Spaulder

Typically, they are a single plate of steel or iron covering the shoulder with bands (lames) joined by straps of leather or rivets.

By the 1450s, however, they were often attached to the upper cannon or rerebrace, a feature that continued into the 16th century.

[1] According to some pictorial evidence of the early Middle Ages, such as the Barberini Ivory, Roman officers wore single spaulders with pteruges attached to protect their upper arms and shoulders.

[citation needed] Instead, the gaps may be covered by besagews or simply left bare, exposing the mail beneath.

Additionally, the Iraq War saw the introduction of a modern-day version of the spaulder, in the form of the "Deltoid Axillary Protector" add-on to the Interceptor body armour worn by US soldiers.