The armor, weapons, and horses of a knight set him apart from all other fighting men of the Middle Ages. As a nameless poet of the Middle Ages wrote, "horse, shield, spear, helmet and sword/These make a good knight's value." The knight was more heavily armored and armed than any of his opponents on foot. His equipment was designed so that, with the help of a warhorse, he could deliver a shattering blow to enemy troops, infantry, and enemy cavalry alike.

The Cost of Outfitting

Good armor and good weapons required time and money to make. The raw materials, iron and steel, a hardened form of iron, did not come cheap.

Steel was particularly expensive because it had to be made in limited amounts, for the lengthy, high-temperature process was barely within the reach of medieval European technology. Indeed...