European Mail Armor

Timeline

1. 1200–1350Northern Europe and the German lands · German landsIn the 13th and 14th centuries European armor workshops developed techniques of riveting iron rings and mixing dissimilar metals; mail covering the torso, limbs, and head and neck became standard equipment for the knightly class, and spread to Eastern Europe with the Crusades and trade.
2. 1370–1390Western Europe · Western EuropeIn the 1380s Western European knights and elite infantry still relied primarily on hauberk-style mail for protection, covered by a surcoat or early plate pieces. Against crossbow bolts and blunt weapons, mail had to be worn with thick padded armor; tombs and murals reflect the typical equipment of the period.
3. 1390–1450Northern Italy · ItalyIn the early 15th century armorers in Milan, Nuremberg, and elsewhere combined large steel plates with mail, creating transitional forms such as brigandine and white armour, with mail gradually reduced to joint articulation and lining of vital areas.