This KZfaq channel: Actual historical content. History Channel: Aliens.

Remember the good ol' days when History Channel used to show quality stuff such as this?

I made a strapped kite type shield for my brother similar to the one you made and initially we did not add a boss. Later, we added one because we found that if you thrust at that spot between the straps where the arm is with a sturdy spear then you can break through the shield and stab the arm, so that boss might have more practicality to it.

I was extremely impressed when you cut to personal demonstration footage of the kite shield on horseback instead of stock footage or artwork. This is some high quality stuff right here!

The best educators are always the excited ones. If this isn’t the most arresting lecture I’ve seen... I’ve no idea what is.

I can almost hear the discussions between an old medieval armorer and his son, who _dares_ to leave out the boss, which the father does not understand, because, sonny, we have done this as long as I can remember, while the son argues, that this is just a relic of the past no longer of any use, but the father just would not understand the younger generation…

*deep whiff* Smell that? It's a sincere passion for history.

My teachers: you need multiple trusted sources Medieval historians: BAYEUX TAPISTERIE

Only 12th century kids remember this

The modern riot shield looks surprisingly similar to a Roman Legionnaire's shield, I suspect in large part because the way the baton is used( to thrust in to the rioter to push him.her back) is used much like the roman gladius was.

I imagine the knight looking at older shields from before his time the way we look at older computers.

One of the most enjoyable random recommendations KZfaq has ever given me.

I think we need to start an online petition to get Jason Kingsley OBE his official knighthood.

KZfaq Logic: 'Oh you liked part 10, well naturally here is part 23 for your next video!'

I watched so much "mount and blade 2" video's that these is in my recommendation. Very interested, I try use that knowledge

Honestly this guy is the best, he indulges in your interest in knights meanwhile giving you good history in a friendly, enthused and non-condescending manner.

The heater shield is also a lot thicker than the kite shield. Improved armour led to an increase in weapons like hammers and maces. These rely on blunt force trauma, which transfers better through armour than cutting or piercing weapons. In other words, the armour itself is now good enough to protect from most light attacks, and the shield becomes specialised for heavy attacks.

Listening to someone who clearly is absolutely fascinated by what they are sharing is a delight, especially if they can (like this fellow) pass that fascination on to you. Nice video!

I can't believe this guy is the CEO of rebellion games (who made AVP and sniper elite)

I would consider the modern rectangular police shield much more like a Roman scutum than like a medieval kite, both in shape and being a pure footman's tool. Also, tiny note, the talk about hitting the edge of the round shield to rotate it reminds me of a guy I saw once using a classic Viking round who deliberately flipped the thing back and forth, using the motion to block and to distract his opponents, so almost half the time his arm was actually in front of the the shield. It didn't look like it ought to work, but he was actually pretty effective--and the kind of strike described, he'd just go with, finishing the rotation so his shield was immediately in position again just faced the other way. It was really weird to watch in action. Very dynamic fighter.

Wow, I started this journey watching videos of Freddie Mercury and somehow ended up here watching a video on Middle Age shields, and I’m not even mad. In fact I subscribed 😮

The shields seem to change over time to suit a much more individualistic fighting style. The shieldwall formation is that of an entire army, and thus your shield has to serve the purposes of your comrades as well as yourself. It didn’t matter if you didn’t quite like the brace, it suited the army to have your shield standardised. Cavalrymen had to fight by themselves a bit more, because they were less likely to be in shieldwall, so they could afford to tailor them to their own needs a bit more. The knight’s shield betrays a total conversion to an individual style of fighting to accompany the individual style of plate armour. A knightly class fights as a group of individuals, the shieldwall fought as a more unitary army.

I think the boss on the kite shield would help protect from anything that could penetrate or split the shield. I bet it'd be quite handy if you got hit by a Dane axe. Also, I'd think the centre of the shield over your arm would be the worst place on the shield to be hit. A blow would be less likely to be deflected or to lose energy from the unsupported parts of the shield flexing. Non penetrating attacks may also injure you when the shield would bend under the blow. A boss would be stiff and spread the impact. It looked silly to me at first, but the more I thought about it, the more useful it seemed. It wouldn't add too much weight but gives a lot of protection where you need it most. Even the shape still makes sense as a dome is strong, spreads impacts over multiple boards, removes the weakness of gaps between boards, can absorb energy by crumpling... It goes on and on.

This dude is so charming. He was born to teach.

Im amazed at the attention to detail on the Bayeaux Tapestry

Modern police shields, the long, rectangular ones, are also used to assault barricaded shooters, as they are bulletproof against handgun and shotgun rounds. Pretty cool that the humble shield has served for thousands of years and continues its service in our ultra modern world.

I can't explain how much I would have been in heaven to have this kind of channel when I was a kid. Fortunately for me I have it now, and it's amazing.

I remember visiting the village where the Bayeux tapestry is kept in France and I still remember it well. Beautiful little historical stone village, even the gift shop was pretty.

Got this video as an ad on my homepage. KZfaq and I are finally starting to understand each other 👌

I always thought that the boss was an additional way to help deflect blows on those early shields... but thinking on it now, that doesn’t really make a lot of sense! Fantastic video! You just earned another sub!

14:40"The shields we were looking at in history... are also kinda re-imagined and re-invented by the modern-day police for very similar purposes." The suppression of peasants!

If there was a box set of this show I'd buy it!

i always assumed the round metal bit was to bash with the shield since having the force of your thrust on a single point seems more effective in combat (sort of like a blunt weapon) than having it allocated over the entirety of a shield

I really love how informative and well explained are your videos, and how clearly exited you get as you talk about the topics, it kinda makes it more entertaining. Please continue with that energy

"It's basically the same, except it's quite diffirent" *well yes but actually no*

I’m so compelled to watch this over my regular KZfaq feed. Bless this man and his passion

Words cannot describe how much I am loving this channel!

I am reading history at university. I stumbled onto this channel and think it is fantastic. These videos are full of information and really processionally put together. Good job!!!!

Simple, effective and informative. I like the enthusiasm and how excited you are, you're basically me when topic of conversation switches to something historical. You're a good chap :D

This man knows too much, hes a time travelling medieval knight

I love the attention to detail regarding the utility, motivation, and evolution of tools and methods of warfare.

This is an amazing series! Thank you so much!

This is such a great channel!! Thanks for all your research!

The last shield feels more like a sacrificial layer now. You'd rather get your shield battered more than your armor due to the maintenance prices. Still useful and offers protection, but you don't really fully rely on it because you'd have plate armor now.

I really appreciate your vast knowledge and in depth personal experience. Thank you for consistently great content.

Thank you for your knowledge and the passion for a fascinating subject. You successfully explain a complex subject in detail and quite well.

Like Bill Nighy and James May came together with a love for medieval history, love it!

I stumbled on this channel while researching to write a medieval fantasy themed novel. Great knowledge and much appreciated!

I've always referred to the first example of kite shields as "teardrop" shields, due to their distinctive shape. That said, excellent video

This channel is going to blow up soon because the quality is amazing. It's well researched and very well presented. Everything is perfect and incredibly interesting. I would only ask that your editing team try add images of the things you're not about that you don't have on site. Things that are a little more obscure to imagine so for example we don't need to see the riot shields used by police but the shields used by crossbowmen would be good to see as they're obscure for me to imagine And one other thing that doesn't really need to change and might be a personal preference but it would be nice for you to have more b roll. I'm not sure if you're doing the camera work by yourself or not but it would just be a little nicer for me personally. Over all amazing video, nothing really has to change but some changes would be interesting to see. Thank you for keeping me entertained :)

Your positive excited energy keeps me coming back!! Keep it up!

Can we just appreciate how badass that unicorn on the last shield looks? That is no pansy unicorn, he will mess you up!

Great video. I believe 10-15 min videos with some depth will draw in more viewers. Keep it up!

Strange how I start to get video recommendations like this after looking at Bannerlord gameplay. But I'll still watch it because it's awesome!

I like his enthusiasm and the way how he explains the evolution of shields, it would be great to learn more about crossbowmen shields and bucklers and more weird protection stuff from late Medieval period

this is funny with the first shield i wondered "why isn't it strapped to the arm for more comfort and stability", and the next shield does just that, but it's long and hits the leg and i wonder "why not just turn the long part to the back", and that's exactly what i'm told next. that contrasts to whenever my partner who's really into military ships tells me stuff about their little obsession i end up thinking up weird ideas of "improvements", and every time i got a response of "well, they did actually try that, and it was a really stupid idea" lol.

Really interesting and informative! I will look at these shields differently now. Thanks

I always imagined that the evolution of the rounding of the shield vs a flat face was to increase the likelihood of a glancing blow against the shield, causing less of a felt impact and more than likely increasing the lifespan of the shield. I figured it’s easier to hit or stick an arrow in a flat surface than a rounded one..

Everything I didn't think I needed to know about the evolution of shields! Fascinating as usual sir.

First time seeing this channel. I admire his excitement. Keep up the good work man. Amazing video.

The boss does have a function. A few actually. Most important is how it misdirects the blow. A shield is used as a weapon as well as armour. Striking with a flat surface isn't as effective a condensed striking surface. As it has evolved it has changed to spiked or bladed bracers. Great vids love the channel

10:15 I know I’m late to the party but I remember that in the first crusade they did do a shield wall. In the battle of Dorylaeum Bohemond ordered a shield wall to protect non combatants from a Seljuk ambush. And the shield wall held for a long while. To be fair the Seljuks never charged at them and just shot arrows from mounted archers. I’m also pretty sure that was the shield used during the first crusade

Your enthusiasm is intoxicating. Great work.

Absolutely fascinating! This is the first video of yours I've seen, but I feel like I'm about to go on a KZfaq binge session. Fantastic :)

Awesome, loved the food series for peasants to duke/kings. Very simple but drawing formula. Background music also compliments your vid!

One thing I found when building an anglo-saxon shield based on burial site digs, is how thin they were. The edges were only about 6mm thick. The actual shields use that central bar that you grab to hold the shield together. The leather backing or other material that they used also held the planks together. But it is still relatively flimsy if you think about it. The thought might actually be that catching a weapon actually might have been a better reason for the shield that absorbing a blow.

Awesome video look forward to diving into your library

Easily the best shield video I have seen!

i swear this is the last video then i'll going to sleep

in my dorky old fighting vs shield walls we would have 1 row of shields followed by 2 rows of pikes. job of the first pikeman was to hit the bottom corner of the opposing shield pulling the arm out and pushing them off balance. 2nd row of pike would then go in to the now open chest for the kill. It worked fantastically even against tower shields although sometimes your hitting different corners. once the shield was pulled out the person was defenseless.

Awesome video, love this channel! If I could make a suggestion, I think showing a picture of the tapestries/paintings you are referencing would add another level of depth to the videos. Thanks again for the great content!

Algorithmic punch! (This is the first video of yours I happened to come across, and am quite pleased, looking forward to looking at your back catalog, and seeing what you put out)

First ad I’ve actually watched fully and enjoyed

“I learned just one useful lesson as a child. Beware the blow that comes under the shield.” ~ Uhtred of Bebbanburg, *The Burning Land* by Bernard Cornwell

Glad I came across this channel. Love it!

The enthusiasm of this man is o-to-powerful !

I'm sure I remember being told that round shields prevented the enemy from easily finding the grain in the wood and splitting it. Also why they were painted. Don't quote me on that.

This make my gaming in Bannerlord much more fun. Thank you!

Wow! What an awesome load of interesting knowledge! Thanks for that.

I dont know why, but i am so excited with this kind of history channel. I wish one day i can experience everything this guy talk about

I'm disappointed in you sir. If movies, television and 99.9% of all RPG games ever made have taught us anything, it is that real men never carry shields. The Hero always dual wields with a weapon in each hand, to show the enemy and the audience that he means business! Who wants a wimpy +1 AC when you could have an extra attack each round! (Obviously I'm a big fan of shields and of staying alive in general and I wish games and film would catch on. Excellent video. Shields deserve at least as much attention as weapons, if not more).

This lockdown is making me watch some historical videos,

Just wanted to say thank you very much for your videos :). I've watched almost all of them and can't wait for more! Greetings from Norway.

Incredibly informative! Great, succinct, easy to follow information, and very interesting!

The Roman scutum has the curved surface to deflect blows and also a boss at the center. However, the handle wasn’t vertical like the first one you showed, but horizontal. My guess is that this would make it very hard to be turned by strikes.

Great video. I'd love to see you talk about some smaller shields like the buckler or Scottish Highlanders targe.

What an incredible video. It's my first for this channel but I've already subscribed, hungry for more.

First video I watch from this channel and I absolutely love it!!!

If I was in these times I would have the shield on my back (for the stamina boost) and be in 2-handed mode.

I think that a lot of the improvements in shape and strapping design might have come from soldiers not just shield makers (though they realize the design changes of course) because as you said, the older viking shields are easy to open up. Whoever trained with them would know that. Vikings weren´t dumb. I would assume like most people do they at first thought "okay, I know this, my oponent knows this. Of course he´s gonna try to open me up: I can counter that!" That´s the practical thought right. Until probably some guy at one battle field, probably even someone who is okay but not the greatest fighter in his clan shouts something like "somebody got a leather strap? strapping the shield should make it better to use." (and I might be wrong but I think the straps help agains the turning as well although it would bind the shield closer to the body which absolutely takes away some technical possibilities. ) it works and then gets told to the shield makers "ey, that one guy, that isn´t that good had a really good idea. can you put straps on your shields? They don´t open with straps. and it´s more comfortable" . I mena that´s the reason sports gear companies work very closely with top athletes. That´s not just for commercial: No they need testers that know their stuff. I would think the same exchange happened between soldiers and weapon makers. So it´s a bit unfair to attribute the changes in form for weapons and protective gear entirely to the craftspeople and generals who came up with new tactics.

This channel deserves a million subscribers and more.

Love your videos!!! Keep up the great work!!

Why am I just discovering this channel? COME ON.

Could you use the shield boss on the kite shield at 4:00 as a sort of "sweet spot" to block incoming attacks? A downward sword strike that's blocked by the boss will not only have to cut through the boss and the shield, but if the blow lands off-center on the boss, the spherical slope of the boss will redirect the blade and slide it down to the edge of the boss, ruining its edge alignment entirely and basically rendering the attack's power and impact useless. You could also maybe use the boss as a bludgeon if you were going for a shield bash.

Great info! Appreciate the anecdotes - you don't just research it, you live it.

Excellent coverage!

very informative keep it up

Do you think maybe people kept the shield boss on after it lost its function because they used it as part of the shield tactics? Being metal, I could see it developing from the earlier shield tactics as a pinpoint of force, for parrying or otherwise deflecting a blow, maybe even a point to punch at someone's face with, since originally it was right at the point of your fist. Great video though!

pure condensed information. thanks

Great video! subbed immediately