| Belladonna Bane's Chain Maille Page | |||||||||||||||||
| The History of Chain Maille Armour |
The history of chainmaile has long been thought, in error, to be of Germanic origin. However, the credit must go to the Celts. As early as the 5th Century BC, chainmaille was found, amoung other artifacts, in only the richest of the Celtic chieftan's grave sites. To date no complete suit has been recovered. THe use of chainmaile body armor by the Celts is shown in the small number of archaeological finds and representations. After the Roman conquest in the free Celtic world, chainmaile suits were still only available to those in high power or of high wealth. Based on word derivation, it is likely that the Germans learned chainmaile from the Celts. It is very likely that the use of formed metal rings fashioned together into maille armor was the first made in a Celtic armoury not a German one. In the chainmaile findings, it appears that two distinct methods of construction were used. The first method used punched out rings in an alternating pattern with the rings butted together. The second method used rings which were rivited together. The Germans later perfected the rivited method by making special tools for shaping and riviting. If you study the German word for chainmaile- brunne, it is likely derived from the Celtic word for chainmaile- brunnio. The use of chainmaille declined after 1150 AD, because the chain maille served as poor protection against new, high impact projectile weapons (longbow, crossbow). Maille armour continued to be used as late as the 17th Century. | ||||||||||||||||
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There are many different methods for making chain maille and some are more elaborate than others. The 4 in 1 European method is the easiest for the beginner. The pattern itself may look complex, but when I figured out how to assemble it, I couldn't believe how easy it is. Below in my list of links, there is a wonderful site that will show you how to make your own chain maille using the 4 in 1 method. I hate to leech off of this other website, but I was so impressed by Michel Desjardins instructions and detailed photographs, I figured this would be the best place to take you to learn the method. | The 4 in 1 European Method for Constucting ChainMaille | ||||||||||||||||
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| Great references if you would like to find out more about chaine maille. |
Bookwise, information on chaine maille can be hard to find, but I do have a few reference books for you. Armorer and His Craft, by Ffoulks Balent, Matthew. Weapons & Armour. Detroit, MI : Palladium Books, 1981 Blair, Claude. European Armour c. 1066 to c. 1700. London: B.T. Batsford, Ltd., 1958. Bull, Stephen. An Historical Guide to Arms and Armor. New York: Facts on File, 1991. Edge, David and John Miles Paddock, Arms and Armor of the Midieval Knight. New York: Crescent Books, 1988. Oakeshott, R. Ewart. European Weapons and Armour. North Hollywood, CA: Beinfield Publishing, Inc., 1980. For my own research I conducted an interview with an excellent artisan of Chain Maille, | ||||||||||||||||
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