Coat Of Mail: Ancient Body Armor (2024)

A coat of mail is a long, sleeved defensive garment made of interlinked metal rings or overlapping plates. It was worn as armour, usually consisting of a breastplate and back piece, covering the wearer's whole body. The word originates from the French cotte de mailles, which translates to coat of meshes. The first known use of the term was in the 15th century.

Chain mail

The earliest known examples of chain mail were discovered in Slovakia and Romania, both dating back to the 3rd century BC. The invention of chain mail is often attributed to the Celts, but there is evidence of Etruscan pattern mail dating back to the 4th century BC. Chain mail may have been inspired by scale armour, which was used by the ancient Persians, as described by Herodotus.

The word "chain mail" comes from the Old French "cotte de mailles", which translates to "coat of meshes". The word "mail" may originate from the Latin word "macula", meaning "spot" or "opacity", or it may be related to the old French "maillier", meaning "to hammer".

In medieval Europe, a waist-length coat made of chain mail was called a "byrnie", while a knee-length shirt made of chain mail was known as a "hauberk", and a mid-thigh length shirt was called a "haubergeon". Chain mail was highly valued by soldiers due to its protective qualities, and it was often looted from dead combatants on the battlefield.

The use of chain mail as armour began to decline in the 16th and 17th centuries with the development of plate armour and more advanced firearms. However, chain mail continued to be used in certain contexts, such as in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, where it was utilised in bulletproof vests. Today, chain mail is still used in various applications, including stab-resistant body armour, cut-resistant gloves, and shark-resistant wetsuits.

Medieval armour

A coat of mail is a garment made of interlinked metal rings or overlapping plates, also known as chain mail, worn as armour. The term dates back to the 15th century.

Head Protection:

The evolution of helmets began with the nasal helmet, characterised by a nose guard, which was the standard during late antiquity and the early Middle Ages. In the 12th and early 13th centuries, the enclosed helmet was introduced, covering the entire head with slits for vision, breathing, and ventilation. This design evolved into the great helm, which offered deeper coverage of the head and was often worn with another helmet underneath.

Neck Protection:

The gorget, a steel collar, protected the neck and covered the neck opening of a cuirass. The aventail, made of detachable mail, hung from a helmet to shield the neck and shoulders.

Torso Armour:

The hauberk, a mail shirt with sleeves, reached mid-thigh and was a common form of torso protection. Over time, the length of the hauberk shortened to the thigh, and it was sometimes worn with a separate mail hood. The breastplate, made of metal plates, guarded the chest and back. The cuirass included both the breastplate and a backplate, providing front and back protection.

Shoulder and Arm Armour:

The pauldron protected the shoulder and upper arm, with a dome-shaped piece called a shoulder cop. The rerebrace or upper cannon covered the upper arm, while the vambrace or lower cannon guarded the forearm. Gauntlets, made from various materials, covered the hands and forearms.

Leg Armour:

Chausses or hosen, made of mail, protected the legs. Greaves guarded the shins, while cuisses protected the thighs. Poleyns shielded the knees and often had rondels or fins to cover gaps in the armour.

Additional Components:

French cotte de mailles

A coat of mail is a type of armour or protective garment made of interlinked metal rings or overlapping metal plates. The term originates from the 15th century and is derived from the French "cotte de mailles", which translates literally to "coat of meshes". Cotte de mailles refers specifically to chain mail armour made of iron links, worn by knights throughout the Middle Ages.

The French term "cotte de mailles" can be translated as "chain mail", and it specifically refers to the armour made of interlinked iron rings or scales. This type of armour was commonly worn by knights in the Middle Ages to protect themselves in battle. The interlinked metal rings provided flexibility and relative ease of movement, while also offering good protection against cuts and slashes from swords, knives, and other bladed weapons.

The cotte de mailles was typically worn as a long-sleeved shirt, providing protection for the torso and arms. It could be worn on its own or in combination with other armour pieces, such as a helmet, gauntlets, or leg armour. The weight of the cotte de mailles varied depending on the size and the thickness of the metal rings used in its construction.

Cotte de mailles was an essential piece of armour for knights and soldiers, providing protection without hindering mobility. The construction of the interlinked metal rings allowed for a certain degree of flexibility, making it easier for the wearer to move, ride a horse, and wield a weapon. The iron links also offered good protection against bladed weapons, with the rings distributing the force of an impact across a larger area.

In modern times, the term "cotte de mailles" is still used to describe this type of armour, and it has also inspired various fashion and jewellery designs that mimic the distinctive interlocking metal pattern.

Military usage

A coat of mail is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. It was in common military use between the 3rd century BC and the 16th century AD in Europe, and continued to be used in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East as late as the 17th century.

The use of mail as battlefield armour was common during the Iron Age and the Middle Ages, becoming less common over the course of the 16th and 17th centuries when plate armour and more advanced firearms were developed. Mail armour was typically extremely prized, as it was expensive and time-consuming to produce, and could mean the difference between life and death in battle.

Mail armour was introduced to the Middle East and Asia by the Romans and was adopted by the Sassanid Persians in the 3rd century AD, where it was used alongside scale and lamellar armour. Mail was also commonly used as horse armour for cataphracts and heavy cavalry, as well as for the soldiers themselves.

During the 19th and 20th centuries, mail was used as a material for bulletproof vests, but with unsatisfactory results. Wilkinson mail worn by the Khedive of Egypt's regiment was manufactured from split rings that proved to be too brittle, and would fragment when struck by bullets. Mail armour was also used for face protection in World War I, with oculist Captain Cruise of the British Infantry designing a mail fringe to be attached to helmets to protect the face.

Mail's resistance to weapons depends on four factors: linkage type (riveted, butted, or welded), material used (iron, bronze, or steel), weave density, and ring thickness. When the mail was not riveted, a thrust from a sharp weapon could penetrate it. However, when mail was riveted, only a strong, well-placed thrust from certain spears or swords could penetrate, and a blow from a pollaxe or halberd could break through the armour.

The flexibility of mail meant that a blow would often injure the wearer, potentially causing serious bruising or fractures, and it was a poor defence against head trauma. As a result, mail-clad warriors typically wore separate rigid helms over their mail coifs for head protection.

Biblical references

In the Bible, a coat of mail is a type of armour. The term is thought to be of foreign origin and refers to a leather jacket with small, interlaced metal plates sewn onto it. This type of armour is depicted on Assyrian reliefs, and fragments have been excavated in the Near East.

The coat of mail is mentioned in the Bible in the description of Goliath's armour (1 Samuel 17:5) and also of Saul's (verse 38). In 1 Samuel 17:5, Goliath is described as follows:

> "He had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass."

The same Hebrew word is used in 1 Samuel 17:38, which describes Saul arming David with his armour, including "a coat of mail".

The plural form of the Hebrew word for "coat of mail" is translated as "habergeons" in 2 Chronicles 26:14 and Nehemiah 4:16. The term "harness" in 1 Kings 22:34, "breastplate" in Isaiah 59:17, and "brigandine" in Jeremiah 46:4 probably also refer to corselets or coats of mail.

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