[image] Chainmail (also chain mail, chain maille, or just mail or maille) is a type of Armour or jewelry that consists of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. Mail can generally be punctured by a Spear or shorn by the blow from a heavy Axe or Sword (although riveted chainmail is much stronger), and its flexibility means that its wearer is still vulnerable to blunt weapons. Nevertheless, it was an effective and popular defense for its ability to stop cutting weapons from piercing the skin. Medieval physicians could usually set broken bones, but when it came to preventing Infection they were woefully inadequate. Thus the mail was weak in defending against wounds which could be more easily mended but strong against those to which the soldier was most vulnerable. The word chainmail is of relatively recent coinage, having been in use only since the 1700s, prior to this it was refered to simply as mail .
The word itself refers to the armour material, not the garment made from it. A shirt made from mail is Hauberk, if knee-length; haubergeon if waist-length. Mail socks are called chausses, mail hood as coif and mail mittens as mitons'. A mail collar hanging from a helmet is camail.
Mail was invented some time in the mid 1st millennium BC, but it is unknown where and by whom it was first used. It may have been invented independently in Japan and in Europe. The earliest finds altogether are from 5th century BC Scythian graves. Etruscan or Celtic examples date to ca. the 3rd century BC. The Greek term, Cataphract, came to be associated with heavy Cavalry (as opposed to light mounted archers). The Roman Empire first came into contact with mail when it invaded Gaul, and the Roman army soon adopted the technology for their secondary troops in the form of the Lorica hamata. The use of mail was prominent throughout the High Middle Ages, and reached its apex in the 13th century, when full body suits of mail armour were developed.
In the 14th century, Plate armour began to replace mail. It could still be seen after this point being worn by those who could not afford plate, however, and it was also common to wear a shirt of mail beneath plate armour to protect the joints and the Groin.
Several patterns of linking the rings together have been known since ancient times, with the most common being the 1-to-4 pattern (where each ring is linked with four others). In Europe, the 1-to-4 pattern was almost completely dominant, with 1-to-6 being seen very rarely. In East Asia (primarily Japan), mail was also common, but here several more patterns were utilized and an entire nomenclature developed around them. In the Middle East, yet other patterns were developed and often combined with metal plates linked in with the rings.
Historically, the rings composing a piece of mail would be riveted shut, to reduce the chance of the rings splitting open when subjected to a thrusting attack or a hit by an arrow. Some pieces were made of alternating rows of riveted and solid rings of steel punched from a sheet.
In modern re-enactment (such as that of the Society for Creative Anachronism) and live action role-playing games (LARPs), suits of mail and mail jewlery are hand-made from rings of wire. They may or may not be welded or soldered but are rarely riveted. They may also be made of split sprung steel washers. Usually two pairs of pliers are used to bend the washers open and closed while "knitting" the mail. The resulting mail is usually heavier than traditional wire-wound mail, but very durable.
Today, there are machines which knit metal wires to produce protective mail, usually with rings welded together, for use in protective clothing for butchers (against meat-packing equipment) and scuba divers (against shark teeth). There is also anecdotal evidence to suggest that mail is superior to heavy leather for protecting motorcyclists from injury should they be thrown from their motorcycles.
Mail also has applications in sculpture and jewelry, especially when made out of precious metals or colorful anodized metals. Recent trends in mail artwork include headdresses, Christmas ornaments, chess sets, and all manner of jewelry. For these non-traditional applications, hundreds of new weaves or patterns have been invented.
Chainmail suits are also used as protection from high voltages - they form a Faraday cage around the wearer.