Chain mail chausses, blackened, 8 mm

Product description

Chainmail chausses were the standard metal leg protection in Europe from the 9th century until the early 14th century. They offered flexible protection against most weapons, but iron plate armor gradually replaced them from the second half of the 13th century. The earliest examples date from the 9th century — including a chainmail-covered foot found in the Kyulevcha catacombs in Bulgaria. Byzantine art depicts calf-length chainmail chausses in Tokali Kilise (10th century) and Karanlik Kilise (11th century). Full chainmail chausses were presumably in use by the early 9th century, spreading via the Danube or Italy — as seen in the Stuttgart Psalter. One of the most famous depictions in Western Europe appears on the Bayeux Tapestry (1066–1083), showing William the Conqueror and other knights wearing them. By around 1200, chainmail chausses were nearly standard equipment for knights and men-at-arms.

Made from 1.6 mm thick butted round rings with an inner diameter of 8 mm, these chain mail chausses feature blackened rings woven by hand in a four-in-one pattern. They measure 118 cm in length, 60 cm across the top, and 46 cm across the bottom. Total weight is about 6 kg.