The book is dedicated to the history of defensive weapons in medieval Europe. The author provides an overview of the development of protective military clothing from 1066, when the era of chain mail was just beginning, to 1700, when knightly armor acquired a decorative character. The author traces in detail the evolution of chain mail, helmet, armor, mittens, shoulder pads and other elements of knightly equipment, explains the meaning of the terms , used by collectors, gives an idea of the styles and schools of Italian, German and French gunsmiths. The text is accompanied by numerous photographs and drawings of examples of defensive weapons stored in the largest museums in the world.