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Someone has told me that all nobility, when they hunted animals, it is in armour. They are further convinced that depictions of normally clothes hunters, are either not nobles, or they are wearing armour under their tight clothes.

Thus, I would like to ask the truth of the matter. Do you know of cases of high-ranking nobility hunting dangerous animals, in armour and without armour? Written cases are preferred, as art can be interpreted very liberally.

I'll mention that I'm aware hunting with and without armour has occurred, there's nothing stopping you from practicing either method. Some cultures seem to have preferred hunting in armour.

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    Wearing leather armour while hunting would be akin to a motorcyclist wearing leather while riding - a sensible precaution in certain circumstances. Wearing heavier armour while hunting, unless in an area where actual armed human opponents could be expected, would have been simply pointless, and have interfered in the hunt. Note that it is still current fashion to wear a riding helmet, for example, while fox hunting.
    – Pieter Geerkens
    Apr 29, 2017 at 16:11
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    Art is, of course, all but useless, as artists used clothing as a way for the viewer to identify the subjects. If you go by the art, kings wear their crowns 24/7 and ermine is the lounge-wear of the era.
    – pokep
    Apr 30, 2017 at 17:53
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    @Pieter Geerkens: Not necessarily pointless, as doing things like hunting while in armour would have been good training for combat. Though I've no idea whether it actually was done.
    – jamesqf
    Apr 30, 2017 at 18:25

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Any hunting depicted in medieval art is likely to be by members of the nobility, regardless of whether they are wearing armor or not. The website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art describes the use of armor for hunting as "rare".

Although arms and armor are most commonly associated with warfare, both were used in other contexts, including hunting, tournaments, and as parade costume... Almost all types of weapons have been used in hunting, including bows, crossbows, and firearms, as well as special kinds of swords and spears. In rare instances, armor was worn for hunting bear or wild boar... Finally, mention must also be made of armor for horses and dogs. Whereas horses could be protected by or adorned with armor for most of the above occasions, armor for dogs was rare and only used—if at all—for hunting and warfare.

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  • To go along with your link, could you provide a quote from the part of that (nice) article that supports your point? It would improve your answer.
    – KorvinStarmast
    May 1, 2017 at 14:32
  • Wild boar hunts are the ones I knew of using armour.
    – Johnny
    Sep 5, 2017 at 13:51

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