View source for Spaulder

{{Short description|Piece of armor to protect the shoulder}}
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[[File:MWP husaria zbroja typu 'anima' fragment.jpg|thumb|A set of spaulders]]
[[Image:SpaulderForwardSmall.jpg|thumb|A modern replica spaulder]]
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'''Spaulders''' are pieces of armour in a harness of [[plate armour]].  Typically, they are a single plate of steel or iron covering the shoulder with bands ([[lame (armor)|lames]]) joined by straps of leather or rivets. By the 1450s, however, they were often attached to the [[Rerebrace|upper cannon or rerebrace]], a feature that continued into the 16th century.<ref name=devr>{{cite book|last1=DeVries|first1=Kelly|last2=Smith|first2=Robert|title=Medieval Weapons|date=2007|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara|page=178}}</ref>

==Description==
According to some pictorial evidence of the early Middle Ages, such as the [[Barberini Ivory]], Roman officers wore single spaulders with pteruges attached to protect their upper arms and shoulders.  

The use of spaulders developed in the West during the 14th century, appearing more often in the 1300s.<ref name=devr/> Unlike [[pauldrons]], spaulders do not cover the armpits.{{citation needed|date=February 2018}} Instead, the gaps may be covered by [[besagew]]s or simply left bare, exposing the [[chainmail|mail]] beneath.

==Modern use==
Though the use of spaulders has declined, craftsmen and machine shops still exist which can craft a pair of spaulders for use in a museum or in simulated combat during reenactments.

Additionally, the [[Iraq War]] saw the introduction of a modern-day version of the spaulder, in the form of the "Deltoid Axillary Protector" add-on to the [[Interceptor body armour]] worn by US soldiers.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.arador.com/construction/spaulders.html Arador Armour Library] guide to creating replica spaulders

{{Elements of Medieval armor}}

[[Category:Medieval armour]]
[[Category:Western plate armour]]
[[Category:Armwear]]

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