When this fighter in black armor enters the lists, the audience freezes for a moment, and then they can no longer look away from the mighty warrior in black. His armor is a work of art. It perfectly meets all the requirements of historicity and it simply cannot be confused with anyone else. Martijn Elberse from the Netherlands is that Dark Knight and the owner of a black Gothic armor kit that even won the award for Best Armor at the HMB World Championship Battle of Nations 2019 in Serbia.
HMBIA News asked Martijn to tell us about his set of armor, how he chose the suit of armor, why he chose this color for his kit, and we learned a lot of interesting things by talking to Martijn:
“My armor is based on Gothic armour from around 1490-1510, the particular style it is based on would be common around the regions of what is now southern Germany and Austria. As at the time Gothic was starting to phase out for Maximilian armor, my armor has slight characteristics you see in later Maximilian suits. For example, the helmet was based on a Bellows sallet, decorated in Maximilian style. It no longer has a bevor attached to the throat, but the visor closes all the way over it to protect the throat as well”.
Martijn approached the search for decent armor in detail. He studied a lot of historical sources, consulted with friends, visited museums, and monitored offers from modern blacksmiths. But the decision about the right armor for him came from somewhere expected!
“Before I decided to order an armor like this, I looked up various sources on the internet concerning Gothic and Maximilian armor, but I could never really decide what I wanted. In 2018 going to the Santa Severa for the BotN, me and a few people went to see the Graz Armoury, Churburg and the Imperial Armoury in Vienna, Austria. There were so many great and unique armors on display! (I highly recommend you go and see, it’s naw-dropping and very interesting.) So my friend joked and said to me I can get full plate armour. I understood that it is a great idea! We had been talking about the advantages and disadvantages of full plate armor before, so the decision was made. In Italy I met the armorer from Ukraine who would eventually forge the armor for me” – said Martijn Elberse.
Martijn is proud of this armor. Also he told us that armor is never complete! He is planning to replace the white coloured laces that secure the arms, legs and shoulder to red laces with brass tips.
“I also have an early Maximilian style helmet made and it is decorated with ostrich feathers. It will be used mostly for re-enactment purposes or 1v1 competitions together with a changeable cage style visor. Other changes will be small!”
According to Martijn, his armor is suitable for duels, tournaments in full armor and HMB buhurts. He explains the versatility of the kit as a well tailored full plate suite allows you to do just about anything. “It is the most comfortable armour I have ever fought in! It is made of spring steel and it weighs 27kg in total.” But the question is why the kit is black? Maybe to intimidate opponents?
“Everyone says I am crazy – and I might be. When the sun is out you can cook an egg on the metal, or a pizza between my chestplate and the gambeson. But, honestly, I did it because the fluting and decoration stands out more, the brass coloured rivets and red leather make it look very beautiful and unique. You don’t see black a lot (for good reasons) and it makes the armour rather unique”, confessed Martijn.
As already mentioned, the beauty and historicity of the armor was also appreciated by the representatives of the HMBIA Authenticity Committee and gave the Netherlands fighter the first prize for his armor. However, our Dark Knight shared this achievement with the creator of the armor:
“As you can imagine it was a little bit overwhelming. Everyone in the HMB world has their eyes on you, as well as the many spectators around the lists. I felt like a TV star. It was awesome! A lot of people told me they loved my armor and I wear it with pride. As a medieval enthusiast it makes me happy to show and tell about the armor and see the true interest in people’s eyes. My Best Armor trophy is standing next to the most memorable and important things I obtained in my life. But I must say that it would not have been possible if Maxim Suprovich didn’t do such a great job at building this piece of art. I thank him very much and I admire his craftsmanship”.
The HMBIA News editorial board thanks Martijn Elberse for the interesting conversation and hopes that such attention to details and a love of history and HMB will inspire our knight for new victories.
HMBIA News
