| Mail Armour | | Mail or maille, is often called chain mail or chain maille, and is a modern usage of this type of armour. This is a form of armour that consists of small metal rings linked together to form a mesh. Mail armour was highly effective against the weapons of the era. Tests by the Royal Amoury at Leeds concluded that, "it is almost impossible to penetrate mail using any conventional medieval weapon."Mail armor was able to ward off a slashing blow by an edged weapon, however it was poor protection from crushing weapons such as a mace or war hammer. Soldiers were more vulnerable to infections caused by cuts than by fractures or bruising, thus mail provided adequate protection.A knee length shirt made from mail would be called a hauberk, or haubergeon if it reached mid-thigh length, and byrnie if waist-length. Mail leggings were called chausses, mail hoods coifs and mail gloves or gauntles were called mittens (mitons). During the 13th century many helms included a mail collar which hung from the bottom of the helm which was called a camail or aventail. A mail collar worn around the neck was called a pixane a mantle or standard. While some has stand-up collars simply draped over the shoulders and covered the breast shoulders and upper back.Mail is thought to have been invented some time in the mid 1st millennium BC, but it is unknown where and by whom it was first used. It was used heavily by the Celts and Gauls in Europe and later adopted by the Romans. The Roman army version of the mail shirt was the lorica hamata and was used as a primary form of armour alongside of the lorica segmentata. Mail was a popular form of defensive armor through the middle ages and reached its apex in the 13th century during the crusades. Knights would wear entire suits of mail from head to toe.In the 14th century, as weapon manufactures begin to produce weapons capable of penetrating mail, plate armour began to supplement the mail armour. Eventually mail was supplanted by plate armor for the most part and was limited to small gussets and skirts protecting the holes left open at joints in plate armour. Mail however, mail was still widely used by foot soldiers. |
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