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Chainmail Hauberk – Butted High Tensile Wire Rings – Lord of Battles

(4 customer reviews)

$119.99$159.99

This hauberk is made from links of high tensile steel wire that have been butted together end to end. The rings are left uncoated. Belt is not included.

The hauberk was a widely used defense among dark age and Medieval warriors. Hauberk comes from the Old Frankish word halsberg which originally is a reference to a mail item that protects the throat. Before the advent of partial plate armor in the high middle ages, it was common for the nobles and professional warriors of Europe to wear hauberks such as these as their primary armor – Such as the Norman Knights of the Bayeux Tapestry.

Though the inventors of mail are in dispute, the top contenders are the 3rd Century BCE Celtic tribes who resided in modern day Romania, or the Etruscans of the Italian Peninsula. The Roman historian Varro attributes its creation to the Celts. No armor may be as cross-cultural and ubiquitous as mail, for it spread beyond Europe to the Middle East, India and onwards to Japan – a testament to its usefulness

Essentially a metal mesh, the links dissipate the force of impacts and provide excellent defense against cuts and slashes, though a strong penetrating impact from armor piercing weapons, arrows and bolts could reliably split links apart. Chainmail was often paired with fabric or leather based armors beneath for additional protection, particularly for the absorption of blunt impact. When the mail defense was penetrated however, broken links could be forced into the wound, seeding it for infection. This drawback however was apparently not enough to discourage its ever-increasing use until the relatively late age of better plate armor

The process of creating mail is labor intensive – hundreds of man hours to create a mail tunic. Metal wire must be wrapped around a wooden form, cut and then knitted into shape, usually being riveted through flattened ends previously pounded flat. In contrast to most cultures, the Japanese Kusari armor was not riveted, they simply pressed the two ends together. This is called butting the mail. Numerous different pattern methods of linking the mail together exist, changing to suit local tastes and times throughout history.

Though timely to create, mail could last for decades – the natural movement of the rings clears them of most rust, and it can be repaired with additional links, often scavenged from foes after conflict. It was expensive until the high middle ages, though we can see that wealthy and well-equipped soldiers in antiquity, such as the Celts and the Roman Legionaries wore mail tunics. The elite Cataphract cavalry of the Sassanid Persians were often covered head to toe in mail, likewise their well-armored horses – making them into tanks of the Classical Era. In later centuries we see the Norman knights and their counterparts of the early Middle Ages being covered head to toe in mail links. By the high middle ages the cost of mail began to drop several times over as armoring workshops and guilds began to utilize a production line method of crafting – no longer would a single armorer create his piece from start to finish, but a team would specialize their labors into limited, repetitive tasks. In England this change caused a 4 to 8 fold decrease in the cost of mail, making it no longer a defense affordable only to the wealthy or professional soldiery.

IMPORTANT SIZING TIP: To accurately measure whether you will comfortably fit into this coat of mail it is necessary to first wear the clothing or padded gambeson that you intend to wear beneath the chainmail. Then measure your chest size over these additional layers. This way the additional width of your chest with these accumulated layers is accounted for when determining if the mail will fit properly.

Gauge [16 Gauge]
TypeMail Hauberk
MaterialHigh Tensile Steel
ManufacturerLord Of Battles
Country of OriginIndia

Lord of Battles KNIGHT GENERAL

4 reviews for Chainmail Hauberk – Butted High Tensile Wire Rings – Lord of Battles

  1. Joseph

    Heavy, but smelly The chainmail shipped very quickly, looks great, but very heavy, the head hole is kind of small and if you’re not wearing a cap or hood it will catch in your hair, it’s also covered in machine oil and darkens everything it touches, WHich means whatever you wear with it, you better make sure it’s something that can be washed or dont mind dirtying, Otherwise it’s very good for the price, fits the form very well and allows very good range of movement, once it’s on it’s not that heavy, but it is a bitch to take on and off, I had to get two people to help me remove it the first time I tried it on.

  2. Dan

    Looks awesome, very heavy! Overall this is a great value for a mail hauberk, especially given the exorbitant price that is usually demanded of mail armor. This armor is much cheaper because it is butted. This means a lot less work for the artisan. Butted mail is not historically accurate and not as durable as riveted mail, so it is best used for costumes and is acceptable for larp, but is not recommended for reenactment or those who demand historical authenticity.
    This mail is heavily oiled to avoid rust and the mild steel has a powerful metallic smell. Be careful as you put this hauberk on as the butted ring ends may cut your fingers like they did mine. Also, the oil will get all over your hands and under your nails. I wore this with a gambeson and tabard and the oil did not stain either garment.
    It arrived as a big lump wrapped in many layers of bubble wrap and shrink wrap and took some time to open.
    This hauberk is HEAVY – you will definitely feel the weight when you are wearing it. I had a difficult time lifting my arms past my shoulders, so unless you are accustomed to wearing heavy armor or are an athlete who lifts weights, you will definitely find mobility in this mail a challenge. If you are going to do any kind of fighting or reenactment in it I suggest training in it to get accustomed to the weight!

  3. John D.

    Good value I am happy with this mail . Yes it is heavy and had to be washed in the tub with dish soap to remove the large amount of oil that came on it . I am a 42″ chest and 46″ chest with gambeson . A little hard to get on , got it on by myself the first time , but there were a few moments where I had some doubts about it going on . The large size was a tailored fit for me . I feel this is about as good as butted mail gets !

  4. Anna

    Good buy Very heavy, looks nice, would give 5 stars if it wasn’t for a few rings that were undone and got entangled with other rings. Other than that this mail is everything I expected. Great purchase.

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