Incredibly well preserved 600 year old knight’s glove found in Switzerland

A medieval knight returns to a Swiss castle after a victorious battle.

With a loud cry he throws his precious gloves into the forge.

As he rushes to a banquet, the gloves remain hidden in a dark corner.

Shortly afterwards a fire breaks out, the blacksmith shop is destroyed and the gloves are lost more than 600 years.

Well, maybe it didn’t happen that way.

But maybe yes.

When rediscover armor Surprisingly well preserved for so long, it’s hard not to speculate a bit romantically about its origins.

Demolition work near Kyburg Castle, north-east of Zurich, They threatened a site where a medieval city was known to have existed.

Operating

So in the winter of 2021 and early 2022 a rescue excavation.

“We knew that all the archaeological remains on the ground would be destroyed during these works”, explains Lorena Burkhardt, head of the excavations.

Excavations have uncovered a weaving cellar that burned down in the 14th century.

Much of what was found was prosaic: a hammer, pliers, pliers, keys.

But it was enough to indicate that attacks had also been carried out in the area blacksmith work.

And then there was the big discovery.

An iron glove almost complete for right-handed people from the 14th century, as well as some pieces from one for left-handed people.

According to Zurich Cantonal Archaeology, the expert body commissioned by the local government, which announced the find in January, almost all of the gloves found over the years belonged to a later period.

And although some 14th-century pieces have appeared in Switzerland, “none of them are as well preserved and show many design and decoration details like the Kyburg Gauntlet,” the group says.

Speculation

The glove was probably worn by a medieval soldier or knight, but so far it is unclear who wore it and for what purpose.

“We know tombstones of 14th-century knights who wore similar gloves,” Burkhardt said.

“Ultimately, though, we can’t say whether the gloves were actually made for a knight or for someone else who needed to equip themselves for war.”

But there are signs that indicate the high status of the wearer.

“What is certain is that the gloves were produced to a high level of quality and purchasing such armor was correspondingly expensive,” Burkhardt said.

“Therefore, it is likely that the gloves were intended for a nobleman or other high-ranking person.”

The fingers of the glove They fold into four parts allow movement; The iron plates are overlapped and joined with rivets.

The material inside the glove It would be leather or fabric.

“It is also striking how well preserved the piece is,” says Burkhardt.

“Aside from one break, all the iron components of the right hand are in good condition completely preserved”.

“The fact that we found the gauntlet plates along with these other objects indicates that the armor piece was made in the blacksmith’s shop,” Burkhardt said.

“It is also possible that it was in the workshop for repair, although we have not yet been able to detect any obvious damage or signs of repair.”

The glove will be on display at Kyburg Castle for three weeks in September.

“We are only at the beginning of the investigation into the object,” Burkhardt said.

Even when such an exceptional discovery is made, not all historical questions are answered.

Conjecture and sometimes legend are used to fill in the gaps.

The most famous Swiss gentleman of the time was Heinrich von Winkelried.

Although records prove the existence of a knight of that name, the story that he slew a dragon single-handedly with a spear is, of course, false.

And the recently found glove certainly didn’t belong to him.

It is not true?

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