Costume of French knight from Battle of Poitiers, stylization

John II of France, called John the Good or the Mad

A gorgeous stylisation of the French nobleman's image is presented by our version of King John II the Good set. While the historical character himself is an example of how to lose a battle with an advantage in numbers and armour, his armour and costume are another matter entirely.

We have prepared for you a composite image of the late XIVth century French knight, stylish, comfortable and simply cool. It includes a complete set from underwear to armour and can be ordered as a whole or in part. 

If you decide to replace some elements or add new ones, just contact us at [email protected] and our experts will be happy to help you.

Our second hero (First hero the winner, Edward Woodstock), King John II the Good, represents France. He led the French army at the Battle of Poitiers, and despite outnumbering his adversary, he lost the battle.

So this costume includes (in price):

Linen Gambeson 

Visby brigandine gloves 

Velvet knight girdle 

Medieval collar "Butterfly on the Star" 

Leather Haithabu shoes 

Linen Chaperon with design

Linen Chausses 

Linen chausses belt with leather suspenders 

Linen men's underwear set 

Leather belt bag 

If you want to exclude, add or change something - just send us a picture with detailed description to [email protected], so we could quote you and discuss details of order.

Gambeson 

Unfortunately, his gambeson has not survived to this day, so as the basis for the image of French knighthood we took the original preserved gambeson of the French king Charles VI the Mad, who also took part in the Hundred Years War, but a little later. The cuts and trims on the bottom of our gambeson match Karl's original aketon, however, to match the look, we changed the plain red to the coat of arms of France version in deep blue color with a decoration of gold lilies. This aketon has 3 layers, linen fabric outside and inside.

This aketon alone even without the knight's collar and crown already gives its wearer a royal look. But this does not mean that you should deny yourself the Medieval collar "Butterfly on the Star". 

Also, the original wool in our gambeson was replaced by linen and the fabric-covered buttons were replaced by belts with cast buckles. This type of clasp is much more convenient, while also cast buckles with French lilies look simply luxurious. We couldn't resist.

Gloves

We made this knightly image lighter than the previous one – without plate elements. However, we added Visby brigandine gloves to it with sewn leather gloves and 1 mm stell (18 ga). These are almost plate gloves but more comfortable and lighter. Their features are brigant cuffs, back hand protection, and finger plates. However, you can pick any other metal and thickness. 

Knight belt

For our Frenchman, we chose the knight belt of Hugues de Chatelus dating from the late XIVth century. 

You can see the original on Sir Hugues de Chatelus' monument. Our interpretation of this belt is assembled on thick natural cherry color leather and decorated with 20 square plaques. Please note that you can order any number of additional removable pieces with plaques that are easily attached to the main part using decorative pins. So the belt will fit any size.

Footwear

On the feet of the French knight, we put modest but reliable Haithabu shoes made of the thickest and softest leather in the world. They are incredibly comfortable, just like very thick socks.

And you can choose any other boots if you want.

Headwear

On the head of our knight, you can see a linen chaperon – the most fashionable headdress of those times – with a chic pelerine, thick roller, a long tail and individual design of edge.

Chausses

Knight's legs are covered with long padded black chausses which both served as clothing and protection. It’s your medieval must-have as a self-respecting man. Sewn from linen with 2 layers of padding and leather laces for fastening, they are lightweight, comfortable, and practical. Oh, pay attention – below the knee, they fit closely to the leg due to the lacing, while classic cut allows ventilating in hot weather everything that needs to be ventilated. 

Underwear

What else? Well, at least our knights' underwear, which you can pick up in the relevant section.

For example the playful men's undergarments or the brutal braies. Or you can simply order a men's underwear set, consisting of a simple shirt, braies with strings on the waist and legs, and cap. 

Arming belt

Note that while simple medieval chausses were fastened to the brais belt, arming chausses need a much more reliable fastening system. Our strong girdle is made to securely hold both the arming chausses and leg armor. And, of course, we have different models of belts for the chausses fastening: linen chausses belt with leather suspenders, arming belt with leather parts, arming belt for chausses. 

Accessories

You'll also need a knight's waist bag. For example, a black and red leather belt bag. A lot of other stylish knight swag to complement the knight's look, including Medieval Knight Collar, Pendants, Crowns, Badges, Cast buckles, Strapends, Cast belt sets, Belt mounts, Brooches and fasteners, Buttons, hooks, and pins are always welcome to find through our accessories section.

Watch, enjoy, and hurry up to order your own personal look of a knight or the King of the Centenary War himself. Our experts are always happy to advise you on any detail in such a look. And if you can't find anything you need on our website, we are always happy to do it for you.

Author: Katarina Ziborova, writer, re-enactor https://www.facebook.com/katarina.ustymenko

Izickaa Tonya, re-enactor https://www.facebook.com/antoninaizickaa

Ann Bulanienkova, project director https://www.facebook.com/flash.asuta