Rondel (armour)
A rondel is a circular, disk-shaped plate of metal added to a harness of late-medieval plate armor to close structural gaps or to reinforce vulnerable straps and hinges. The rondel was also used in weapons as a handguard, in particular the rondel dagger but also in swords.
Historical development
The first rondels appeared in the late 14th century, soon after rigid cuirasses made of breastplates and backplates had replaced the earlier coat of plates. By the mid-15th century their use had spread throughout Europe until being phased out in field armour of the mid 16th century.Typology and applications
Armpit defenses
In late medieval and Renaissance armour the armpits were protected by besagews. These often took the form of plain, slightly convex rondels that hung from either the pauldron or the top edge of the gorget, covering the otherwise exposed gap at the arm's forward pivot. The plate was normally secured with a very short leather strap and buckle, with laces, or on some breastplates by a turning pin.Head defenses
Armets often carried a small rondel, also called a volet, attached to the nape of the helmet's skull by a stem. This disk is believed to have protected the leather strap of the wrapper and prevented an opponent from cutting it away, along with protecting the rear junction of the cheekpieces. Early close helmets, which often mimicked the style of the armet, also made use of rondels at the nape and occasionally at higher points of the skull of the helmet.Rondels were also depicted in illuminated manuscripts being affixed to the sides of bascinets and sallets. Aventails were also sometimes depicted with rondels being affixed to them to cover the throat, much like a bevor.