Subject: coracero cuirassier
Culture: Spanish, Italo-Spanish
Setting: Spanish Habsburg empire, late 16th-17thc
Context (Event Photos, Primary Sources, Secondary Sources, Field Notes)
* Arms and armor 2002 p20-21 (describing a cuirassier armor, Milan or Brescia ca. 1610-20)
"The lance, the traditional weapon of the mounted knight since the Middle Ages, was abandoned in favor of pistols contained in holsters at the front of the saddle. The cuirassier typically charged the enemy, fired his weapons at close range, and then retreated to reload. This change in weaponry led to an evolution in the appearance of armor: the lance rest fitted on the right side of the breastplate was no longer necessary, and the right pauldron, usually of smaller size at the front to allow the couching of the lance beneath the arm, became symmetrical with the left one."
Armor
* Arms and armor 2002 p20 (describing a cuirassier armor, Milan or Brescia ca. 1610-20)
"The construction and build of this armor are typical of a cuirassier's harness, a new type that evolved toward the end of the sixteenth century in response to changing military tactics and the increasing use and efficiency of firearms, and that remained in use well into the seventeenth century. The cuirassier, or heavy cavalryman, wore a three-quarter length armor that included a close helmet and knee-length tassets; the lower leg defenses of plate worn in earlier eras had been replaced by high boots."
* Arms and armor 2002 p21 (describing a cuirassier armor, Milan or Brescia ca. 1610-20)
"Particularly characteristic [of Milan or Brescia workmanship] are the form of helmet, with a pivoted peak over the eyes and a slotted visor, and the simple decoration of incised and brightly polished bands contrasting with the blued steel surfaces."
Sword
* Peterson 1956 p84
"In the Spanish colonies particularly, the cup hilt was often used on this type of sword [horsemen's swords' - long, straight, normally double-edged] as well as on the rapier."
