In this blog, we provide information about the different types of chainmail available and their recommended uses. But first, let’s take a brief look at the history of chainmail. Naturally, no blog about chainmail would be complete without mentioning what was worn underneath the chainmail. We will cover this by period.
What is Chainmail?
Chainmail, or simply mail, is a type of armor made up of small metal rings interconnected in a pattern to create a mesh-like structure. This armor was widely used in military circles from the 3rd century BCE onwards.
Chainmail is made from thousands of individual rings woven together. Historically, the rings were riveted shut using round or wedge-shaped rivets.
Terminology
The standard terms for European chainmail come from French: leggings are called chausses, a chainmail hood is a mail coif, and gloves are referred to as mitons. A collar of chainmail hanging from a helmet is called a camail or aventail. A chainmail shirt reaching the knees is known as a hauberk, while one reaching mid-thigh is called a haubergeon. We have used these terms as much as possible in our range as well.
What Protection Does Chainmail Offer?
Historically, chainmail was always riveted. The level of protection provided by chainmail depends on the inner diameter of the rings, typically ranging from 9mm to 6mm. In historical chainmail, smaller ring diameters were sometimes chosen for more vulnerable areas like the front of the neck. Most chainmail was made in a 1:4 weave, meaning each ring is connected to four others. Riveted chainmail offers good protection against cutting weapons like swords and knives. It also provides some protection against thrusts from spears and arrows. However, chainmail offers less protection against heavy, well-placed thrusts. Additionally, chainmail is less effective against axes and polearms or blunt weapons than plate armor. According to a study of skeletons found on the battlefields of Visby on Gotland, most showed injuries to less well-protected areas like the legs. While chainmail provided formidable protection, it could still be penetrated by conventional weapons, especially as technology advanced over time.
Underclothing
The flexibility of chainmail meant that a strike could often injure the wearer, potentially causing severe bruises or fractures, and it provided poor protection against head trauma. Warriors in chainmail often wore separate helmets over their mail hoods for head protection. Blunt weapons like maces and war hammers could injure the wearer through the impact without piercing the armor; typically, they wore soft protection like a gambeson under the hauberk.
How Mobile Are You in Chainmail?
Chainmail typically weighs between 7 to 15 kg. At first glance, it may seem heavy when you pick it up. However, once you wear it, you will notice that it does not restrict your mobility. You can easily run while wearing chainmail. During campaigns, it was even worn while sleeping at night. If you secure the chainmail around your waist with a belt, it hardly limits your range of motion.
History of Chainmail
Ancient Chainmail
The oldest known chainmail has been found in the Celtic chieftain’s grave at Horný Jatov in Slovakia and in Ciumești, Romania, dating to the 3rd century BCE. The Etruscans also used variants of mail armor. It is possible that chainmail developed from scale armor. Chainmail is specifically mentioned in the Avesta, the sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, a Persian religion founded by the prophet Zoroaster in the 5th century BCE. There is various evidence of Roman chainmail, possibly introduced to Rome in the 3rd century BCE during conflicts with the Celts. The lorica hamata was used by both legionaries and auxiliary troops. Its first documented use was during the Roman conquest of Hispania.
The lorica hamata was very popular among legionaries, and centurions also favored it. However, it was costly to produce, so initially, only the wealthiest legionaries could afford a lorica hamata. Later, around the 1st century BCE, it became more widely used when generals began to finance the equipment of their legionaries. During the early Empire, depictions of emperors wearing a lorica hamata or lorica squamata (scale armor) were rare. However, in the later Empire, such depictions became more common. In the 1st century CE, the lorica hamata gradually began to be replaced by the lorica segmentata. Nonetheless, the lorica hamata remained common among legionaries in the 2nd century. By the 4th century, the lorica hamata was reintroduced as the standard armor.
When discussing ancient chainmail, the term lorica hamata is usually used, even though the Celts and Macedonians used the same type of chainmail.
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/armor/chainmail/roman-lorica-hamata/
Undergarments
Historians disagree about what was worn underneath chainmail in ancient times. It is possible that a thick woolen tunic or padded tunic was worn under the lorica hamata. It is also possible that the subarmalis was worn underneath the lorica hamata.
Early Medieval Chainmail
There is debate among historians about what exactly Carolingian mail was. Due to a lack of archaeological finds and reliance on art and literature, some believe it was a long, heavy leather coat with metal scales, while others think it was simply a longer, heavier chainmail shirt. Without more evidence, this remains a topic of debate. In Valsgärde, Sweden, Germanic helmets dating from 610–635 CE have been found with chainmail.
Viking Chainmail
In Scandinavia, various fragments and complete chainmail shirts have been found that can be attributed to the Vikings. In the famous grave at Gjermundbu in Haugsbygd, a complete chainmail shirt (haubergeon) was discovered. Unlike their Germanic predecessors from the Valsgärde period, the Vikings rarely included armor as grave goods. It is possible that only a small number of Vikings could afford this type of equipment. In the boat grave at Hjortspring, several pieces of chainmail were found. There are Byzantine and Anglo-Saxon records indicating that Vikings wore chainmail. Chainmail is also referred to as a “byrnie,” derived from the Old Norse word brynja.
Both the Vikings and other early medieval peoples likely used both the hauberk and haubergeon.
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/armor/chainmail/mail-hauberk/
Undergarments
There is no evidence that the Vikings wore a gambeson under their chainmail. It is likely that they wore a thick woolen tunic, possibly consisting of multiple layers, under their chainmail.
Medieval Chainmail
The earliest European literary mentions of the word "mail" are found in 12th-century Old French and Anglo-Norman texts, where it is spelled as maille, maile, male, or other variations. In Middle English, it evolved into mailye, maille, maile, male, or meile. The standard terminology for European chainmail originates from French. Historically, chainmail was referred to as mail rather than chainmail. However, the term chainmail is now used globally. On the Bayeux Tapestry, created to commemorate the Battle of Hastings in 1066, many Norman knights are depicted wearing chainmail.
In later 12th to 14th-century manuscripts, knights are often shown wearing chainmail. In the 13th-century Maciejowski Bible, knights in chainmail are clearly visible. By this time, chainmail was part of the standard equipment of the European knightly class.
On the Bayeux Tapestry, Norman knights appear to be exclusively wearing mail hauberks with a rider’s split in the middle. The Normans likely did not wear separate mail coifs; instead, the coif and hauberk formed a single unit. There is no evidence that the Normans wore gambesons under their chainmail. They probably wore thick woolen tunics, possibly consisting of multiple layers, underneath their chainmail.
From the 12th century onwards, manuscripts increasingly depict the use of separate mail coifs. During this period, gambesons also began to be worn under the mail hauberk.
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/armor/padded-gambeson/
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/armor/chainmail/mail-hauberk/
14th-15th Century Chainmail
From the second half of the 14th century, chainmail began to be increasingly replaced by plate armor components. During this time, chainmail supplements were developed. These chainmail parts were used to protect openings in the armor, allowing the wearer to avoid wearing a full chainmail shirt under their armor. Around this time, the smaller chainmail shirt (haubergeon) was introduced, which remained in use until the 16th century. Its main advantage was that it could be easily put on and served as a primary defense in case of a direct attack.
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/armor/padded-gambeson/
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/armor/chainmail/mail-hauberk/
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/armor/chainmail/buy-chainmail-coif/
Different Types of Chainmail
The best type of chainmail for you depends on your needs. We offer various types of chainmail and components in our selection, ranging from unriveted mild steel and aluminum to fully riveted 6mm rings. Let’s go over the different options.
Historical Chainmail
Historically, chainmail was always riveted. In this section of the blog, we cover all the options for riveted chainmail.
Not every historical chainmail was made the same way. That’s why we offer different types of chainmail with various ring shapes, inner diameters, and types of rivets.
Flat or Round Rings?
Unlike modern chainmail, historical mail rings were not universally flat, nor were they as round as they are today. The strands of steel were hammered flat, resulting in a semi-flat shape. Today, making such chainmail would cost thousands of euros. Therefore, we offer options for chainmail with either round or flat rings.
Which Type of Rivets?
From the second half of the 14th century, people began experimenting with chainmail (and components) riveted with wedge-shaped rivets. In the 15th and 16th centuries, both types of rivets were used.
Which Ring Diameter?
Not all historical chainmail was made with the same ring diameter. Many were made with rings having an inner diameter of 6 mm. Chainmail with this inner diameter offers better protection against thrusts and is lighter than chainmail made with larger ring diameters. This smaller inner diameter also makes the chainmail more labor-intensive to produce, making it more expensive. For reenactment or historical education purposes, chainmail with ring diameters of 8 or 9 mm is used worldwide.
Mixed Riveted Chainmail
Historically, not every ring was riveted. Mixed riveted chainmail consists of mail rings that are riveted and fully closed rings. The advantage of this construction is that the chainmail is stronger and cheaper than when every ring is individually riveted. There are various types of mixed riveted chainmail.
Flat Rings, Round Rivets
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/hauberk-flat-rings-round-rivets.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/long-hauberk-mixed-flat-rings-round-rivets-8-mm.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/halflong-hauberk-mixed-flat-rings-round-rivets-8mm.html
Flat Rings, Wedge-Shaped Rivets
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/halflong-hauberk-mixed-flat-rings-wedge-rivets-8m.html
Flat Rings, Round Rivets, 6 mm
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/ulfberth-hauberge-mixed-rings-6-mm.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/ulfberth-hauberk-mixed-rings-6-mm.html
Fully Riveted Chainmail
Historically, not every chainmail was made from mixed riveted rings. Therefore, we also offer chainmail where every ring is riveted.
Flat Rings, Round Rivets
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/hauberk-with-mid-length-sleeves-flat-rings-round-r.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/chainmail-haubergeon-john-flat-rings-round-rivets.html
Round Rings, Round Rivets
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/cavalry-hauberk-round-rings-round-rivets.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/long-sleeved-hauberk-round-rings-round-rivets-8-mm.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/hauberk-with-midlength-sleeves-round-rings-round-r.html
Flat Rings, Wedge-Shaped Rivets
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/hauberk-with-long-sleeves-flat-rings-round-rivets.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/halflong-hauberk-flat-rings-wedge-rivets-8mm.html
Flat Rings, Round Rivets, 6 mm
Modern Chainmail
Not everyone needs an expensive replica chainmail shirt. That’s why more affordable options have been developed, for example, to improve wearability.
Unriveted Chainmail
Unriveted chainmail is much cheaper than riveted chainmail because it does not require riveting. These chainmails are ideal for beginners, festivals, LARP, or fantasy events where riveted mail is unnecessary.
In our selection, you will find two types of unriveted chainmail:
1, Unriveted Mild Steel. This is the cheapest option and can be comfortably worn all day. However, it does not offer the same protection as riveted chainmail.
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/cavalry-haubergeon-blackened.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/cavalry-haubergeon-mild-steel.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/cavalry-hauberk-black-mild-steel.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/chainmail-byrnie-shirt-butted-steel-round-rings-ge.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/hauberk-with-mid-length-sleeves-bronzed-8-mm.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/chainmail-haubergeon-david-butted-round-rings-bron.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/short-sleeved-hauberk-zinc-plated-9-mm.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/chainmail-haubergeon-butted-round-rings-galvanized.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/chainmail-hauberk-black-butted-round-rings.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/cavalry-hauberk-mild-steel.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/long-sleeved-hauberk-zinc-plated-9-mm.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/chainmail-hauberk-galvanized-butted-round-rings.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/chainmail-haubergeon-butted-round-rings-bronzed.html
2, Unriveted Spring Steel. These chainmails are made from tougher rings. They are unriveted but provide a cost-effective alternative for beginners in reenactment or those wanting a historically styled composition without spending too much on chainmail.
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/long-sleeved-hauberk-8-mm.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/hauberk-with-mid-length-sleeves-8-mm.html
Aluminum Chainmail
If you want to reduce weight, for instance, on a film set or during LARP, aluminum chainmail is ideal. These chainmails are made from riveted rings and closely resemble historical originals, but the weight can be reduced by as much as one-third.
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/aluminium-hauberk-john-riveted.html
Aluminum Chainmail with Rubber Rings
As a development of aluminum chainmail, versions have been created that mix aluminum and rubber rings. The rubber rings make the chainmail stretchable, and the combination makes the chainmail even lighter than standard aluminum chainmail.
Choosing the right type of chainmail depends on your specific needs. As specialists, we are always available to help you make the right choice.
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/half-sleeves-chainmail-shirt-haubergeon-butted-rou.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/chainmail-hauberk-shirt-butted-id-10-mm-round-rubb.html