Complete armor of plate was in use at the beginning of the 15th century, and during the next hundred years reached its greatest perfection. This was the period of Gothic armor which for beauty of form, dignity and perfect adaptation to its purpose has never been surpassed at any time or in any country. Every detail was carefully studied, and any change that increased the efficiency  was worked out with painstaking care. It was for this purpose that the two sides were made quite unlike each other to adapt them to the different functions of the right or sword, arm and those of the left, or bridle arm. The breast plate was made in two or more pieces overlapping in a long point and connected by straps or sliding rivets, thus giving a certain amount of flexibility. The feet were covered by laminated solerets with long, pointed toes which could be removed when the wearer was on foot. The shoulder and elbow cops were very large in order to guard the openings at the joints, and the hands were covered by mitten gauntlets. The thickness of the plates was regulated for the strains they would have to bear; not only did the different pieces vary but different parts of the same plate differed considerably in thickness.

    In the early part of the century the heaume was still worn, but soon gave way to the lighter bascinet, with or without a visor; this, in turn, was displaced by the chapel de fer and the salade. The most popular helmets were the deep salades with fixed or movable visors. These were either of the Italian form (barbute or celata) which fitted closely to the head and neck; or of the German which projected backwards in a rather long tail.

    For light armor brigandines of plates covered with cloth were frequently worn.

    Towards the end of  the 15th century heavy ridges were often placed around the armpits and the upper edges of the breastplate, and fluting became common. The compact, closed armet displaced the heavier and less efficient chapel de fer and salade, and the use of a greater number of articulated plates did away with the necessity of the very large guards formerly worn at the joints.

    By the beginning of the 16th century these changes resulted in the elaborately fluted type of armor known as Maximilian. It is characterized by radiating fluted channels, generally spreading from a point on the breastplate, and by the more rounded outlines of all of its parts. The breastplates became more globose and the feet were protected by broad-toed sabatons instead of pointed solerets. The Maximilian armor is fine though rather clumsy and lacks the dignified simplicity and thouroughbread air of the Gothic. The Maximilian period lasted from about 1500 to 1540.