Editing Plate armour (section)

=== Jousting ===
[[File:KHM Wien S XVI - Jousting armour of John the Constant, c. 1497-1505, front.jpg|thumb|upright|The ''Stechzeug'' of [[John the Constant]] (c. 1500)]]

Specialised [[jousting]] armour produced in the late 15th to 16th century was heavier, and could weigh as much as {{convert|50|kg|abbr=on}}, as it was not intended for free combat, it did not need to permit free movement, the only limiting factor being the maximum weight that could be carried by a [[warhorse]] of the period.

The medieval [[joust]] has its origins in the military tactics of [[heavy cavalry]] during the [[High Middle Ages]]. Since the 15th century, jousting had become a [[sport]] (''[[hastilude]]'') with less direct relevance to warfare, for example using separate specialized armour and equipment.

During the 1490s, emperor [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian I]] invested a great deal of effort in perfecting the sport, for which he received his nickname of "The Last Knight".
''Rennen'' and ''Stechen'' were two sportive forms of the joust developed during the 15th century and practiced throughout the 16th century. The armours used for these two respective styles of the joust were known as ''Rennzeug'' and ''Stechzeug'', respectively. The ''Stechzeug'' in particular developed into extremely heavy armour which completely inhibited the movement of the rider, in its latest forms resembling an armour-shaped cabin integrated into the [[horse armour]] more than a functional suit of armour. Such forms of sportive equipment during the final phase of the joust in [[16th-century Germany]] gave rise to modern misconceptions about the heaviness or clumsiness of "medieval armour", as notably popularised by [[Mark Twain]]'s ''[[A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court]]''.<ref>{{cite book | last = Ellis | first = John | title = Cavalry: The History of Mounted Warfare | publisher = [[Putnam, Connecticut|Putnam]] | year = 1978 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Woosnam-Savage | first = Robert C. | author2 = Anthony Hall | title = Brassey's Book of Body Armor | publisher = Potomac Books, Incorporated | year = 2002 | url = https://archive.org/details/brasseysbookofbo0000woos_w8o2 | isbn = 1-57488-465-4 | url-access = registration }}</ref>

The extremely heavy helmets of the ''Stechzeug'' are explained by the fact that the aim was to detach the [[Crest (heraldry)|crest]] of the opponent's helmet, resulting in frequent full impact of the lance to the helmet.

By contrast, the ''Rennen'' was a type of joust with lighter contact. Here, the aim was to hit the opponent's shield. The specialised ''Rennzeug'' was developed on the request of Maximilian, who desired a return to a more agile form of joust compared to the heavily armoured "full contact" ''Stechen''. In the ''Rennzeug'', the shield was attached to the armour with a mechanism of springs and would detach itself upon contact.

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File:Stechzeug of Maximilian I by Wendelin Boeheim.jpg| ''Stechzeug''; note that the parts protecting the lower body and the legs were incorporated as part of the [[horse armour]] (not shown).
File:Rennzeug by Wendelin Boeheim.jpg| ''Rennzeug''
File:HJRK B 75, A 79 - Kolbenturnierhelm, 1480-85, and arms, 1486.jpg| Armour designed for the ''[[Kolbenturnier]]'', dated to the 1480s. The ''Kolbenturnier'' was a late form of the [[Tournament (medieval)|tournament]], unlike the joust played with two [[team sport|teams]] using wooden clubs (''Kolben'') to hit opponents' helmet crests.
</gallery>