Plackart

A plackart (also spelt placcard, planckart or placcate)[1] is a piece of medieval and Renaissance era armour, initially covering the lower half of the front torso.

It was a plate reinforcement that composed the bottom part of the front of a medieval breastplate.

The plackart could be attached with rivets in such a way that it could slide and give movement, though sometimes they were fixed, so the whole front part of the cuirass acted as one solid piece.

This form of plackart was later employed by cuirassiers and other armoured cavalry of the late 16th and 17th centuries as a reinforcement designed to give added protection against firearms.

Plackarts of the German Gothic style were often fluted (a form of decoration that gave straight ridges to the armour) and generally more decorated than the Italian style.