Knights and knighthood had really taken off in Europe by the 13th century (1200s). The earliest form of armor was chain mail armor. Chain mail armor can protect you from most slashing attacks but you can pierce it with spears or arrows. You could also just hit them with a very big hammer. Plate armor blocked slashing and piercing attacks, but hitting it with a very big hammer still worked. The lightest plate armor weighs about 30 pounds and the heaviest 55 pounds. My dogs dog food weighs about 47 pounds but then the plate armor is evenly (if you had a good blacksmith) distributed around your body making it feel even lighter. Knights and plate armor died out in the 17th century (1600s) because guns could easily penetrate the armor.
School Essays 