In those times, the chainmail was enough to ward off the enemy’s weapons. But as the years progressed more powerful historical weapons were developed such as the longbow and crossbow. The chainmail became ineffective. The shield became smaller and eventually disappeared. The full suit of plate armor became the thing. Thus, ‘the knight in shining armor’ came to be.

It is interesting that historical weapons were the basis for the development of the armor. Knives and swords could be defected by the shield which was usually a piece of wood covered with leather. Together with the helmet they were excellent protection even to the bow and arrow. After the development of the full suit of armor, gunpowder weapons began to be developed. Not even the plate armor could protect the knight from this powerful weapon.