Dfogleman2 wrote:Tacitus,
Thanks a lot for the information. Is there any evidence that the cuirass was worn over or under the coat, or, like the Danes, was worn over a kyller, with no coat?
The kyller was abandoned in the 1690s so these would not have been in use during the Great Northern War. I have not come across any written reference describing if the cuirass was worn over or under the coat. What evidence we have are the portraits of officers, although these cannot be viewed as representative for how they were dressed during campaign. So many of them are dressed in cuirasses worn over the now obsolete kyller and some are even portrayed in full medieval armour. The desire to be viewed as the successors to the medieval knights creates a tendency to over-emphasie armour in these portraits.
When worn togeher with the blue coat, it appears to be more common in the portraits of Swedish officers to have the cuirass under the coat rather than over it. One of my informants on cuirasses, who is active in reenactment, says that he wears his cuirass under the coat when he only wear the breastplate and over the coat if he wears the backplate as well. Judging by the paintings that he sent me and others that I have found, that would be my conclusion as well.
Drabant Corps 1701
Charles XII
Charles XII in Bender.
Carl Gustaf Creutz, commander of the Swedish right wing at Poltava.
Magnus Stenbock with cuirass over the coat
Magnus Stenbock with cuirass under the coat
Another painting of Magnus Stenbock with cuirass under the coat.
Carl Gustaf Armfelt, who led the Finnish army and then the disastrious campaign in Tröndelag 1719, in full attire (blue coat, cuirass and kyller).
Dragoon officer Zacharias Franc who fought at the battle of Fraustadt
Field surgeon Melchior Neumann who served in the Livregemente and treated Charles XII when he was shot before the battle of Poltava.
Abraham Bandholtz, who served as officer in both dragoon and cavalry regiments
Malcolm Sinclair who served as a young Guard officer in the Russian campaign.