Espuelas moriscas
Ana Echevarría Arsuaga. Caballeros en la frontera: la guardia morisca de los reyes de Castilla (1410-1467). Нужные части тут и тут.
Английское издание - Knights on the Frontier: The Moorish Guard of the Kings of Castile (1410-1467).
На странице 113 и далее.
Transformations in weaponry during the 15th century were reflected in the equipment of the Moorish knights, just as Moorish fashions were highly fashionable at court. Above all, this influenced the functional role they were expected to play on the battlefield and close to the king. All of this conditioned the choice of a style of riding, a la jineta, and of attire and weapons apt for light cavalry. The rider a la jineta used a lighter saddle than the traditional rider in any of the styles and used short stirrups, which allowed riders to bend their legs on either side of the horse, improving the mobility of their arms and making it easier to handle their weapons comfortably. Increasing the speed of the knight, who needed defensive equipment that was less heavy, favoured the usual tactic of the Islamic riders, i.e. the rapid attack or tornafuye, which was very successful during frontier raids, as well as being ideal for hunting expeditions. Not only the king and his guard, but also the nobles, when they rode a la jineta, dressed “a la morisca” with capellar (Moorish cloak), turban, marlota y borceguíes (Moorish smock and stockings), and were armed with light swords and lances.
Part of the guard’s equipment became the object of important trading activity with the sultanate of Granada. The war needs of the Nasrids had caused a boom in the artisan industries producing iron and embossed leather. This was especially true of those which specialised in the production of arms (swords, daggers and lances), coats of mail, stirrups, saddles and shields, all of which were profusely adorned with precious stones, enamels, damascene and velvet. The arms manufactured in the royal workshops of Granada were used by the sultans and their armies, but were also highly valued by the Castilian nobility and royalty, who purchased these goods at steep prices or received them as diplomatic gifts. Castilian workshops gradually began to specialise in making items in the same style, and developed the ability to supply them to the court at a lower cost. The monarch’s need to arm his guard meant that Enrique IV spent large amounts of the royal household’s budget on the purchase of this type of items for his Moorish knights, in whose clothing he clearly delighted.
A knight’s equipment consisted of Moorish spurs, a sword, a lance and a shield in red and green colours. The jineta sword, following the model of those presented to Juan II and the infante Enrique, Master of Santiago, in 1409, was narrower and shorter than the traditional Castilian weapon, but with a hilt that was both heavier, making the weapon easier to handle, and shorter, so that the warrior’s hand could rest against it when finishing off the blow. The pommel could be flat or rounded. The circular shield, introduced into the Iberian peninsula by the Zanata Berbers, was better than its Christian equivalent because of its flexibility, being made entirely of leather and without a wooden frame. If the material used in its construction was a cattle hide, such a shield was called an adarga vacarí, or daragas vasenas, a term often used in the records. The Moorish guard carried shields that were lined with red cloth, and adorned with a round metal cap from which hung silk laces of the same colour.
Страница 137.
In all accounts of religious conversion in the 15th and 16th centuries, a change of clothing was recognised by both communities as a symbol of the convert’s new status and religion. However, in this case we are confronted with an apparent paradox: the Moorish knights, whether they had converted or not, retained the Muslim style of dress, riding and arms. The varas of cloth in their salaries together with the king’s gifts would help to create an aesthetic pattern with implications that went far beyond mere folklore or anecdote. The general perception of the Moorish guard at court and among the populace was based on the same external appearance that made such a striking impact on foreign ambassadors. For example, Enrique IV provided one of his Moorish knights with the following complete set of equipment: a turquoise hooded cloak made of London cloth, a sheepskin garment, a doublet, a pair of breeches, and a hood made of Rouen wool of lesser quality, plus a horse and its saddle, Moorish spurs, sword, lance, a shield covered in red and green, a pair of borceguíes or laced boots with straps and one pair of shoes.
Английское издание - Knights on the Frontier: The Moorish Guard of the Kings of Castile (1410-1467).
На странице 113 и далее.
Transformations in weaponry during the 15th century were reflected in the equipment of the Moorish knights, just as Moorish fashions were highly fashionable at court. Above all, this influenced the functional role they were expected to play on the battlefield and close to the king. All of this conditioned the choice of a style of riding, a la jineta, and of attire and weapons apt for light cavalry. The rider a la jineta used a lighter saddle than the traditional rider in any of the styles and used short stirrups, which allowed riders to bend their legs on either side of the horse, improving the mobility of their arms and making it easier to handle their weapons comfortably. Increasing the speed of the knight, who needed defensive equipment that was less heavy, favoured the usual tactic of the Islamic riders, i.e. the rapid attack or tornafuye, which was very successful during frontier raids, as well as being ideal for hunting expeditions. Not only the king and his guard, but also the nobles, when they rode a la jineta, dressed “a la morisca” with capellar (Moorish cloak), turban, marlota y borceguíes (Moorish smock and stockings), and were armed with light swords and lances.
Part of the guard’s equipment became the object of important trading activity with the sultanate of Granada. The war needs of the Nasrids had caused a boom in the artisan industries producing iron and embossed leather. This was especially true of those which specialised in the production of arms (swords, daggers and lances), coats of mail, stirrups, saddles and shields, all of which were profusely adorned with precious stones, enamels, damascene and velvet. The arms manufactured in the royal workshops of Granada were used by the sultans and their armies, but were also highly valued by the Castilian nobility and royalty, who purchased these goods at steep prices or received them as diplomatic gifts. Castilian workshops gradually began to specialise in making items in the same style, and developed the ability to supply them to the court at a lower cost. The monarch’s need to arm his guard meant that Enrique IV spent large amounts of the royal household’s budget on the purchase of this type of items for his Moorish knights, in whose clothing he clearly delighted.
A knight’s equipment consisted of Moorish spurs, a sword, a lance and a shield in red and green colours. The jineta sword, following the model of those presented to Juan II and the infante Enrique, Master of Santiago, in 1409, was narrower and shorter than the traditional Castilian weapon, but with a hilt that was both heavier, making the weapon easier to handle, and shorter, so that the warrior’s hand could rest against it when finishing off the blow. The pommel could be flat or rounded. The circular shield, introduced into the Iberian peninsula by the Zanata Berbers, was better than its Christian equivalent because of its flexibility, being made entirely of leather and without a wooden frame. If the material used in its construction was a cattle hide, such a shield was called an adarga vacarí, or daragas vasenas, a term often used in the records. The Moorish guard carried shields that were lined with red cloth, and adorned with a round metal cap from which hung silk laces of the same colour.
Страница 137.
In all accounts of religious conversion in the 15th and 16th centuries, a change of clothing was recognised by both communities as a symbol of the convert’s new status and religion. However, in this case we are confronted with an apparent paradox: the Moorish knights, whether they had converted or not, retained the Muslim style of dress, riding and arms. The varas of cloth in their salaries together with the king’s gifts would help to create an aesthetic pattern with implications that went far beyond mere folklore or anecdote. The general perception of the Moorish guard at court and among the populace was based on the same external appearance that made such a striking impact on foreign ambassadors. For example, Enrique IV provided one of his Moorish knights with the following complete set of equipment: a turquoise hooded cloak made of London cloth, a sheepskin garment, a doublet, a pair of breeches, and a hood made of Rouen wool of lesser quality, plus a horse and its saddle, Moorish spurs, sword, lance, a shield covered in red and green, a pair of borceguíes or laced boots with straps and one pair of shoes.