Kite shield
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A kite shield is a large, almond-shaped shield rounded at the top and curving down to a point or rounded point at the bottom. The term "kite shield" is a reference to the shield's unique shape, and is
Norman-style kite shield.
Kite shield on the Bayeux Tapestry
Kite shields as depicted on the Temple Pyx
Reenactors with kite shields
Heater shield
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The heater shield or heater-shaped shield is a form of European medieval shield, developing from the early medieval kite shield in the late 12th century in response to the declining importance of the
Kite shield
…limiting his field of vision. Flat-topped kite shields were later phased out by most Western European armies in favour of much smaller, more compact heater shields. However, they were still being carried by Byzantine infantry well into the thirteenth century. To compensate for their awkward nature, kite shields…
An effigy of William Longespée the Younger (d. 1250) in Salisbury Cathedral, showing an early triangular heater shield
Heraldic roll of arms displaying heater-shaped heraldic shields or escutcheons. Hyghalmen Roll, Germany, late 15th century