Our Catalan knight’s gambeson is a medieval aketon which is an indispensable part of every knight’s clothing . It has a collar and it is laced up in an overcast method. This gambeson will work well in knight fighting as well as in reenactment.
This model of knight’s clothing is made of materials of the highest quality. Its outer layer and lining are made of linen. It is closed in an overcast lacing method with only one long string. The gambeson has a high collar and two types of stitchings - vertical over the belt and horizontal below. Sleeves have vertical stitchings reaching the middle of the forearm and horizontal on the lower part. The stuffing of this knight’s clothing is made of a nonwoven mix of cotton and polyester with cotton strengthenings.
↪ on chest, shoulders and elbows - Y2
↪ in rest of medieval gambeson - Y1
More information about thickness you can find here.
NOTE - there is an option of modifying the thickness of amortization layers in this model of knight’s clothing. To customize this product, please contact our Sales Department before you place an order.
 |  | |
| The Catalan gambeson is tied at the front with a linen string, using the so-called ship. It also has a high collar, slit at the front for better comfort | The gambeson is made of 100% linen with linen lining. This material works great for this type of medieval costumes, mainly due to its breathability and anti-allergic properties. |
Catalan gambeson was based on a scene painted with a tempera on wood from an altar of Santa Maria de Rubió church in Barcelona. One of the soldiers from the scene of the arrest of Jesus is wearing a green knight’s clothing, similar to our aketon. Altar is dated at 1350-1375.
Scenes from this piece of art are stored in Museu Episcopal de Vic in Spain.
- overcast lacing method of closure
- collar providing a proper neck protection, crucial in some knights’ clothing
- available in standard sizes (XS-XXL) or in custom sizing for additional charge
- vastly modifiable
- based on historical sources
- option of changing the level of amortization layers
The author of the source of our Catalan knight’s gambeson is Maetro de Rubió. Looking at the mastery of this anonymous, Catalan painter, we can conclude he was inspired by an Italian-gothic style in art. It is assumed that earlier he belonged to the workshop of the Serra brothers or Ramon Destorrent. He probably worked in Manresa (Catalonia) and was connected with the Catalan lords.
Gambesons were a cheap protection for the fighting men in the Middle Ages, but only the poorest ones used only them as their single armour.
For others they were a part of a complete protective armament, providing amortization of the hit and the protection of attritions from the armour. Among padded protective elements we can find: gambesons protecting the trunk and hands, padded gloves, padded coifs and separate hoses. They were sewn from layers of a fabric.
In the 13th century gambesons were long and rather badly-fitted to the figure. This piece of medieval knight’s clothing usually put over the head and buttoned only near the neck. Later, with the development of other elements of the armour, gambesons were shorter and better fitted to the body. In the 14th and the 15th centuries they were usually buttoned at the front or laced up.
Currently, we are working on implementing to our assortment the upgraded versions of our well-known knight's clothing. Changes include:
- improving the functionality and mobility of our aketons
- layers’ thickness (check the chart with levels of amortization)
- directions and shape of stitchings
- minor changes in cut (for better fitting)
- and most of all, matching the gambesons to our six-levels size set: XS-XXL (NOTE: you can still order a custom-sized gambeson)
Therefore, you can be sure that upgraded SPES gambesons are even better suited to your needs. And if you have any questions about mentioned changes in any model, contact us - we will dispel the doubts!
To make each gambeson stand out even more, we gave them unique names. From now on, the Gambeson type 2 is named Catalan knight’s gambeson.
