grand guard

plural grand guards

1. historicalA piece of plate armor protecting one shoulder, side of the chest, and side of the neck (typically the left), during jousting, augmenting or replacing a pauldron.

   2017, Mackenzie Flohr, The Rite of Wands, BHC Press/Indigo On the field, Aindrias charged down the barrier towards his opponent, their lances shattering as each made contact with their gritted grand guards.

   3 more examples

   […] their horses, their lances, and every thing appertaining to the joust, that they might be ready on the day […] the rich bardes, the pleasant trapgardes, the grand guards, […]

   1846, Benjamin Williams, Chronicque de la traison et mort de Richart deux Roy d'Engleterre. Mise en lumiere ... avec les variantes et un glossaire par Benjamin Williams, page 231

   Since they have no horses, and mean to fight on foot, with sword and not jousting spears, they discard the heavy “grand guard” over the left shoulder, meant to receive (and break) a jouster's lance.

   2014, Garry Wills, Making Make-Believe Real: Politics as Theater in Shakespeare's Time, Yale University Press, →ISBN, page 229

   […] a jousting shield, or grand guard, made by Desiderius Helmschmid and commissioned by Charles V, is signed and dated by Hopfer as ...

   2017, EdwardH. Wouk, "Prints in Translation, 1450?750 ": "Image, Materiality, Space ", Routledge, →ISBN