Hauberk; mail shirt

Mail armour was the main type of metal body armour worn in battle from the 4th century BC until the 14th century AD, though it persisted in use until the 16th century. Mail is made up of small rings, in most cases closed using an iron rivet (an average of 28,000 rings was used in a mail shirt like this). Making mail is very labour intensive and so, in the medieval period, it was very expensive. Most soldiers were simply equipped with a thick padded jacket called a ‘gambeson’. By the 14th century, advances in metal-working made plate armour cheaper to produce. Plate armour became increasingly necessary due to developments in weapons which meant that soldiers needed greater protection. Mail began to be worn under a breast plate but was entirely replaced by plate armour at the end of the 16th century.