Did medieval women ever wear armour or pants?
There are several examples of Mediaeval women wearing armour, the best known of which is Jean d’Arc (Joan Of Arc), who led French troops into battle against English forces in the 14th Century. However, there were many female ‘camp followers’ who travelled with armies during Mediaeval military campaigns & Crusades, who donned armour salvaged from the battlefields for their own protection- some of these women unofficially joined in the fighting when the situation on their side was desperate, and the army commanders turned a blind eye. Women also wore armour when they joined men in civil insurrections and attempted revolutions, such as the famous Peasants Revolt in England- on these occasions, the armour was usually army surplus left over from earlier military campaigns which they’d been able to obtain from relatives or friends who were ex-servicemen.
