In the High Middle Ages, when chainmail shirts were the main form of metal protection, the mail coif provided protection to the neck and lower face. During this period, the term gorget often referred to padded fabric protection worn under the mail coif.
With the rise of plate armour in the 14th century, the bascinet gained its own chain mail aventail, the camail or aventail that protected the neck. Often this too was fitted with a textile inlay on the inside.
Sometimes an additional separate chain mail aventail, the "pisan" or "standard", was worn underneath for extra protection. By the end of the 14th century, due to the increased penetrating power of lances, the need for sturdy neck protection arose.
One solution was a standing collar made of plate armour, which allowed enough room to turn the head. In the early 15th century, such plates were integrated into the helm, as seen in the Great Bascinet.
Other helms, such as the sallet, did not protect the lower face and throat with a plate, and were therefore combined with a bevor, while the armet was often equipped with a wrapper with lamellae. The underlying chain mail aventail was often still worn, since the plates did not fully cover the back and sides of the neck.
Fully developed gorget
At the beginning of the 16th century, the gorget reached its full development as part of plate armour. Unlike earlier gorgets or bevors, which sat over the breastplate and still required a separate chain mail aventail, the new gorget was worn under the breastplate. This protected a larger area: neck, back of the throat, shoulders and upper chest.
The gorget also sometimes served as an attachment point for the shoulder pieces (pauldrons), which were fastened to the gorget via buckles or straps. The neck was protected by a high collar of hinged lamellae, and the gorget itself was divided into front and back sections, connected with hinges at the sides so it could be easily put on and taken off.
Some helms had extra plates that ran over the gorget, while others formed a tight fit to avoid gaps.
17th century and ornament
In the 17th century, a new form of gorget emerged with a low, non-hinged collar and larger front and back plates that covered more of the chest and back.
These gorgets were not only worn under armour, but sometimes also over civilian clothing or a buff coat. Some examples were ceremonial pieces, richly etched, gilded, engraved, embossed or enamelled, often at great cost and with meticulous attention to detail.
Gradually the gorget became smaller and more symbolic. Eventually it became a crescent-shaped collar worn on a chain and hung lower and lower on the chest, so that in daily practice the gorget no longer provided any real protection to the throat.
