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Originally Posted by Ed
Armor thickened and evolved primarily because of the development of gunpowder weapons.
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Well said Ed! that is indeed the short and popularly held version. If I have understood correctly however, the development of firearms and various explosives was rather a long and tedious path. In its infancy, it is my impression that firearms themselves were considered almost a novelty, obviously with great potential, but regarded as quite secondary in many ways in the business of war.
Even by the time of Frederick the Great, who held considerable disdain for the firearm in battle, it was well known that after the shock effect of the first shot...guns were spent, and combat in melee was focused on swords and hand held weapons.
I think the development of armor still continued, as David has noted, with consideration for impact of these weapons such as axes and hammers, and others despite firearms arrival on the scene. If multiple shot guns and machine guns were present in earlier times it would be one thing, but the slow development confining to single shot and reloading difficulty remained until the 19th century.
Best regards,
Jim