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Infantry from the army of King James I (1208-76)

Palacio Reale Mayor de Barcelona



Groups of foot soldiers with crossbows and spears. They wear pourpoints and short swords in their waist-belts. Detail from a mural painting from the Salón del Tinell, Palacio Real Mayor de Barcelona.
Made after the death of James I of Aragon, late 13th century.



The crossbowmen are referenced on p.137, Arms and Armour of the Crusading Era, 1050-1350, Western Europe and the Crusader States by David Nicolle.
346 Wall painting, Catalonia, late. 13th century
(Museo de Historia de la Ciudad, Barcelona, Spain)

Here three crossbowmen carry early forms of the weapon with long bow-staves of apparently simple construction and no loading stirrups. The short crossbow bolts are held in quivers attached to their belts. One man seems to carry a dagger (A) as well as a sword, while another clearly has a sword at his belt (C). No mail is shown but the raised and broad collars worn by at least two of the men (B and C) indicate a kind of stiffly-padded soft armour which is more clearly illustrated in the slightly earlier French Maciejowski Bible. One man seems to have a coif (A) though this need not have been a form of armour. The second (B) has a similar and apparently padded coif while the third wears a small round helmet (C) with a substantial nasal over a coif or arming cap.


Back to the smaller image of the Infantry on the Mural from the Palacio Reale Mayor de Barcelona
Back to the Mural from the Tinell Hall at the Palau Reial Major