Chain mail is a flexible and protective material made of small metal rings linked together. It was historically used as armor for soldiers, but its weight and discomfort led to its abandonment in the 14th century. Chain mail can deflect blows and distribute force, but requires additional layers for comfort. Each piece of armor has a separate name, and chain mail aficionados may refer to it as chainmaille or maille.
Chain mail or chain mail is a material used historically to create protective clothing for soldiers. It is made up of small metal rings linked together to create a strong, yet flexible mesh. Chainmail has a distinctive advantage over plate armor, being much lighter and easier to handle, but full chainmail is still a very heavy load. Numerous examples of ancient chain mail can be seen in Western and Asian museums, and some modern disciples of historic armor also produce chain mail for adornment and wear.
To make chain mail, hundreds of small rings must be riveted or welded together. Usually, each ring is joined to four others, in a type of chain mail commonly known as four to one. A doubled variety is called an eight to two or king bet. Chainmail rings can be joined in an assortment of designs, depending on the taste and traditions prevailing in the region where it is made, but care is taken to ensure that each ring is strong and firmly joined to its kind, with a minimum of rivets and a stress on the weld to keep the chain mail strong.
Chainmail confers a surprising amount of protection on the wearer. The heavy, rigid construction can deflect blows from edged weapons, while the flexibility distributes the force of a blow across the body. While someone in chain mail may end up seriously injured after a battle, he may be able to avoid serious and life-threatening injuries. During the Middle Ages, when chain mail was the armor of choice, medics could heal bruises and broken bones following impact, but infection control for open wounds was poor; chain mail has undoubtedly saved lives.
There were some definite drawbacks to chain mail that gradually made it go out of fashion. Heavy weight is obviously an issue, as is the tendency for rings to dig into the body when the wearer has been subjected to a major impact. As a result, stiff leather vests or layers of quilted material had to be worn under the chain mail, limiting the range of motion for the wearer and increasing discomfort. Although chain mail had been made and worn since about 1,000 BC, it began to be abandoned in the 14th century AD
Chainmail aficionados may also call it chainmaille or maille, a reference to the French maille for an attached chainmail. You should be aware that the armor itself is never referred to as “chain mail”, as the mail is only the building material. Each piece of armor has a separate name; a chainmail hood, for example, is a coif, while a knee-length shirt is a hauberk. Chainmail gloves are mitons, and a pixane is a chainmail worn around the throat to cover the neck, breasts, and upper back. A shorter hauberk that extends to the thighs is a hauberk, while a byrnie is waist-length chain mail.
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