Jack Chains: Why Medieval Soldiers Used Armored Chains

Hinzugefügt: 2026-06-01

[00:00:00]You know, mail armor. It's often called chainmail. Now, that doesn't really make a lot of sense because it isn't really made up of chains. It is a mesh of rings, not literal chains.

[00:00:11]However, in the late Middle Ages, some soldiers quite literally wore chains as armor. Either straight-up chains or a chain-like armor called jack chains.

[00:00:23]Basically, strips of metal attached together in a chain-like manner that you are wearing on the outside of the arm to add extra protection. So, why does this armor even exist? Was it just a cheap, primitive alternative, or was it good armor? And also, did it really exist?

[00:00:42]Now, as I said, jack chains are a sort of arm protection. Now, they are a little bit different to the classical plate arm harness that we usually find during these periods because that a sort of arm will usually have uh plate going around the entirety of the arm everywhere to protect everything fully, or at least as fully as it can. Jack chains, they are a little bit different from that because they will only sit in the outside of the arm and only protect the outside of arm, not going all the way around. Now, jack chains are relatively common among a lot of reenactors today because of several reasons that I'll mention later, but certain people argue that they did not exist historically. They are only a modern interpretation of other things.

[00:01:23]Because there is no surviving jack chain that can be identified with uh total certainty, we do have some uh small plate pieces or something like that that could have belonged to a jack chain, but uh we cannot be sure that they did. And even in other forms of sources, the amount of evidence we have that jack chains did exist is rather limited, especially compared to other things like a full plate harness for arms. However, that being said, we do have some sources showing them, like for example, artwork, and like for example, written sources such as ordinances or laws. Now, those sources, especially the written ones, are relatively hard to find, I have to say, because of the problem that Jackchains is mostly a modern term. It wasn't actually used historically. So, obviously, when trying to find references of Jackchains of Jackchains in any historical text, obviously, there is nothing because they don't use the word Jackchain. The exact names that are used will vary a lot. First of all, particularly because, well, there are different languages and obviously they have different names in different in the different languages. In England and Scotland, they seem to have been primarily called uh splinties, which just means uh splints. So, essentially, the same as uh splint armor, which is another kind of armor, even though it is very related. But, basically, just uh splints, that's what they were called.

[00:02:40]For example, we have this one uh tax law from 1456 that says that men of a certain wealth were required to have either a jack with sleeve to the hand or else a pair of splints. And those splints probably refer to a form of Jackchain because there are a lot of mentions of splints either for the legs or for the arms during that period, and there is no other source whatsoever that uh describes any form of armor similar to a splint armor, splint armor essentially being just these uh strips of metal attached to a leather backing.

[00:03:13]There is no real source that described them uh at least uh being used a lot.

[00:03:17]What is described, however, is those Jackchains. In other places of the world, like, for example, France, for example, they would usually be called other things, like, for example, small iron plates or even chains. For example, an ordinance of Jean the 5th, Duke of Brittany, which is usually dated approximately the 20th of March, uh 1424, says, That is strong jacks furnished with lames {slash} strips, chains, or mails to cover the arms, which probably refers to Jackchains. Also, the Ordinance de Bois en Vermandois from the 13th of November 1472 by Charles the Bold says "Le picquenaires auront jaquette d'aubergerie à manches et placard et aux bras dextres porteront sur la maille clin de fer à petite garde." Which means roughly "The pikemen shall have haubergeon jacket with sleeves and a placard {slash} breastplate reinforcement and on the right arm they shall wear over the mail iron strips with small guards." Which very clearly seem to describe a sort of Jack chain.

[00:04:23]Now obviously, as I said, the names vary a lot because well, you have different languages, but also it seems like Jack chains wasn't really one standardized object, but rather sort of a concept of a light arm defense. So, there wasn't really one particular way of making them. It was more of just light arm defense, something that goes on the exterior of your other armor and only protects the the top of arm. And also, they seem to have been not only arm protection, but also leg protection at least in certain cases.

[00:04:51]For example, we have this quote from 1495 that says "Also given to Moncur of Dundee for leg splints and a pair of arm splints." So, we have leg splints in that in that sentence. And also, this one 1496 November 1st "Also to a man to ride to Dundee to have arm splints and leg splints made for the king." And also, after each of these quotes you have a certain amount of money they were given to perform that specific task. But as you can see in both those quotes, we have a leg splints clearly said. Now again, it says splints, not specifically Jack chains, but as I said earlier, those probably are the same.

[00:05:29]So, it seems like Jack chains could basically be on all leg protection, but was usually a lighter form of protection than a full plate arm harness. So, basically, if you look at this splint arm guard here, it has these well, splints and it has a lot of them to protect all the way around the arm. Now, uh most probably what jack chains, at least certain sorts of jack chains, were were basically this strip of metal, but only one of them, and it going all the way up on the forearm and on the upper arm. And then probably had a certain form of connection in the middle, either a proper elbow guard or something like just two rings at the end of the two things to attach them together, they're from the term chain. And it also seems like in certain cases it wasn't only two, but it did but it could also be several of them, so you would have a little bit more flexibility. And as I said, it could also be one with a proper elbow guard and a proper shoulder guard.

[00:06:28]It did vary a lot, and therefore the name we use for the jack chains that we used historically for the jack chains were rather vague, because well, they referred to slightly different sorts of armor, even though all of these sorts of armor we call jack chains today. And on top of that, it also seems like literal chains could be worn as armor in certain periods, in certain regions. For example, mid-16th century Scots pikemen are described as wearing a simple iron helmet, a jack and white doublet and hose with sleeves and thighs guarded against sword cuts by four or five rows of brass chain. So it literally says they have their arms and thighs guarded with literal chains. Now, whether that means a literal chains like a completely normal chain, or if it means a chain-like armor like we commonly see the jack chain being represented as, isn't exactly sure. And also it depends on whether or not you want to call literal chain armor jack chains. To me, it is a form of jack chains, but obviously you can say it's another kind of armor that is made of chains, not a jack chain. And also, if we go back to the earlier quote of Jean de 5, we have "fort de jacques garni de lesche chesne ou maille pour couvrir les bras", which means strong jacks of furnished with lame slash strips, chains, or mail to cover arms. So, again, we have reference to chain now again, whether that means straight up chains or a sort of jack chain isn't really that clear. So, again, as I said, it seems like jack chain is mostly a sort of concept of light arm defense, not really one standardized sort of armor. And also, I should probably add that they seem to have been primarily used in the 15th to 16th century. As you have seen, all the quotes that I have given here are from the 15th or a 16th century. And it seems like it was primarily not to say only used during that era. Now, at this point, you might be wondering, why are those arm guards called jack chains? The chain part is rather obvious, it is a chain-like sort of armor, but the part jack, well, as I said, that the term jack chain is only a modern term, it wasn't used historically. But a jack is an other sort of armor that is relatively similar to a brigandine. It is different to a brigandine, a brigandine will basically have a plate riveted to the inside of fabric, really.

[00:08:50]And a jack is a little bit different, it will have Well, first of all, the what is riveted to or it's not riveted, actually. It is quilted very tightly to a more padded sort of garment. And the plate will also be kind of inside that padded clothing rather than on the inside or outside. It would kind of be inside and then quilted very tightly together to make it hold together. So, that is a jack, and a jack chain, what we call jack chains, were often worn over a jack, not always. And you have examples of jack chains being worn over mail, for example, but it seems to have been commonly worn over jacks, and therefore it's commonly associated with jacks, and therefore we we called them jack chains. Now, jack chains were usually worn by poorer soldiers, infantry archers, pikemen, anything like that, but uh the troops that could not afford a full arm harness because obviously that is expensive.

[00:09:47]However, it wasn't exclusively worn by poorer soldiers. It was also worn by rather wealthy people. For example, if you look at a Gonçalves St. Vincent's panels from Portugal, you will actually see quite a lot of uh princes or highborn uh nobles that are wearing a uh similar uh sort of armor to the jackchains. Essentially, they have sort of a one splint on the lower arm, one splint on the upper arm, and they and then they have an elbow guard and a shoulder guard. So, something you could call a sort of uh jackchain. There are also quite a lot of mentions of uh jackchains or splints uh tied to a James the IV. Uh so, for example, a quote from 1496, November 1st, also a man to write Dundee to have on uh splints and leg splints made for the king. Arm splints and leg splints made for the king, so obviously worn by wealthy people. Also, the 19th of November 1496, also to uh Moncur of Dundee for a pair of splints for the king.

[00:10:47]And uh again in November 1497 this time, also to Thomas Forret to go to Dundee to have a pair of splints made for the king. And again, you have a certain amount of money after these quotes for how much money these people were given to perform these different tasks. So, clearly here we have mentions of both arm and leg splints being made for a king, so obviously someone that is very wealthy.

[00:11:10]Now, um as I said, the two first quotes are from 1496, November, and then the third quote is from 1497, again November. That might be an error that last that last 1497. I found it as 1497, but maybe there was an error in the historical source or something like that. Because why would the king have made to him splints both in November 1497 and November 1496 doesn't make a lot of sense. Maybe he did, I don't know. But anyways, we do have mentions of a king ordering splints, which probably refer to uh jack chains. And the truth is that obviously for poorer soldiers who can't afford a full arm harness, it does make a lot of sense to have jack chains because they add extra protection without being too expensive. They are really easy to make.

[00:11:56]Looking at some examples, I think I could definitely make a pair of uh jack chains. However, I would struggle a lot to make a pair of uh arm harness, proper arm harness. I would struggle a lot with that. So, it is much much easier and much cheaper to make jack chains. So, it does make a lot of sense for poorer people to wear them. Especially because they can also be put on quite easily on your own. They were often uh sewn straight on a jacket, like for example a jack.

[00:12:20]So, uh you don't need like a squire or anyone to help you put on your jack chains. You can do it on your own rather easily. Whereas a proper arm harness, you will struggle way more alone. Some of them you wouldn't even be able to put on alone. So, uh if you don't have a squire, it it's actually better to go for jack chains in certain cases at least. However, it does make less sense for those uh wealthier people because obviously they are wealthier, they can afford a squires to help them put on their armor, and they can afford more expensive uh arm harnesses. However, it's important to remember that just because someone has or orders uh jack chains does not necessarily mean uh that he will use it as his primary uh armor on the battlefield. It can be sort of a medium armor that he's going to wear, uh let's say when he's traveling or something like that, not necessarily when he is fighting or when he's expecting to fight. And even on the battlefield, uh certain people might want to wear lighter armor for several different reasons. But also, if you're wealthier, if you're a king, you are quite unlikely to go into battle. So, uh if you're only staying on the back, you don't necessarily need a lot of armor.

[00:13:26]Obviously, you want a little bit, just in case.

[00:13:28]But, that's when a jackchains can come in handy because they offer you a little bit of protection without being too heavy, without being too penalizing, and so on. And it was actually quite common for even knights to have one very heavy helmet and one lighter helmet, so that so they could wear the lighter helmet when traveling or when they were not expecting to fight directly in close melee.

[00:13:49]But, uh once they were going to fight in a close quarter melee, they would obviously put on the heavy helmet because it's obviously much more protective. But, you could find a similar system with a jackchains where you just remove them and put on more armor, or even you just put on more armor on top of the jackchains because they don't don't take a lot of place, and so on. And they can even be part of a sort of system to attach more armor on top of that because, well, they are, well, attachment points on the arm which you don't necessarily have in those cases.

[00:14:18]So, they might be a sort of attachment point for for proper arm armor. But, obviously, they might also have used it as their primary armor. And in that case, it is because jackchains, they are quite good armor.

[00:14:29]Because, well, obviously, arms are important to protect, especially if you don't have a shield. But, having a full plate arm harness is impractical. It is penalizing. It is warm to wear. It is heavy, and so on. A jackchain is just a strip of metal on the outside of the arm. It is much lighter than a proper arm harness. And let's be honest, most blows to the arm are going to be cuts hitting you on the side of arm. And there is no real purpose of having a fully enclosed arm if you're only going to get hit on the top of the arm. So, one singular strip of metal on the top of the arm might be enough for the majority of blows. Obviously, it's not going to be enough for all blows because, obviously, it's only one strip of metal. So, obviously, it is not going to be as good as a proper arm harness for against heavy impacts. So, if you get hit by something like a mace, something like that, that is obviously going to hurt a lot if you're only wearing jackchains. It is going to hurt much less if you're wearing a proper arm harness. And also, you do have the problem that they are, well, pretty much useless against a thrust. Because, yes, if I have a strip of metal on the outside of my arm, that will protect me against cuts. However, if I get a thrust in the arm, and that can be from a melee weapon like a sword or a spear, or it can be from like an arrow or something like that. If I get hit like in the front arm here, the jackchain is not going to do anything. So, obviously, they leave gaps and are clearly not as good protection as a full arm harness.

[00:15:50]But, considering that they are lighter, easier to put on, conserve a lot of flexibility, might even have better flexibility than most full arm harnesses, and so on, they can be definitely be worth it in certain situations. One, if you're poorer and cannot afford a more expensive arm harness, or if you just want to have a little bit more of a lighter and more flexible armor. So, in the end, the term jackchain is a modern term, so it wasn't used historically.

[00:16:16]Historically, it seems like people would rather use terms like splints, or chains, or something like that.

[00:16:23]And jackchains do not seem to be one perfectly standardized sort of armor.

[00:16:28]They seem to be rather a sort of family of light armor defenses that could include anything from literal chains, it seems in certain cases, or a chain-like armor, strips of metal attached to an elbow guard, sort of splints, or something like that. And basically, they were cheaper, simpler, easier to wear, and good enough protection of the full arms against the vast majority of cuts.

[00:16:54]Obviously, it is still not as good as a proper plate arm harness, because it is not covering the entire arm all the way around, and so on. If you can afford a proper plate arm harness, you're probably going to wear that in the vast majority of cases. But, even among wealthier people, it seems like at least some of them wore some form of jackchains at least during certain contexts. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the video. If you know of any more references to a Jack chain like armor from historical sources, please tell me of them. I would be very interested in knowing of them. And also, what do you think? Should we call these literal chains or those a splint arm guards Jack chains, or are those another separate kind of armor? Anyways, hope you enjoyed the video. I'll see you in the next one.