Bevor

Armour of Maximilian I with bevor (c. 1485)

A bevor (/ˈbiːvər/ BEE-vər) or beaver^[1][2] is a piece of plate armour designed to protect the neck, much like a gorget.

Etymology

The word “bevor” or “beaver” is derived from Old French baver, meaning ‘to dribble’. This is a reference to the effect on the wearer of the armour during battle.^[2]

Description

The bevor was a component of a medieval suit of armour. It was usually a single piece of plate armour protecting the chin and throat and filling the gap between the helmet and breastplate.^[1] The bevor could also extend over the knight’s left shoulder doubling the thickness of the armour.^[3]

The bevor was originally worn in conjunction with a type of helmet known as a sallet.^[4] With the close helm and burgonet, developments of the sallet in the late medieval and Renaissance period, the bevor became a hinged plate protecting the lower face and throat.^[5] In the 16th century, the bevor developed into the falling buffe. This was a composite piece made up of several lames protecting the lower face and throat, but which could be raised or lowered as the lames were articulated.^[6][7]

References

1. Wagner, Eduard; Drobná, Zoroslava; Durdík, Jan (2014). Medieval Costume, Armour and Weapons. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-486-32025-0. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
2. Oakeshott, Ewart (2012). European Weapons and Armour: From the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-84383-720-6.
3. Puype, J. P.; Stevens, Harm (2010). Arms and Armour of Knights and Landsknechts in the Netherlands Army Museum. p. 48. ISBN 978-90-5972-413-6.
4. Oakeshott, Ewart (2012). European Weapons and Armour: From the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution. pp. 111–113. ISBN 978-1-84383-720-6.
5. Oakeshott, Ewart (2012). European Weapons and Armour: From the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution. pp. 121–122, 214–217. ISBN 978-1-84383-720-6.
6. Terjanian, Pierre, ed. (2019). The Last Knight: The Art, Armor, and Ambition of Maximilian I. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 308. ISBN 978-1-58839-674-7.
7. Kirkland, J. Michael (2006). Stage Combat Resource Materials: A Selected and Annotated Bibliography. p. 267. ISBN 978-0-301-30710-7.

External links

• The bevor's description on myarmoury.com
• The Art of Chivalry : European arms and armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art : an exhibition, Issued in connection with an exhibition in 1982 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art