Imperial Austria: Treasures of Art, Arms and Armor from the State of Styria

The Armory and its Supplies

Armor for an Infantry or Light Cavalry Officer; probably made in Innsbruck 1555-1560; Joanneum Graz, Landeszeughaus. Photo: Richard Margolis
Armor made for infantry officers or lighter cavalry was intended to protect the head and torso, and did not extend below the knee. Mail sleeves and elbow-length gauntlets were also probably worn with this armor. In this period the term "armor" was in fact applied only to the protective covering of horses; that of humans was called "harness".

The threat from the Ottoman Turks led Austria to form, arm and train military troops. The professional army, absent from western Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire in A.D. 470, resurfaced. This gave corresponding impetus to the development of the armorer's profession and of arsenals, the secret reserves of arms and armor.

In 1575, the government, led by Archduke Karl II, set down new regulations to rearm the land. Graz served both as regional storehouse and supply centre dispatching equipment wherever it was needed. Styrian armorers made vast numbers of plain, functional harnesses for mounted marksmen and hussar light cavalry. Regional craftsmen turned out firearms, swords, and staff weapons to counter the Turkish foe.

Wheel-lock Pistol; made in Augsburg, 1575-1600; Joanneum Graz, Landeszeughaus. Photo: Richard Margolis
Cavalry equipped with firearms became increasingly effective on the battlefield during the second half of the 16th century. Heavy cavalry, including lancers, often carried wheel-lock pistols. Some light horsemen were armed with heavy carbines called harquebuses. The invention of the wheel-lock ignition in about 1500 made possible smaller firearms which could be fired with one hand. In addition to pistols with leather holsters, the horseman had a spanner to wind the lock and gauge the bullets, a cartridge box, and a round priming flask.

Inside the Landeszeughaus. Photo: Richard Margolis

Since regional makers alone could not prepare the huge amounts of materials needed for Styria's defense, purchases were made from the renowned South German armor centres of Nuremberg and Augsburg. Between 1577 and 1579 Nuremberg provided Graz with 4,532 helmets for marksmen, 389 pikemen's armors, 206 light cavalry armors, more than 600 guns, and 122 pairs of pistols and their accessories. Although these objects were mass produced, their common origin from a single design and the same time period, as well as their high quality, have resulted in a unique collection of arms and armor.