surcoat thibaud blackDuring the Middle Ages the tabard was a humble piece of clothing that monks, farmers and foot soldiers wore over their clothing for protection. From the twelfth century onwards knights wore surcoats to wear over their plate armor. White surcoats would have been worn by the Cross Knights to reflect the heat of the sun on their equipment in the desert of the Holy Land. Later, other colors were also worn. From the thirteenth century, the heraldry of the