Belligerent Breastplates with Tassets

Belligerent Breastplates armor with tassets a term often associated with 16th-century German armor refers to a type of plate armor featuring a breastplates and accompanying tassets (upper and lower thigh protectors). This style of armor originating in the 15th century was a key development in full plate armor offering a more robust and mobile defense compared to previous forms. The breastplate as a standalone piece has a history stretching back to Ancient Greece where it was made from bronze or boiled leather.

However the development of a full cuirass (front and back plates) and the integration of tassets into the armor system was a gradual process especially in the 15th and 16th centuries. The “Breastplate with Tassets” typically included a globe-shaped breastplates with a medial ridge turned and roped borders at the neck and edges of the movable gussets and a pivoted waist plate with a single skirt lame. Tassets themselves were designed to protect the upper thighs and were often segmented with the upper and lower tassets connected by turning pins. The segmented style riveted together is sometimes known as “almain rivets”.

From the 16th century onward tassets were sometimes integrated with cuisses (thigh armor) to create fully articulated leg defenses. This type of armor was a vital part of the weaponry of knights and other heavily armored soldiers during the late medieval and early Renaissance periods. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a piece of German armor from around 1530 that exemplifies this type of design including both the breastplates and the upper and lower tassets.