The military, Unattached men-at-arms or mercenaries were poor materially, and would serve any noble man or woman that could afford the price. But when part of a standing army, soldiers were supported by taxes.
All three social classes were found inside the ranks of military men as well. Conscripts (people drafted into service by force of law) could come from just about any lower class, regular soldiers, and nobility represented the middle class by the knights and generals of an army.
Because of the unique needs of the military, their garb changed very little between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Very few warriors actually employed full-plate armour. Sturdy wool or leather stood them in good stead, with selected pieces of armour or chainmaille for better protection. And unless one were in a standing army or in the service of a noble, one was forbidden to carry swords or bows out in the open, much less in a village or city.
Leather items survived well on the Mary Rose, although the thread used for their manufacture has usually disintegrated. Twelve almost complete leather jerkins have been identified, with no two exactly the same. These are sleeveless garments for the upper body, which fastened either at the centre on the front, down one side or with a crossover front. While the majority were fastened with aiglet tipped laces, at least one jerkin had buttonholes, but the buttons did not survive.
A few jerkins are slashed and pinked in a decorative manner and some have stitch marks from an appliqued cross, but most are plain.
The ship also gave up some other garments. Leather fragments, covered with patches of iron or concretion, suggest some thicker jerkins may have been worn under armor.
The mid-sixteenth century marked a turning point in shoe construction; with the traditional 'turnshoe' giving way to the 'welted' method still used today. Square, round or ear-toe shoes demonstrate the variety of styles worn, with some slashed in a decorative manner similar to that used on the jerkins. Though generally of the slip-on type, some are fastened with a buckle and strap or aiglet tipped laces. Boots were worn either to the ankle or above the knee. It is not known if all men on board wore shoes, some were possibly barefoot.
Two leather mittens, both for the left hand, were stored inside the same chest. These are the only examples of handwear recovered from the Mary Rose and their exact purpose is unclear. Wool garments have generally survived in a fragmentary state.
The majority of archers were not wearing armor, but a simple woolen breeches, linen shirts, ring belts, bracers and woolen arming caps. They stood behind the pikes during conflict, and would run in with daggers to finish off armoured knights at the end of the battle. They relied on the fact that without armour they were fast on their feet.