Basic Information
The plackart was a piece of plate armour which protected the abdomen (and sometimes the lower back) only, generally rising to a point over the solar plexus. This was sometimes worn with a breastplate or cuirass as additional protection, but appears just as often not to have been, being used instead with a flexible armour such as mail.
There are various theories as to why the plackart was used - besides the additional protection noted. Some suggest that the combination of a plackart and short breastplate allowed the wearer more flexibility to twist at the waist and others that a plackart plus flexible armour gave the user some of the benefits of wearing plate but left his arms and shoulders unrestricted, for example, to draw a bow.
Despite a primarily medieval image, this name could also be used for various historical (and fantasy) "belly plates" and "ascended belt buckles" that protect same approximate region.
Sources
Game and Story Use
- Don't be surprised if this is one of the (many) pieces of armour that no-one has ever heard of.
- Certainly missing from a lot of pop-culture armour, usually neglected in favour of the full length breastplate (rare in reality due to being highly incapacitating to the wearer).
- However, that doesn't mean that it won't appear - and as noted the round "belly plate" type is quite popular in fantasy art in particular.