Breastplate - cuirass

Body armour is the most important part of a suit of armour. The use of efficient cold steel and especially the invention of firearms required the use of full body armour in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. In the 17th century, with an increase in the use of firearms and also due to the stiffness of body armour, which made it hard to move for the wearer, body armour lost its significance and instead became a hindrance.