Armour was essential to the identity of the medieval knight. In medieval sources, they are often referred to as armati or loricati – ‘armoured men’ or ‘mail-clad men'. Knights, and those with the income of a ‘knight's fee’ (traditionally £20 per year) – were expected to own their own armour.
Fourteenth-century English indentures contracting the services of a man-at-arms required that they appear ‘’ – appropriately armed and equipped – which included having the appropriate level of armour. Military