Only in tournaments. The shield was an integral part of the game.Delanie wrote:with regard to plate and shield were there not shields with cut outs to allow lances and swords to be used in conjunction?
How do you do this with a one handed weapon? You can't fight someone in full plate if you have a shield because both hands are needed for armour-compromising weapons. Even lower ranked soldiers with little armour did away with shields and adopted two handed weapons.I get what you are saying with regard to the weapons though as many weapons could not penetrate full plate unless they found a joint
and even the 2 handed great sword was in effect a bludgeoning weapon either incapacitating the wearer by decreasing mobility or inflicting damage on the person beneath by concussion or restricting breathing or blood flow.
Two-handed swords were used like polearms to penetrate armour gaps. Thrusting attacks were prevalent.