A Brief History of Medieval Chainmail Armor

The wearing of chain mail and body armor is an effective means of protection in the battle and war for centuries. Its use goes back to the Greeks and early roman empire where warriors and legionnaires donned metal plate and mail armor. The medieval era knights recalled for their largest medieval armor and battle shields in brilliant colors. But a knight of the belt is more than protection. It reflected his status and lifestyle.

The development of chain mail and armor by Maximilian era was a direct response to the improvement of the weapons of the time. As weapons were developed, the thickness of the battle shields and armor of the knights. The period of armor plate runs from about the beginning of 1300 until about the middle of the late 1500's.

In the medieval period, the development of a few pieces of plate on all packs of heavily edited works of art made of metal. Until that time, chain-mail is the most common and effective type of body armor. Mail weighed about the same as whole-plate style. The average weight of approximately 45 to 55 pounds. But a well-made suit armor plate was comfortable for the user, because it could be more evenly distributed over her body. The mid fourteen century was the time taken knights wore both types of body armor. Middle of the sixteenth century, a knight in full plate armor was surprisingly agile for proper fit on the carrier.

The emergence of modern weapon spelled the swan song for full body armament although body armor is worn even today in modern form, such as kevlar (tm) vests and so on. Also we still romanticize this period of European history. The medieval knight is, and in our thoughts and impressions from the medieval period.