Chain Mail

chain mail

 or mail

Turkish coat of chain mail, 16th century

(credit: Courtesy of The John Woodman Higgins Armoury Museum)

Form of body armour worn by European knights and other medieval warriors. An early form, made by sewing iron rings to fabric or leather, was worn in late Roman times and may have originated in Asia. Medieval armourers interlaced the rings, which were closed by welding or riveting. In the 8th century, mail was a short coat with a separate sleeve for the sword arm. By the Norman Conquest (1066), the coat was long and fully sleeved; a hood, usually fitting under a helmet, covered the head and neck. By the 12th century, mail was fitted to hands, feet, and legs. The addition of plates to increase chest and back protection gradually evolved in the 14th century into complete plate armour, displacing mail.

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Chain Mail 

defensive armor made of interlinked iron rings. The most important part was a shirt (the hauberk), usually with short sleeves; a camail made of chain mail completed the combat headgear, consisting of the helmet and a hood. Leggings and gloves of iron rings were also made for combat. Chain mail was light and flexible enough to make the warrior quite mobile.

The first examples of chain mail date from the first millennium B.C. in Assyria. Later it was widespread in the Orient, especially Iran and the neighboring countries, and in the basin of the Mediterranean Sea, including ancient Rome and the northern littoral of the Black Sea (the Sarmatians). During the Crusades chain mail became widespread in Western Europe. In Russia chain mail was the main type of defensive armor, and many examples have been found in burial mounds from the tenth century (Gnezdovo mounds and the Black Grave). Chain mail was made by special artisans. In the late 17th century, because of the widespread use and improvement of firearms, chain mail fell out of use.