Surcoat
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A surcoat or surcote is an outer garment that was commonly worn by soldiers in the Middle Ages. It was worn over armor to show insignia and help identify what side the soldier was on. On the battlefie
The classic knight's surcoat is on the left; the knight on the right has a different style, possibly a jupon
Saint Stephen, King of Hungary with a coat of plates or jupon bearing his arms, white and red stripes. Image from the Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle.
c. 1300-1310
A sideless surcoat with gaping armholes, late 14th century
Tabard
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A tabard is a type of short coat that was commonly worn by men during the late Middle Ages and early modern period in Europe. Generally worn outdoors, the coat was either sleeveless or had short sleev
Surcoat
…dress well into the 15th century, long after they had ceased to be fashionable. Some estimates place them being worn as state apparel as late as 1525. Tabard Nunn, Joan, Fashion in costume, 1200-2000, New Amsterdam Books, 2000, ISBN 1-56663-279-X…
A 20th-century English herald's tabard
The Waterseller of Seville by Diego Velázquez, c. 1620, depicting a functional workman's tabard
Thomas Hawley, Clarenceux King of Arms, depicted in his tabard on a grant of arms of 1556
Gelre Herald to the Duke of Guelders, c. 1380