A recent research carried out by the researchers from the University of Leeds has claimed that wearing armors double the amount of energy used in battle. The study was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B journal.

The researchers have said that the weight of steel plate armor hampers the wearer’s breathing, pattern and make them weak in fight. Armors can also put additional weight on each limb, which affects the performance of soldiers.

Researchers have considered it as the main reason behind the defeat of the French soldiers at the battle in northern France during the Hundred Years War.

Dr. Graham Askew from the University of Leeds Faculty of Biological Sciences, who led the study, said, “Because the French were wearing full, heavy armor and the field was so muddy, by the time they got to the enemy they would have been exhausted and easily killed”.

To evaluate the impact of armors on soldiers, researchers dressed four historical fight interpreters from the Royal Armories in Leeds in replica 15th century armor. They performed walking and running programmes on a treadmill. The test of their breathing and stride patterns showed that the energy required to walk in armor was 2.1 to 2.3 times higher than normal.