Mail (also maille, often given as chain mail or chain maille) is a type of armour or jewelry that consists of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. Armour (or armor) is protective covering most commonly manufactured from metals to prevent damage from being inflicted to an individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact Mail armour provided a highly effective defense against the weapons of the Medieval Period. Tests conducted by the Royal Armoury at Leeds concluded that, "it is almost impossible to penetrate using any conventional medieval weapon. The Royal Armouries houses the British national collection of arms and armour "[1] This construction can ward off a slashing blow by an edged weapon and penetration by thrusting and piercing weapons, preventing the point from cutting through to the skin. A blade is the flat part of a Tool, Weapon, or Machine (such as a fan) that normally has a cutting edge and/or pointed end typically made The flexibility of mail meant that a blow would often injure the wearer, potentially causing fractures or serious bruising. It is to be considered however, that most Medieval physicians and physicians of earlier time periods could usually set broken bones, and the mail prevented more serious, infection-prone injuries. For contemporary medicine practiced outside of Europe see Islamic medicine, Byzantine medicine, Traditional Chinese medicine, and Ayurveda A bone fracture (sometimes abbreviated # or Fx or Fx) is a medical condition in which a Bone is cracked or broken However, fractures and extensive bruising did kill warriors as well. The word chainmail is of relatively recent coinage, having been in use only since the 1700s; prior to this it was referred to simply as mail. [2]
The word itself refers to the armour material, not the garment made from it. A shirt made from mail is a hauberk if knee-length, haubergeon if mid-thigh length, and byrnie if waist-length. A hauberk is a shirt of mail Armour. The term is usually used to describe a shirt reaching at least to mid-thigh and including sleeves A hauberk is a shirt of mail Armour. The term is usually used to describe a shirt reaching at least to mid-thigh and including sleeves Mail leggings are called chausses, mail hoods coif and mail mittens mitons. Chausses (ʃoʊs French:) are armour for the legs usually made from mail. A coif (ˈkɔɪf is a close fitting cap that covers the top back and sides of the head worn by all classes in England and Scotland from the A mail collar hanging from a helmet is camail or aventail. An aventail or camail is a flexible curtain of Chainmail on a Helmet, that extends to cover the neck and shoulders A mail collar worn strapped around the neck was called a pixane or standard. It should be understood that this is not like a modern collar that wraps around the throat and back of neck but is rather a very small poncho in that it drapes over the shoulders and covers the breast and upper back. A poncho is a simple garment designed to keep the body warm or if made from a watertight material to keep dry during Rain.
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History
Mail was invented some time in the mid 1st millennium BC, but it is unknown where and by whom it was first used. The 1st millennium BC encompasses the Iron Age and sees the rise of successive empires It may have been invented independently in East Asia and in Europe. The earliest finds are from a 4th century BC (Rusu, M. The 4th century BC started the first day of 400 BC and ended the last day of 301 BC. , “Das Keltische Fuerstengrab von Ciumeşti in Rumaenien”, Germania 50, 1969, pp. 267-269) Celtic chieftain's burial located in Ciumeşti, Romania. Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts It is believed that the Roman Republic first came into contact with mail fighting the Gauls in Cisalpine Gaul, now Northern Italy. The Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a Republican form of government a period which began with the overthrow of the Cisalpine Gaul ( Latin: Gallia Cisalpina, meaning " Gaul on this side of the Alps " was the Roman name for a geographical area (later Related categories Central Italy Southern Italy Insular Italy Northeast Italy The Roman army adopted the technology for their troops in the form of the lorica hamata which was used as a primary form of armour through the Imperial period. The lorica hamata is a type of mail armour used by the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire.
The use of mail was prominent throughout the Dark Ages, High Middle Ages and Renaissance, and reached its apex in Europe, in terms of coverage, during the 13th century, when mail covered the whole body. This article is about the phrase "Dark Age(s" as a characterization of the Early Middle Ages in Western Europe The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere
The primary drawback of mail is that the flexibility of mail made them a poor defense against head trauma, since injuries like skull fractures and brain damage could be inflicted simply by force transferred by a weapon that did not pierce the mail. This was the reason why mail-clad warriors wore separate, often rigid, helms over (or sometimes under) their mail hoods or coifs to better deflect or absorb this force rather than rely solely on mail for head protection.
In the 14th century, plate armour began to supplement mail. Plate armour is personal Armour made from large Metal plates worn on the Chest and sometimes the entire Body. Eventually mail was supplanted by plate for the most part. However, mail was still widely used by many soldiers as well as brigandines and padded jacks. A brigandine, a form of body Armour, is a cloth garment generally Canvas or Leather, lined with small oblong steel plates riveted A gambeson (or aketon or padded jack) is a padded defensive Jacket, worn as Armour separately or combined with mail or Plate These three types of armour made up the bulk of the equipment used by soldiers with mail being the most expensive. It was quite often more expensive than plate armour. [3] A mail shirt interwoven between two layers of fabric is called jazzeraint, and can be worn as protective clothing.
Extant mail is common, but it is not proportionately represented in museum collections.
The Japanese used mail (kusari) in a limited fashion in armour beginning during the Nambokucho period (1336-1392). Two primary weave methods were used: a square 4-in-1 pattern (so gusari) and a hexagonal 6-in-1 pattern (hana gusari). Kusari was typically made with rings that were much smaller than their European counterparts, and on a much smaller scale - rather than creating full garments of mail, small sections were used to link together plates and to drape over vulnerable areas such as the underarm. The rings were not welded shut, though some pieces were constructed of rings that consisted of two or more turns, similar to the modern split ring commonly used on keychains. The rings were lacquered to prevent rusting, and was always stitched onto a backing of cloth or leather. The kusari was sometimes concealed entirely between layers of cloth or leather.
Etymology
The word chainmail is a pleonasm and a neologism: in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, "mail", "mayle" or chain was the English name for it, while maille was the common French name for it. Pleonasm is the use of more Words (or even word-parts) than necessary to express an Idea clearly A neologism (from Greek neo = "new" + logos = "word" is a word that although devised relatively recently in a specific time period has been The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people This—and the alternative spellings "maile" and "maille"—derive through the Italian maglia, from the Latin macula, meaning "mesh of a net". Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Spanish corresponding word is malla and Portuguese malha. Cymric term lluric refers to Latin lorica.
Many modern armourers prefer the French spelling "Maille" in order to avoid confusion with the term chain letter for "chainmail" or postal delivery for "mail". A typical chain letter consists of a Message that attempts to induce the recipient to make a number of copies of the letter and then pass them on to as many recipients
Manufacture
Several patterns of linking the rings together have been known since ancient times, with the most common being the 4-to-1 pattern (where each ring is linked with four others). In Europe, the 4-to-1 pattern was completely dominant. Mail was also common in East Asia, primarily Japan, with several more patterns being utilized and an entire nomenclature developing around them. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics.
Historically, in Europe, from the pre-Roman period on, the rings composing a piece of mail would be riveted closed to reduce the chance of the rings splitting open when subjected to a thrusting attack or a hit by an arrow.
Up until the 14th century European mail was made of alternating rows of both riveted rings and solid rings. After that it was almost all made from riveted rings only. Both would have been made using wrought iron. QtubIronPillarJPG|thumb|right| Iron pillar at Delhi India containing 98% wrought iron]] Wrought iron is commercially pure Iron. Some later pieces were made of wrought steel with an appreciable carbon content that allowed the piece to be heat treated. Wire for the riveted rings was formed by either of two methods. One was to hammer out wrought iron into plates and cut or slit the plates. These thin pieces were then pulled through a draw-plate repeatedly until the desired diameter was achieved. Waterwheel powered drawing mills are pictured in several period manuscripts. A water wheel is a means of extracting power from the flow (or fall of water otherwise known as Hydropower. Another method was to simply forge down an iron billet into a rod and then proceed to draw it out into wire. The solid links would have been made by punching from a sheet. Forge welding was also used to create solid links, but the only known example from Europe is that of the 7th century Coppergate mail drape. Outside of Europe this practice was more common such as the well known "theta" links from India.
Modern recreation
In modern re-creationist and re-enactment societies (such as the Society for Creative Anachronism, Adrian Empire, Regia Anglorum and the Medieval Combat Society) and live action role-playing games (LARPs), suits of mail and mail jewelry are handmade from rings of wire. Society for Creative Anachronism (usually shortened to SCA) is a historical re-creation and Living history group founded in 1966 which Regia Anglorum (Latin for Kingdoms of the English) is a Medieval reenactment organisation dedicated to the re-creation of the life and times of the peoples who A live action role-playing game ( LARP) is a form of Role-playing game where the participants physically act out their characters' actions They may or may not be welded or soldered but are rarely riveted. They may also be made of split sprung steel washers. Usually two pairs of pliers are used to bend the washers open and closed while "knitting" the mail. Many makers may have an apprentice, sometimes called a "ringmonkey", to pre-open or close rings for faster and easier weaving. Apprenticeship is a system of Training a new generation of practitioners of a skill The resulting mail is usually heavier than traditional wire-wound mail, but very durable. When not used for combat, aluminium is sometimes used to reduce the garment's weight by as much two thirds, with a decrease in strength.
Modern butted mail can be made with household tools (cutters, mandrel for wire coiling and pliers for knitting). A mandrel (ˈmændrɨl and also spelled mandril; in American English also called an arbor) is either an object used to shape machined work a Tool Making a hauberk and chausses will take roughly 180 hours. A hauberk is a shirt of mail Armour. The term is usually used to describe a shirt reaching at least to mid-thigh and including sleeves Chausses (ʃoʊs French:) are armour for the legs usually made from mail. Modern mail makers often refer to the size of rings they are working with by the inner diameter, which is approximately equal to the diameter of the rod around which the wire was wrapped to create the rings. Wire thickness is measured in either millimeters, American Wire Gauge or Standard Wire Gauge, or in decimals of an inch to avoid confusion. The Millimetre ( American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to American wire gauge ( AWG) also known as the Brown & Sharpe wire gauge, is a standardized Wire gauge system used since 1857 predominantly In modern mail-makers' terms, mail made of rings with an inner diameter larger than about 10 mm (3/8") are known as "macromaille," whereas mail with rings with an inner diameter smaller than 3 mm (1/8") are known as "micromaille. "
Probably the easiest means of producing mail is to wrap wire around a rod, also called a mandrel, to produce a coil of uniform size and shape. A mandrel (ˈmændrɨl and also spelled mandril; in American English also called an arbor) is either an object used to shape machined work a Tool The mandrel may be turned by hand or driven by a power tool, such as a drill. A drill (from Dutch Drillen) is The coil is then cut into rings. Depending on the material, rings may be cut with a jeweler's saw, a rotary tool with a cut-off blade, mini-bolt cutters, diagonal cutters, aviation or tin snips, or a hack saw. A rotary tool is a hand held Power tool with a variety of rotating accessory bits and attachments that can be used for cutting carving sanding polishing and many other applications Diagonal pliers (or wire cutters or diagonal cutting pliers) are Pliers intended for the Cutting of Wire (they are generally not used Tin snips are tools used to cut thin sheet metal There are two broad categories tinner snips which are similar to common scissors and compound leverage aviation snips which use a A hacksaw is a fine-tooth saw with a Blade under Tension in a frame used for Cutting materials such as Metal or Bone One of the most effective methods, with the cleanest cut, is shearing pliers, which make a very close overlap cut. Stretching the coil slightly before cutting is an easy means of opening a gap in the rings for assembly (with practice, deformation of rings resulting from this stretching can be eliminated). Another way to acquire suitable butted rings is to buy them from a factory that produces springs, as the process is essentially the same.
Recently there has been a movement within the modern reproduction industry to make more historically accurate mail items. The majority of this type of mail is manufactured in India using a form of mass-production, reducing the cost. This style of mail lacks some of the intricacies of the period mail it is meant to replicate. There are a handful of people around the world who are attempting to replicate mail in a more accurate fashion, however this approach is costly.
Protective mail for industrial or other practical applications is knit and welded by machine from wire. However, these machines were largely produced in the 1920s and 1930s and are disappearing as newer materials, like Kevlar knit and fiberglass have displaced mail. Kevlar is the registered Trademark for a light strong para-aramid Synthetic fiber, related to other Aramids such as Nomex and Fiberglass (also called fibreglass and glass fibre see Spelling differences) is material made from extremely fine Fibers of Glass.
Modern uses
Practical uses
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Mail is now used in protective clothing for butchers (against meat-packing equipment), workers may wear up to 8 lb of mail under their white coats. [4] Scuba divers (against shark teeth) and animal control officers (against animal teeth). Shark expert and underwater filmmaker Valerie Taylor was among the first to develop and test the mail suit in 1979 while diving with sharks. Ron Taylor (born March 1934 and Valerie Taylor (born in Sydney 9th November 1936 are prominent Australian Shark and Underwater The British police use mail gloves for dealing with knife-armed aggressors. Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales (administration of Police matters Modern re-enactors of medieval battles and living history also use mail.
During World War I, mail was evaluated as a material for bullet proof vests, but results were unsatisfactory as the rings would fragment and further aggravate the damage. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All A ballistic vest is an item of protective clothing that absorbs the impact from gun-fired Projectiles and shrapnel fragments from explosion A mail fringe, designed by Captain Cruise of the British Infantry, was added to helmets to protect the face but this proved unpopular with soldiers, in spite of being proven to defend against a three-ounce shrapnel round fired at a distance of one hundred yards (92. Shrapnel is the term originally applied to an anti-personnel artillery shell which carried a large number of individual bullets to the target and then ejected them forwards relying 3m).
There is anecdotal evidence to suggest that mail is a viable alternative to heavy leather for protecting motorcyclists from injury should they be thrown from their motorcycles. [5]
Historical re-enactment
Many historical reenactment groups, especially those whose focus is Antiquity or the Middle Ages, commonly use mail both as practical armour and for costuming. "Reenactment" redirects here For the 1968 Romanian film see The Reenactment. "Ancient" redirects here For other uses see Ancient_(disambiguation. Mail is especially popular amongst those groups which use steel weapons. A fighter wearing hauberk and chausses can run, lie, stand up, jump, do somersaults (or even cartwheels), and even swim wearing full armour, depending on the fitness of the wearer. A modern hauberk made from 1. 5 mm diameter wire with 10 mm inner diameter rings weighs roughly 10 kg and contains 15,000–45,000 rings. Mail can be used under everyday clothes and many reenactors wear a hauberk under their regular clothes to accustom themselves to it.
One of the two real drawbacks of mail is the uneven weight distribution; the stress falls mainly on shoulders. Weight can be better distributed by wearing a belt over the mail, which provides another point of support.
Decorative uses
Mail remained in use as a decorative and possibly high-status symbol with military overtones long after its practical usefulness had passed. It was frequently used for the epaulettes of military uniforms. Epaulette (ˈɛpǝlɛt is a French word meaning "little shoulder" (from épaule, meaning "shoulder" It is still used in this form by the British Territorial Army. The Territorial Army ( TA) is the principal and Volunteer reserve force of the British Army, the land armed forces branch of the United Kingdom
Mail also has applications in sculpture and jewelry, especially when made out of precious metals or colorful anodized metals. Anodizing, or anodising, is an electrolytic Passivation process used to increase the thickness of the natural Oxide layer on the surface of metal Recent trends in mail artwork include headdresses, Christmas ornaments, chess sets, and all manner of jewelry. For these non-traditional applications [1], hundreds of new weaves or patterns have been invented. [2]
In film
In some films, knitted string spray-painted with a metallic paint is used instead of actual mail in order to cut down on cost (a notable example being Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which was filmed on a very small budget). Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1975 film written and performed by the comedy group Monty Python ( Graham Chapman, John Cleese Films more dedicated to costume accuracy often use ABS plastic rings, for the lower cost and weight. The term costume can refer to Wardrobe and dress in general or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people class or period Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene or ABS, ( Chemical formula (C8H8· C4H6·C3H3Nn is Thousands of such ABS mail coats were made for the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, in addition to many metal coats. The Lord of the Rings film trilogy consists of three Live action Fantasy Epic films The Fellowship of the Ring ( 2001 The metal coats were used rarely because of their weight, except in close-up filming where the appearance of ABS rings would have been clearly distinguishable.
In Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Tina Turner wore a real metal mail dress. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is a Golden Globe -nominated 1985 film the third installment in the action movie Mad Max franchise Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an eight time Grammy Award -winning American
Weta Tenzan Chain Maille, a division of Wingnut Entertainment, specialises in the production of chain mail (plastic, aluminium and steel) for films. Weta Workshop is a Physical effects company based in Miramar New Zealand, producing effects for Television and Film. Peter Robert Jackson, CNZM (born 31 October 1961 is a three-time Academy Award -winning New Zealand director producer and writer best known for directing
References
- ^ "Medieval Military Surgery", Medieval History Magazine, Vol 1 is 4, December 2003
- ^ Arms & Armour - Mail. Regia Anglorum. Regia Anglorum (Latin for Kingdoms of the English) is a Medieval reenactment organisation dedicated to the re-creation of the life and times of the peoples who Retrieved on 2007-12-05. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations.
- ^ "Armour Purchases and Lists from the Howard Household Books", The Journal of the Mail Research Society, Vol. 1. No. 1, July 2003
- ^ Schlosser, Eric (September 3, 1998). Eric Schlosser (born August 17, 1959) is an award-winning American journalist and Author known for investigative or Muckraking Fast-Food Nation: Meat and Potatoes. Rolling Stone magazine (USA), Issue 794,. Retrieved on 2007-12-05. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations.
- ^ M.A.I.L. - Maille Artisans International League - Life Changing, Life Saving - Submitted by shinyrock
See also
- Scale armour
- Ring mail
- Banded mail
- Plated mail
- Mirror armour (supplementary oriental plates worn with mail)
- Proofing of armour
External links
- Erik D. Schmid/The Mail Research Society
- The Treatment of Mail on an Arm Guard from the Armoury of the Shah Shuja: Ethical Repair and in situ Documentation in Miniature
- Excavated lorica hamata
- The Maille Artisans International League (MAIL) - Hundreds of weaves/tutorials/articles, and gallery pictures
- History Channel: Coat of Mail
- Construction tips
- Ancient Roman originals can be seen on the pages of the Roman Military Equipment Web museum (www. Scale armour (armor, Lorica squamata, lorica plumata consists of many small scales attached to a backing material of either leather or Cloth. Ring mail is a term that was used in the Victorian study of history to refer to personal armour constructed as series of metallic rings sewn to a fabric or leather Banded mail is a composite armor formed by combining the concepts behind the Roman Lorica segmentata with splint mail. Plated mail (sometimes called plated chainmail, splinted mail or splinted chainmail) is a type of mail with embedded plates Mirror armour (Зерцало Zertsalo which means a "mirror" Шар-айна Shar-ayna were айна ayna means a "mirror" too sometimes The proofing of armour refers to the process of testing Armour for its defensive ability most commonly used to historical testing of Plate armour and Chainmail romancoins. info) [3]
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