From the Ordonnances des Métiers de Paris of 1296 and 1311 we get some further information on the contruction of "gamboison".

The 1296 reference says that you should halve "telé" (canvas) closest to the body, and outside that "coton et de plois des toiles" (folded cotton in many layers) as well as "d'escroes", which means "strips/remnants of cloth". On the outside the armour should be "Sendal", the lowest quality silk. It stresses the thickness of the cotton layers.

In the 1311 version, textile armour are called "cote gamboisée" - "garments sewn through".

The Chronicon colmariense of 1296 (also french) has the following passage: ”armati reputabantur qui galeas ferreas in capitibus habebant, et qui wambasia, id est, tunicam spissam ex lino stuppa, vel veteribus pannis consutam, et desuper camisiam ferream, id est vestem ex circulis ferreis contextam”. I.e. a "wambasia" is a thick tunic of linen or "stuppa", sewn together, or sewn together of smaller pieces.

So the french certainly layered their textile armour.

Dan, this might be evidence for Langobard lamellar: http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB3/viewto...mp;t=69048

Don't know if this has been shown here before. I just found it on tforum. Middle Eastern leather armour: http://www.tforum.info/forum/index.php?showtopic=936 Bottom three links.

I was referring to the Decorative plate from the helmet of 6th century Lombard King Agilulf.

Dan,

I have never seen any period connotations fro stuffed being layered. Do you know of any?

RPM

Jonathan Dean mentioned this on AA. It's John of Salisbury's description of light-armed english fighting the welsh:

"He decided, in other words, to campaign with a light armament shod with boots, their chests protected with straps of a very tough hide, carrying small round shields to ward off missiles, and using as their offensive weapons javelins and a pointed sword."

https://books.google.com/books?id=TGA_uAFuPXoC&pg=PA104&lpg=PA104&dq=john+of+salisbury+a+light+armament+shod+with+boots&source=bl&ots=-hCpUJHAJb&sig=ACfU3U1zJe-MTMeTG7bSQifiJnEdctJt4g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiw29qojffiAhWh2FkKHaV3DnwQ6AEwAXoECAcQAQ

That does sound like leather armour.

It is a definite contender but a lot of old translations are pretty dodgy. We need to see the passage in the original language.

Cum ergo gentis cognosceret leuitatem, quasi pari certamine militiam eligens expeditam, cum eis censuit congrediendum leuem exercens armaturam, peronatus incedens, fasciis pectus et praeduro tectus corio, missilibus eorum leua obiectans ancilia et in eos contorquens nunc spicula, nunc mucronem exerens, sic fugientium uestigiis inherebat ut premeretur

Ioannis Saresberiensis episcopi Carnotensis Policratici, Volume 2, ed. by Clement C.J. Webb, 1909, p19

There's also Wace's Roman de Rou

Alquanz orent boenes coiriees, qu'il ont a lor uentres liées; plusors orent uestu gambais, colures orent ceinz et tarchais;

(Maistre Wace's Roman de Rou et des ducs de Normandie, ed. by Hugo Andresen, 1877, p334-335)

and Walter Map

Rex noster eciam Henricus secundus ab omnibus terris suis arcet hereseos noue dampnosissimam sectam, que scilicet ore confitetur de Christo quicquid et nos, sed factis multorum milium turmis, quas ruttas uocant, armati penitus a uertice ad plantas corio, calibe, fustibus et ferro monasteria, uillas, urbes in fauillas redigunt, adulteria uiolenter et sine deletu perpetrant, pleno corde dicentes 'Non est Deus'.

(De nugis curialium ed. and tr. M. R. James, C. N. L. Brooke, and R. A. B. Mynors. 1983, p118)

From about the same time.

From "fasciis pectus et praeduro tectus corio" I'm getting "covered chest with very tough leather."

I found something interesting. Corium, corietum and corietis. These seem to be some kind of leather armour. Here a corietis or stiched tunic is recommended for a duel: https://books.google.com/books?id=SzZFAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA214&lpg=PA214&dq=corietis&source=bl&ots=SF-_CDwQbY&sig=ACfU3U1m6n6q2fqHhjWTW5KZ_LF84hLwtA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwii6Iy3xfriAhXJwVkKHfHiCDYQ6AEwCHoECAUQAQ#v=onepage&q=corietis&f=false

Here is the translation for Wace: https://books.google.com/books?id=bV8EAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA172#v=onepage&q&f=false Not sure how accurate it is.

Wace describing the Irish in Roman De Brut: "His men were naked to their adversaries, having neither helmets nor coats of leather nor shields."

Some more info on leather armour here: https://www.reddit.com/r/badhistory/comments/8v1gai/the_real_truth_about_leather_armour/
He has another mention of leather armour in the Chronique des Ducs de Normandie, written between 1180-1200.

Cuir bouilli in Froissart:

Book IV Chapter III

The Saracens were much afraid of the Genoese crossbows: they shielded themselves as well as they could against their bolts, but they are not armed so strongly as the Christians; for they know not the art to forge armour like theirs, nor have they workmen who could make such. Iron and steel are not commen among them; and they wear light targets hanging on their necks, covered with boiled leather from Cappadocia, that no spear can penetrate if the leather has not been overboiled.

Original: https://books.google.com/books?id=4LVdAAAAcAAJ&pg=PP272#v=onepage&q&f=false

Froissart was pretty biased. We know that Middle Eastern smiths were as good as European ones. The arms and armour of the upper classes on both sides were pretty similar.