choke slam off the top turn buckle!!!
>>839531
You draw your arming sword and stab people, but mostly your big-ass horse just steps on them
>>839449
>implying manlets can be knights
>>839449
kill niggers ded
