In the evolution of European plate armor, the couter emerged as a critical innovation for protecting the vulnerable elbow joint. Initially appearing in the mid-13th century as small, hemispherical disks of boiled leather or iron known as 'besagews' or 'elbow-cops,' they evolved into sophisticated articulate joints. By the 15th century, the 'great couter' had become a hallmark of the English Almain and Gothic styles, often featuring large, butterfly-like wings (fan-plates) designed to deflect lances and protect the inner crook of the arm from 'vincit' or piercing strikes.
From a heraldic and noble perspective, the couter was not merely functional but a site for artistic expression and status signaling. Higher-ranking knights and peers of the realm frequently commissioned couters with fluting, gilding, or etched heraldic motifs. In funerary hatchments and effigies across England, the specific silhouette of the couter often serves as a primary diagnostic tool for historians to date the armor to specific decades of the Hundred Years' War or the Wars of the Roses.