Editing Surcoat (section)

{{Short description|Outer garment commonly worn in the Middle Ages in Western Europe}}
[[File:Cpg359 46v.jpg|thumb|right|The classic [[knight]]'s surcoat is on the left; the knight on the right has a different style, possibly a jupon]]
[[File:Istvan-ChroniconPictum.jpg|thumb|right|190px|[[Stephen I of Hungary|Saint Stephen, King of Hungary]] with a coat of plates or jupon bearing his arms, white and red stripes. Image from the [[Chronicon Pictum|Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle]].]]

A '''surcoat''' or '''surcote''' is an outer garment that was commonly worn in the [[Middle Ages]] by soldiers. It was worn over armor to show insignia and help identify what side the soldier was on. In the battlefield the surcoat was also helpful with keeping the sun off the soldier and their armor which helped prevent heat stroke and heat exhaustion. The name derives from [[French language|French]] meaning "over the coat", a long, loose, often sleeveless coat reaching down to the feet.<ref>Nunn, pp. 14, 23, 24, 28</ref>