I used the researches of Per Braz and Callixte for my Hospitaller knight. So you can see a lot of precious informations directly from their website, here: http://www.1186-583.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=28Can you explain to me why did you put an hood on the surcote.
And why a surcote on the chainmail ?
I sent them some mails too. Of course, initially (about a year ago) I only read the Osprey Book "Knight Hospitaller 1100-1306", but I was not so sure about a lot of things. Later, I asked some informations about the Hospitaller "cappa" to an italian tailor (Luciano from Medieval Design). He gave me confirmation about the style of the monastic cappa with the hood and advise about the mantle without hood.
However He do not know much about Hospitallers.
Here you can see an idea for the cappa with hood and the mantle without hood.
However there are other sources where the hood is not present in the cappa.
Per Braz said to me than actually the only sure thing should be than the Hospitallers used a black mantle without hood with a white greek cross.
He also said to me than is not clear if the cappa was really black, brown or with or without the white greek cross over it, and if it was used over the hauberk too. However, I also saw on the Osprey book: Knight of Outremer (pg 9) a picture from a wall-painting of the Templar Church of Cressac, western France (mid-late XII century), were we can see some templars with a long surcoat or cappa over their armor (it cover the arms too) and they have a cross in the left side of the chest... but this cappa do not have an hood.
Here you can see the picture:
and another picture where you can see a long white surcoat (without arms):
Sure, all this ideas are only hypothesis. I know than the group of "les guerrier du moyen age" created an hospitaller reconstruction were the cappa is not over the hauberk, and the Hospitaller in arms wear only the mantle without hood...
I'm only a simple novice, but I tried to do my best for have a good Hospitaller...
Hospitallers
Templars
