White armour

White armour, or "alwyte armour", was a form of plate armour worn in the Late Middle Ages characterized by full-body steel plate without a surcoat. Around 1420 the surcoat, or "coat of arms" as it was known in England, began to disappear, in favor of uncovered plate. Areas not covered by plate were protected by mail sewn to the gambeson underneath.

During the fifteenth century national styles of armor emerged. White armour was a term used synonymously with Italian design, which was innovative in expanding the use of plate armor to cover joints that had been previously protected by mail. The descriptive term "white armour" referred both to the absence of a surcoat and the absence of decorative trimmings: the rival German style was fluted, both for aesthetic reasons and for structural advantage in resisting crushing blows.

These two approaches to armoring remained recognizable throughout the fifteenth century. Eventually each borrowed the other's innovations. By the early sixteenth century the distinction became obsolete.