[R. Monk]

Helloooo again. So dont ask me why my mind has been stuck on this subject (probably because I can't find a historic example), Shin-Length Chainmail armor, who used them? In what Era? How much did they weigh? Is there a benfit over a shorter chainmail shirt with leggings? And does anyone have a picture?

Ever scine I watched a program on armor on the history channel 2 years back (sorry I don't remember the name of it, it had a guy doing cartwheels in plate armor in slo-mo if that narrows it down for anyone out there) a peice they showed has been kicking around it the back of my mind. The best I can describe it is it looked like a robe made out of chainmail, with slits (I'm probably using the wrong term, if it was a man's suit coat I would call them vents) not just of two, like I have seen before of shorter Hauberks, BUT THREE! One in the back and two close together in the front. I believe they said the peice was from a museum in London.

If anyone can offer any information on these things I would greatly appreciate it.

[Richard Fay]

Hello all!

Shin length hauberks seem to be roughly an twelfth-century item. I'll list what I've found in my various books, to give you an idea of examples seen in period art. Most of these come down a bit past the knee, but length does vary.

From Arms and Armour of the Medieval Knight by David Edge and John Miles Paddock:

-12th century warrior from the Hunterian Psalter. The hem of the warrior's hauberk comes to about just past the knee, but the exact spot is obscured by the voluminous tunic the warrior wears beneath the hauberk (you can't see the knight's knees).

-warriors on the "Temple Pyx", circa 1140-50. The figures are slightly elongated, but the mail hauberks definitely come past the knee, perhaps about half-way down the shins. Again, a flowing tunic is worn under the hauberk.

-the knights from a depiction of the Martyrdom Of St. Thomas a Becket in a late 11th century Latin Psalter wear hauberks that come just past the knee, a bit shorter than the others, but longer than the typical hauberk of the 13th century. Again, some sort of garments are worn beneath the hauberks, but shorter as less flowing than the previous examples.

From Ancient Armour & Weapons by John Hewitt:

-as portrayed on their Great Seals, Kings Stephen and Henry II of England both have hauberks that come just past the knee. The hauberk of Richard I appears slightly shorter.

-Goliath as portrayed in the Cottonian Ms., Nero, C. iv, fol. 13, a French manuscript from about 1125, wears a rather long hauberk split up the sides. The "flap" in front seems to come down a bit past his knees.

From Arms & Armour of the Crusading Era 1050-1350 Western Europe and the Crusader States by David Nicolle:

-a warrior depicted on the seal of the city of Siossons, France, mid-12th century, wears a long hauberk, coming well past his knees, with an even longer tunic beneath.

-a carved figure from "Visions of St. Paul" in the Church of Our lady, Dendermonde, Belgium, early-mid 12th century, wears a long hauberk that almost comes to his ankles. The figure appears to be a bit stylized, so the length may be exaggerated a bit.

-brass of Sir Brocardus de Charpignie, France, c. 1270. The knight wears a fairly long hauberk, that comes down to the tops of his calves (his legs are turned, with his feet pointing outward). This shows that hauberks coming down past the knees were occasionally in use later than the 12th century, although a hem ending just above the knee may have been more common in the 13th century.

-Goliath from a wall painting originally from Santa Maria de Tabull, Catalonia, circa 1123. Goliath wears a long hauberk, coming well down his shins, about half-way to his ankles. There is another garment beneath, visible at the hem.

-several figures from the Beatus Commentaries on the Apocalypse written for the Monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos, Castile, 1091-1109, wear long hauberks that come down past the knees. In some cases a garment is visible at the hem, beneath the hauberk.

I hope this helped a bit. Sorry for the lack of pictures; maybe someone else with a better scanner could post pictures of some of these examples.

Stay safe!

[R. Monk]

Thanks for the info!

[Zac Evans]

Wasn't Harold Hudrada supposed to wear an ancle length hauberk?

That three slit idea's a good un. I'll look into it some.

[Richard Fay]

Hello all!

[Patrick Kelly]

I seem to recall Haralds hauberk as being notable because it came nearly to the ground, not to his kness as was standard by the 11th century. It's been some time since I've read the sagas but I believe that's the case. The Osprey book does indeed say knee-length but I seem to recall a direct translation of the saga itself as being something different. As most icongraphic sources from the period, both scandanavian and european, show a knee-length hauberk as standard I don't think this would have been considered notable. Since it's length is mentioned as more than standard I tend to think Haralds hauberk would have been considerably longer. Also, if this is indeed the case it might indicate that hauberks longer than knee length were uncommon.

[Richard Fay]

Hello all!

Perhaps Hardrada's hauberk was down to his ankles, then. (That's the problem with using the Osprey books as resources - they don't always get the specifics completely correct. Thanks, Patrick, now I'll have to find a translation of King Harald's Saga sometime! ) That would certainly make it notable for the time period. I don't know if I've seen any iconagraphical evidence for longer than knee length hauberks in the 11th century, but there are some for the 12th. Maybe Hardrada was a trend setter!

Stay safe!