Allure of the knights' shining armour

The past military glories of the Knights of St John are brought to life at The Palace Armoury, in the Grandmaster's Palace, Valletta.

The stunning collection dates back to the 15th century and reflects a time of flashing swords and clashing of metal accompanied by brave battle cries of charging knights, an ensemble comprised of a rich history of unsurpassed bravery and incredible craftsmanship housed in its original building.

The collection as a rare working arsenal contains material of Italian, German, French and Spanish origin, as well as exotic examples of Turkish armour. Viewing is a must for aficionados of history and all things military.

The Palace Armoury allows viewers to delve into a fascinating portion of the past, where armour played such a crucial historical role. It defined the knights as a military unit, assisting in their overall progression and identified social classes. The reason for this is because arming oneself meant a hefty expense that could only be afforded by the upper classes, that is why knights were often of noble lineage.

The earliest metallic armour to be worn by medieval knights was a form of mail armour. Mail armour consisted of interlocking rings woven by hand to form shirts and leggings of metallic protection. This was normally placed on top of padded garments known as gambeson or, more popularly, forms of leather clothing. However, the upgrade in offensive weapons, such as the longbow and crossbow, meant the evolution from mail armour to the plate armour the knights are so well known for. It was late in the Middle Ages, around the early 14th century, where fully plate-armoured knights began to appear but, despite this form becoming the stereotypical image of the knights, it soon became ineffective.

The invention of gunpowder meant the face of combat had changed and the cumbersome amour of the knights proved largely unsuccessful and impractical against the new powerful gunpowder-based weapons and new battle tactics. Therefore, fully plated armour lavishly decorated with intricate engraving and other forms of ornamentation became things of ceremonies and the past.

It is this fascinating chronological evolution that can be viewed at the Armoury; from the mail era to the armoured plated era, along with accompanying weaponry. But there is more, with the assistance of GasanMamo Insurance, the Armoury has embarked on a critical project. In order to fully demonstrate and make clearly visible the development and progression of the knights as fighting warriors that spanned 300 years, this collaboration has set out to build life-size models in full armour and period clothing, properly depicting the impressive evolution and historical significance of times gone by.

GasanMamo Insurance has been affiliated with Heritage Malta for a number of years.