Chain Mail and Ring Mail

Also referred to as ring mail (not to be confused with ring armor, which consisted of metal rings individually sewn to a cloth or leather garment). Chain mail refers to a protective armor constructed of multiple interlinking chains. Chain mail was seen as early as the bronze age in areas such as Parthia and Scythia (in the middle east). Originally an Asian invention, there is no discernible date as to when chain mail arrived in Europe. Chain mail was used extensively in Europe from the 11th to the 13th centuries when plate mail became more common.

   The crafting of chain mail was an expensive, laborious process. Since the process of wire-drawing wasn’t invented until the 14th century, during the period when chain mail was most popular the wire from which each link was cut had to be hammered out of a larger block of metal. In this process, long strips of metal (usually steel) were hammered out, twisted around a rod, then cut to equal-sized links. The ends of the links would then be flattened out and pierced. As the links were hooked together in the garment, the link ends were riveted or welded together (welding was more of an Oriental approach). The chain links on the wall paper here are good examples of the riveted links style.

   Chain mail could be fashioned into a garment for virtually any part of the body: camails and coifs for the head and neck, chain hauberks for the body, mail gloves for the hands, and mail footings and leggings for the feet and legs, respectively. Chain mail offered excellent protection against cutting blows, was lighter than solid plate armor, but was more easily pierced during combat. Double mail, a version of chain mail armor, was identical to simple chain mail except that two links were used for every one in single mail construction. Double mail offered greater protection to the wearer but was, obviously, doubly heavy.