Therefore, while it is possible that the remaining twenty-four artefacts did not belong to high-status military men, the fact that these limbs demonstrate so many shared features and are constructed of the same materials suggests that mechanised prosthetic technology was almost exclusively used by this user group.Knights in the Middle Ages were mounted soldiers who held land in exchange for military service. However, it is important to note that each of these men (confirmed by alternative historical sources as having used a mechanised prosthetic hand) are high status knights or soldiers. Unfortunately, there is neither the time nor space to discuss each of these examples in greater detail here. Of the thirty surviving artefacts, six of these have confirmed ownership (these are Ulrich Wyss’s Eiserne Hand Hans von Mittelhausen’s Balbronner Hand Götz von Berlichingen’s hands an unnamed knight’s Alt-Ruppiner Hand and the Skokloster Hand which has been attributed to Olof Sverkersson Elfkarl). On the whole, it appears that these mechanised prosthetic hands were largely being used by individuals of elite male and often knightly status. It therefore seems that, on a day-to-day basis, Götz valued durability over nuanced movement. The elaborate mechanisms on display in the second hand, coupled with the range of moving parts, would have made the whole prosthesis quite fragile. As a result, the hand would have been very hard wearing, and could have been used for heavy-duty activities without fear of it being damaged. Taken at face value, this information might seem a little odd - why would Götz have chosen to use the less sophisticated hand more than the prosthesis that offered greater mobility? Well, the mechanisms in the first hand were less intricate, requiring fewer moving parts. Nevertheless, endoscopic investigations into the internal mechanisms of this hand have revealed large amounts of wear, suggesting that it was used a great deal during Götz’s lifetime. While this enables a little movement, it is not nearly as diverse as the second hand. Instead, the first and middle finger move together as a single ‘unit’, and the ring and little finger move together as a single ‘unit’. Its fingers do not have articulated joints and cannot be moved independently of each other. Götz’s earlier hand (commissioned after the Siege of Landshut) operates on much simpler mechanical principles. Fortunately for Götz, as a knight and member of a minor noble family, he had the economic resources to purchase at least two of these mechanised prosthetic arms and, fortunately for us, the von Berlichingen family has carefully preserved and maintained these devices, offering a brilliant insight into the construction of these limbs. The cost of materials, coupled with the collaborative nature of their production, meant that these items would have been very expensive to purchase. These mechanisms were then encased in an outer shell of iron (shaped like a human hand), which would have been crafted by a blacksmith or armourer. The inner workings of these ‘robotic arms’ were developed using similar mechanical techniques to those found in the manufacture of contemporary clocks and automata, and would likely have been constructed by a locksmith or clockmaker. However, while simpler prostheses such as these certainly existed, the later medieval period also saw the development of more complex, mechanised prosthetic arms. Now, when most people imagine a ‘medieval prosthesis’ their minds often jump to the kind of hook-hands and peg-legs worn by storybook pirates or, more recently, to the golden hand worn by Jamie Lannister in George R. Arm barely attached, he turned his horse around and rode back to his encampment, where he later underwent an amputation. The shot ripped through his armour and flesh, lodging metal shards from his armour so deeply into his forearm that he later recounted that the injury left his lower arm ‘dangling from a strip of skin’. On top of this, and much to Götz’s embarrassment, this shot had been fired by his own men! Unfortunately for Götz, this friendly fire was anything but amicable. However, just as he lifted his arm into the air, it was hit by a cannon ball fired by a field culverin (a large gunpowder-powered cannon that fired a ball of iron weighing approximately 3-4.5 kilograms). As he approached, he raised his sword high above his head, ready to rain deadly blows upon the enemy forces. Living up to his chivalric reputation, Götz threw himself into the battle and rode out towards his adversaries, sword in hand. During this siege, Götz and his company of mercenary soldiers were employed to fight on behalf of Albert IV (Duke of Bavaria), against the heirs of George the Rich (Duke of Bavaria-Landshut).
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