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 he mail hauberk was a very common type of metal armor. Nicolle states that as early as 400 AD hauberks were worn over a 1 cm. thick quilted shirt. There are also references to hauberks in both Italy and Ireland in the 14th century. Certainly, mail was still being used in the 15th century. As armor progressd from hauberks to a more solid form of armor; the brigandine style, and also plate-type metal armor, the under garments also progressed and changed, reflecting function as well as fashion trends at the time. By the 14th century, a sophisticated padded or quilted garment was well established. Well into the 16th century, fabric garments, plate armor and mail pieces were used together as body protection. In the case of the average foot soldier the padded garment itself served as the sole form of proteciton. Part of the reason for increased use of quilted garments may have been its lighter weight. Additionally it was used by those unable to afford more costly metal armor. Leather was sometimes used interchangeably or together with fabric armor. It may be that the arming coats we know today were actually developed from base garments used in transitional armor and other types of semi-rigid armor. These garments were the structure to which pieces of metal or rigid leather were attached. There is evidence of a quilted lining covered with decorative fabric as part of the 12th - 13th century Middle Eastern hauberk, called the jazerenc. Aketon is a term for a quilted garment, stemming from the Arabic word for cotton --'qutn', which was probably used for the internal 'stuffing' rather than the outer fabric construction. Aketon, acton, auqueton, hacketon, haqueton, wambais, wambesium, wams refer to all the same garment-type. They may have been initially worn under hauberks and were sometimes sleeveless. The word gambeson and pourpoint seemed to refer to a finer looking garment with long sleeves and seemed to begin to replace hauberks in the 13th century (D.Nicolle). Arming doublets were sometimes made of leather and worn as a garment to which armor pieces were attached, they may have been sleeveless. Jacks were body armor with either padding or inserted plates.Embleton quotes an informative ordinance from Louis XI of France, c. 1470; "And first they must have for the said jacks, thirty or at least twenty-five, folds of cloth, and a stag's skin being the best cloth that has been worn and rendered flexible, is best for this purpose, and these jacks should be made in four quarters. The sleeves should be as strond as the body, with the exception of the leather, and the arm-hole (assiette) of the sleeve must be large, which arm-hole should be place near the shoulder, that it may be broad under the arm-pit and full under the arm, sufficiently ample and large on the sides below. The collar should be like the rest of the jack, but not made too high behine, to allow room for the salade. This jack should be lace in front, and under the opening must be a hanging piece (porte piece)of the same strength as the jack itself. Thus the jack will be secure and easy, provided there be a pourpoint without sleeves or collar of two folds of cloth, that shall be only four fingers broad on the shoulder; to which pourpoint shall be attached the hose. Thus shall the wearer float, as it were, within his jack, and be at his ease; for never have been seen half-a-dozen men killed by stabs or arrow wounds in such jacks, particularly if they be troops accustomed to fighting."In this particularly lengthy quote, the wearer has two garments on, the multi-layered jack, and a sleeveless, perhaps unpadded garment underneath, to which the legs are tied. Apparently there are many examples of this type of armor to be found in paintings by H. Memling. Embleton also speaks of a 15th century quote describing a button-hole jack: "He shall have no shirt upon him, but a doublet of fustian lined with satin, cut full of holes. The doublet must be strongly bound where the points are set about the great (part) fo the arm, and the gusset of mail must be sewed to the doublet at the bend of the arm. The arming points must be made of fine twine such as men used to make strings for crossbows..." So here we have a doublet made of heavy fabric wit hundreds of eyelets sewn into it all over the body. Jupon, jupel, gipon (14-15th c.) were tight fitting, sleeveless garments often embroidered heraldically. (surcoat) Leni croich was scotch armor, a padded or quilted garment made from 24 els of yellow cloth.This sounds to me like an Embleton jack described above. |
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