How armored crusader knights escaped the heat in the Middle East

The Crusades continued from the 11th to the 15th century. The First Crusade began on August 15, 1096, and resulted in the capture of Jerusalem. After that, European knights “stayed” in Palestine and Syria for several centuries, protecting the Holy Sepulcher from Muslims. But, in addition to the warriors of Islam, they also had to fight with the local climate. How did they endure the heat in their iron armor?

When a modern person hears about knights, his imagination immediately draws warriors with swords, clad in armor from head to toe. But this is just one of the myths imposed by cinema. Armor covering the entire body appeared by the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the New Age. They were used not so long - in the 15th and 16th centuries. At the dawn of the Crusades, the knights wore only steel helmets and chain mail for protection.

Richer warriors could order additional armor - bracers that cover the forearms from blows and leggings that protect the lower leg. Most of the body was saved from swords and arrows by a chainmail shirt with a hood and chainmail stockings. Occasionally there were so-called lamellar armor, recruited from small metal elements that looked like scales.

But any armor in the Middle Ages was the lot of the rich. Some knights from poor families could not even afford chain mail. The servants and squires of the knights, at best, had an open helmet and went into battle in ordinary clothes. The most equipped riders were put forward - they took on the first, most powerful blow of the enemy.

In Europe, knights wore armor only before a fight or tournament. But in the Holy Land, danger was everywhere, and one had to spend long hours, and sometimes days, in armor. In regions where the air temperature rises to 50 degrees during the day, this was a serious test. Did the crusaders have their own secrets to help them escape from heatstroke?

On hot days they would take a piece of woolen cloth, soak it and wrap it around their heads. Such a turban was effective only if it was constantly moistened. But this option suited everyone. On the way or at a halt, the knight could remove the helmet and hang it on the saddle, and also fold the chain mail hood back. Noble warriors were cooled by the fact that they constantly drank water.

Historians who have studied this issue have found only one chivalric trick. On top of the chain mail, the crusaders wore a surcoat - a dress made of white matter. Light-colored fabric protected chain mail from heating in the sun. He also saved a long cloak, with which the soldiers never parted. This piece of clothing saved from cold, wind, rain, sand and heat.

But not for all the defenders of the Holy Sepulcher, the Middle Eastern heat was a problem. The knights from Spain, from the south of France and Italy did not see anything unusual in him, since in their homeland it is also very hot for most of the year. But the German and British soldiers did not adapt well to the hot climate and were more afraid of dry or poisoned springs than the arrows of the Saracens.

It remains to add that the Middle Eastern military campaigns in the Middle Ages were not particularly extreme. Detachments of knights moved from city to city and from fortress to fortress, carefully considering their route. Spending the night in the desert or mountains was undesirable, as the darkness was often used by the enemy to deliver an unexpected crushing blow.

Knightly detachments entered Muslim cities without fear. The inhabitants hated them, but, unable to resist brute force, they portrayed loyalty. Wealthy citizens unquestioningly replenished the crusaders with food and water, provided horses and guides. They felt comfortable only when the "civilized" defenders of the Christian faith left their area.