The hauberk maker
All along the XII-XIII century, the mail armour was definitely the most common protective armour in Western Europe.
This type of armour, called hauberk or chain mail, was made up of iron intertwined rings which arranged a real metal dress wore up by the Middle Ages soldiers.
The chain mail is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh, formerly used as protective clothing for the soldiers during the battles.
Its invention is commonly credited to the Celts in the IV century before Christ, then it’s been adopted by the Romans but the chain mail spread to the Asian and North African culture too.
It could be used as an armour itself or in addition to other protective clothes.
The earliest example of a chain mail discovered in Europe is bearing the date of III century before Christ: it’s an iron chain mail found in a Celtic necropolis in Slovakia, close to Horný Jatov.
According to the Latin historian Marcus Terentius Varro, the most part of contemporary historians agree to credit the Celts as the first people who manufactured the iron strings as the mail way, in order to obtain a protective equipment for the torso, from shoulders to thighs, solid and elastic at the same time, in order to guard the soldier from being hit by swords, lances and javelins.
This particular type of armour proved the prestigious abilities of iron manufacturing by the tradesman coming from La Tène’s culture.
In Europe, the chain mails were mainly destined to the Heavy dragoon regiments belonging to the nobles’ clique between IV and III century before Christ, when the Celtic armed groups spread all over the continent, reaching the Mediterranean Sea and the Anatolian Peninsula.
The mail armour was then used by the Romans, who followed the barbarian model and developed its production on a large scale for the legionnaires.
The Roman armour was stronger than the thoracic armour in the Bronze age and cheaper than the bronze plates processed in the shape of a human torso and used by the officials who loved the Greek school luxury.
The result of this evolution is the lorica hamata used by the Roman army from the Punic wars up to the V century.
In the Middle ages the chain mail was the support or the armoury, both for men and for horses.
From the XIV century, the chain mail begin to be replaced by the plate armour, first as a link and a support of all plates, then in 1400 as a supplemental protection for the dangerous spots, such as in the arms and other very delicate part of the body.
In the XVI century the mail acquire an optional function, but today it is still used by the butchers to protect themselves from self-inflicted injury while cutting meat.
The whole armour is made of different parts, each one aimed to protect a specific part of the body.
The hauberk maker dresses up the soldier by covering the torso, the arms, the thighs and sometimes even the head, since there can be a sort of hood connected to the armour called aventail or camail.
To protect the hands, there were mail gloves called mittens, which can be separated or attached to the armour sleeves.
They used to protect their legs by wearing some kind of leggings called chausses that covered the legs completely or sometimes just the front part, since it was more exposed to be beaten.
In the Middle ages, The hauberk maker was a sort of gunsmith who made sophisticated protective armours. Since it was a very specialized work, it was largely considered an exclusive job for only a few selected workshops.
the creation process began by heating an iron plate, then extended and stretched through smaller and smaller holes formed into pre-shaped blocks of metal.
When they reach the desired diameter, they twisted the string on a circle in order to obtain the spring, and by cutting its coils they obtained the rings that were part of the armour.
The assembly consisted in twisting the rings and closed them one to each other: it was necessary to overlie the rings one over the other and, once they were compressed, they perforate a small hole and put a rivet on it.
In this way, every single ring was stronger and cut-resistant from weapons and arrows shot from any distance.
This type of armour, called hauberk or chain mail, was made up of iron intertwined rings which arranged a real metal dress wore up by the Middle Ages soldiers.
The chain mail is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh, formerly used as protective clothing for the soldiers during the battles.
Its invention is commonly credited to the Celts in the IV century before Christ, then it’s been adopted by the Romans but the chain mail spread to the Asian and North African culture too.
It could be used as an armour itself or in addition to other protective clothes.
The earliest example of a chain mail discovered in Europe is bearing the date of III century before Christ: it’s an iron chain mail found in a Celtic necropolis in Slovakia, close to Horný Jatov.
According to the Latin historian Marcus Terentius Varro, the most part of contemporary historians agree to credit the Celts as the first people who manufactured the iron strings as the mail way, in order to obtain a protective equipment for the torso, from shoulders to thighs, solid and elastic at the same time, in order to guard the soldier from being hit by swords, lances and javelins.
This particular type of armour proved the prestigious abilities of iron manufacturing by the tradesman coming from La Tène’s culture.
In Europe, the chain mails were mainly destined to the Heavy dragoon regiments belonging to the nobles’ clique between IV and III century before Christ, when the Celtic armed groups spread all over the continent, reaching the Mediterranean Sea and the Anatolian Peninsula.
The mail armour was then used by the Romans, who followed the barbarian model and developed its production on a large scale for the legionnaires.
The Roman armour was stronger than the thoracic armour in the Bronze age and cheaper than the bronze plates processed in the shape of a human torso and used by the officials who loved the Greek school luxury.
The result of this evolution is the lorica hamata used by the Roman army from the Punic wars up to the V century.
In the Middle ages the chain mail was the support or the armoury, both for men and for horses.
From the XIV century, the chain mail begin to be replaced by the plate armour, first as a link and a support of all plates, then in 1400 as a supplemental protection for the dangerous spots, such as in the arms and other very delicate part of the body.
In the XVI century the mail acquire an optional function, but today it is still used by the butchers to protect themselves from self-inflicted injury while cutting meat.
The whole armour is made of different parts, each one aimed to protect a specific part of the body.
The hauberk maker dresses up the soldier by covering the torso, the arms, the thighs and sometimes even the head, since there can be a sort of hood connected to the armour called aventail or camail.
To protect the hands, there were mail gloves called mittens, which can be separated or attached to the armour sleeves.
They used to protect their legs by wearing some kind of leggings called chausses that covered the legs completely or sometimes just the front part, since it was more exposed to be beaten.
In the Middle ages, The hauberk maker was a sort of gunsmith who made sophisticated protective armours. Since it was a very specialized work, it was largely considered an exclusive job for only a few selected workshops.
the creation process began by heating an iron plate, then extended and stretched through smaller and smaller holes formed into pre-shaped blocks of metal.
When they reach the desired diameter, they twisted the string on a circle in order to obtain the spring, and by cutting its coils they obtained the rings that were part of the armour.
The assembly consisted in twisting the rings and closed them one to each other: it was necessary to overlie the rings one over the other and, once they were compressed, they perforate a small hole and put a rivet on it.
In this way, every single ring was stronger and cut-resistant from weapons and arrows shot from any distance.