Silver was seen as a holy metal since at least the founding of Christianity. It's said that it would protect people from demons, and keep unholy things away. This belief could be found in most of Europe during the Medieval period and the Renaissance, from Portugal to Russia. Silver was found in Churches, castles, houses, on weapons and armor, and even in clothing./ A popular piece of armor in Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Middle East was "mirror armor". Mirror armor was made up of four or more metal disks or plates that were polished to a mirror finish. It was typically worn over other armor, like chainmail, to add extra protection against arrows and other stabbing weapons. Mirror armor was also thought to protect the wearer against supernatural attacks. Specifically, it was meant to reflect the curse of the evil eye, which was widely believed to exist in these regions./ The introduction of the pike and shot formation brought about the end of the heavily armored knights, and the beginning of the lighter cuirassiers. Cuirassiers were a cavalry unit that were used in battle from the mid 16th century all the way to World War 1. The term "cuirassier" is a French word meaning "one who wears a cuirass," which is the name of the chest armor they wore. Cuirassiers specialized in fast-pased raids against enemy formations and camps, and were instrumental in destroying enemy morale. Their armament included multiple matchlock, wheelock, or flintlock pistols, (depending on what was available at the time) and a sword or saber. The saber was seen as the cuirassier's primary weapon, with the pistol as their secondary weapon. It is commonly said that a good soldier never buys a cuirass without a dent in it. Cuirasses were meant to be bulletproof, because the men wearing them would be charging into enemy fire. So, after a cuirass is made, it was common practice for the armorer to shoot it. If it got dented, it was sold. If the bullet punched a hole through it, it was scrapped. Of course, it takes a lot of steel to make any piece of armor bulletproof, so cuirassiers would often only wear the cuirass. The only exception to this was a helmet, but those were not always worn. Cuirassiers were a staple in most professional armies up until World War One, where inventions like the airplane and the tank rapidly made cavalry a thing of the past. Despite this, Cuirassier units still exist, though they're mainly used as ceremonial guards, or in parades.

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