haarniskat

Haarniskat, in Finnish, refers to protective armor worn to guard the body in combat. The term haarniska denotes armor in general, with haarniskat the plural. Armor in Nordic and European contexts includes metal plates, chain mail, and composite garments, typically worn over a padded layer such as a gambeson. Common components of haarniskat include a cuirass (breast and backplate), pauldrons for the shoulders, vambraces for the forearms, gauntlets for the hands, cuisses or greaves for the legs, and helmets. Materials ranged from wrought iron or steel to leather and textile backing; construction used rivets, straps, and splints to allow articulation at joints.

In Europe, the use of haarniskat develops from mail armor in late antiquity to more elaborate plate armor from the 14th to 16th centuries. In Nordic regions, armor was worn by knights and mounted warriors, and later by infantry in certain forces. The advent of gunpowder and firearms reduced the practical effectiveness of full suits of armor, leading to gradual decline by the early modern period, though some forms persisted in ceremonial or parade use and in some rural martial traditions.

Today, haarniskat are mainly found in museums, private collections, and reconstructions, and continue to be studied as sources for medieval and early modern warfare. They also appear in popular culture, reenactments, and films as symbols of medieval and early modern martial history.