Document: 1316 King Louis X of France

[Ernst]

http://ducange.enc.sorbonne.fr/ARMATURA3

1316, Long Inventory of Arms of King Louis X

Arms of France:


Arms of France and Navarre:



Premierement 33. Hantes Gorgieres doubles de chambli.
First, 33 old double gorgets of Chambly. (Mail gorgets. hantés - haunted?)
Item uns pans et uns bras de jazeran d'acier.
Item, a paunce and a sleeve of steel jazerant work. (Here and following, a pair of sleeves may be intended. Jazerant = mail covered with fabric.)
Item uns pans et uns bras de roondes mailles de haute cloüeure.
Item, a paunce and a sleeve of round mail of high nailing. (Possibly all riveted rings. Perhaps a pair of sleeves is intended.)
Item uns pans et uns bras d'acier plus fors de mailles rondes de haute cloüeure.
Item, a paunce and a sleeve of the best steel of round mail of high nailing. (Round wire, all riveted construction.)
Item uns pans et un bras d'acier, et le camail de mesme.
Item, a paunce and sleeve of steel, and a camail of the same.
Item 3. coleretes Pizaines de jazeran d'acier.
Item, 3 Pisane collars of steel jazerant work.
Item une barbiere de haute cloüeure de chambli.
Item a "barbiere" of high nailing of Chambly. (A "beard" of all-riveted Chambly mail. Perhaps a camail.)
Item un jazeran d'acier.
Item, a jazerant of steel. (hauberk or haubergeon)
Item un haubergon d'acier à manicles.
Item, an haubergeon of steel with mail mittens.
Item une couverture de jazeran de fer.
Item, a covering (for the horse) of iron jazerant. (Jazerant horse trapper.)
Item une couverture de mailles rondes demy cloées.
Item, a covering of round mail, half nailed. (Iron mail horse trapper of round wire, half-solid, half-riveted rings.)
Item une testiere de haute cloüeure de maille ronde.
Item, a testiere of high nailing of round mail. (Mail head covering for the horse, all riveted, round wire rings.)
Item un haubert entier de Lombardie.
Item, an entire hauberk of Lombardy. (Presumably with attached hood and mittens.)
Item 2. autres haubergons de Lombardie.
Item, 2 other haubergeons of Lombardy.
Item 3. paires de chauces de fer.
Item, 3 pair of iron mail chausses.
Item 8. paires de chauçons, et un chauçon par dessus.
Item, 8 pair of chaussons, and one chausson in addition. (Mail "socks", and one which lost it's mate.)

Item unes plates neuves couvertes de samit vermeil.
Item, a new pair of plates covered with vermilion samite.
Item deux paires de plates autres couvertes de samit vermeil.
Item, two other pairs of plates covered in vermilion samite.
Item un couteau à manche de fust et de fer, qui fu S. Louys, si comme l'en dit.
Item, a knife with handle of old wood(?) and of iron, which is said to have belonged to St. Louis.
Item 3. paires de greves, et 3. paires de pouloins d'acier.
Item, 3 pair of greaves and 3 pair of poleyns of steel.
Item 6. autres paires de greves d'acier, et 2. paires de pouloins.
Item, 6 oter pair of greaves of steel, and two pair of poleyns.
Item 2. heaumes d'acier.
Item, 2 helms of steel.
Item 5. autres heaumes, dont li uns est dorez, et 5. chapeaux roons, dont les 2. sont dorez.
Item, 5 other helms, of which one is gilt, and 5 rounded(?) hats, of which 2 are gilt. (Probably some sort of kettle hat, with rounded skull.)
Item 2. cors d'acier.
Item, 2 corsets of steel. (Possibly sleeveless mail vests.)
Item 2. bacinez roons.
Item, 2 round bascinets.

Item 4. espées garnies d'argens, dont les 2. sont garnies de samit, et les deux de cuir.
Item une espée garnie d'or et de cuir.
Item une espée à parer garnie d'argent, le pommel et le poing esmaillé.
Item 8. espées de Toulouze, et deux Misericordes.
Item 17. espées de Bray.
Item une espée de Jean d'Orgeret, et 2. espées et une Misericorde de Verzi.
Item 15. espées de commun.
Item 15. coutiaus de commun, et 7. fers de glaives de Toulouze.
Item 2. de commun, et le bon fer de glaive de le Roy.
(Various swords, knives, and glaives. Jean, or Jehan d'Orgeret is again mentioned by name.)

Item 2. chanfrains dorez, et un de cuir.
Item, 2 gilt chanfrons, and one of leather. (Horse head armor.)
Item une fleur de lys d'argent doré de mauvese preure à mettre sus le haume le Roy.
Item, a gilt silver fleur-de-lis, of 'mauvese preure'(?), to go on the helm of the King. (Helmet crest often shown in miniatures.)
Item uns gantelez couvers de velveil vermeil.
Item, gauntlets covered in vermilion velvet.
Item 16. bannieres cousues des armes le Roy.
Item, 16 sewn banners with the arms of the King.
Item 13. bannieres batues des Armes le Roy.
Item, 13 battered(?) banners with the arms of the King. (battered apparently meaning with split tails, frayed.)
Item 18. pennonciaux batus des Armes le Roy.
Item, 18 battered pennoncels with the arms of the King.
Item unes couvertures, une flanchieres, unes picieres, et une tunicle de velveil, les fleurs de lys d'or de Chipre.
(Various horse trappings and a tunic of velvet with fleur-de-lis of Cypriot gold.)
Item une cote gamboisée de cendal blanc.
Item, a gamboissed coat of white cendal.
Item 2. houces et 2. tunicles des Armes de France, et le chapiau de meismes.
Item, 2 (horse) housings and 2 tunics with the Arms of France, and a hat of the same.
Item 2. tunicles et un gamboison de bordure des armes de France.
Item 2 tunics and a gambeson edged with the Arms of France.
Item 2. tunicles batues des armes de France.
Item, 2 battered tunics with the Arms of France.
Item 2. manches broudées.
Item, 2 sewn sleeves. (Armor?)
Item 3. paires de bracieres en cuir des armes de France.
Item, pair of bracers in leather with the arms of France. (Full arm harness?)
Item 2. paires de resnes de fer.
Item, 2 pair of iron reins.
Item 4. paires d'esperons garnis de soye, et 2. paires garnis de cuir.
Item, 4 pair of spurs garnished with silk straps, and 2 pair with leather.
Item une testiere, et une crouppiere garnie des armes de France.
One testier and one crupper garnished with the arms of France.
Item un estuiaus de plates garny de samit.
Item, an estuiaus of plates covered in samite. (possibly boots)
Item 2. chapiaus de fer couvers.
Item, 2 covered kettle hats.
Item 3. escus pains des armes le Roy, et un d'acier.
Item, 3 shields painted with the arms of the King, and one of steel.
Item 16. paires de couvertures batues et une non per des armes le Roy.
Item, 16 pair of battered horse coverings, and one not with the arms of the King.
Item 5. cotes batuës des armes le Roy fourrées, et une defourrées.
Item, 5 battered coats of arms of the King, with furs, and one without furs.
Item 3. cottes battuës defourrées des armes le Roy.
Item, 3 battered coats without furs, with the King's arms. (dagged? heraldic surcoats)
Item 22. penonciaux batus des armes le Roy.
Item, 22 battered pennoncels with the arms of the King.
Item une couverture de gamboisons, broudées des armes le Roy.
Item, one gamboissed covering, sewn with the arms of the King.
Item 3. paires de couvertures gamboisées des armes le Roy, et unes Indes jazeguenées.
Item, 3 pair of gamboissed coverings with the arms of the Kings, and an India jazeguenées.
Item 2. paires de couvertures batues, et une coliere des armes le Roy.
Item, 2 pairs of battered coverings, and a collar of arms of the King.
Item une quantité d'aiguillettes et las à armer.
Item, a quantity of aglets (arming points) and such(?) for arms.
Item 6. bacinets.
Item, bascinets.
Item une paire d'estamine à couvrir chevaux.
Item, a pair of estamine? to cover horses.
Item un cuissiaux gamboisez, et uns equivelans de cuir.
Item a gamboissed cuisse, and an equivalent of leather.
Item une tunique et une houce de drap des armes de France et de Navarre, d'or de Chypre, les fleurs broudées de pelles.
Item, a tunic and a (horse?) housing of cloth with the arms of France and Navarre, With Cypriot gold embroidered flowers with pearls.
Item une houce et une tunique de drap simple des armes de France et de Navarre.
Item, a housing and tunic of simple cloth woth the arms of France and Navarre.
Item un vieil jupel des armes de France à fleurs broudées.
Item, an old jupon with the arms of France and embroidered fleur-de-lis.
Item cote, bracieres, houce d'escu, et chapel de Veluyau, et couvertures à cheval des armes du Roy, les fleurs de lys d'or de Chypre, broudées de pelles.
Item, a coat, sleeves, shield house?, and chapel of velvet, and coverings for a horse with the arms of the King, With Cypriot gold embrodered fleurs-de-lis, embroidered with pearls.
Item Picieres et Flanchieres de samit des armes le Roy, les fleurs de lys d'or de Chypre.
Item, samite picieres and flanchers with the arms of the King, with Cypriot gold fleurs-de-lis.
Item uns cuissiaus sans pouloins des armes de France.
Item, cuisses without poulains with the arms of France.
Item une cote gamboisée à arboisiaus d'or, broudée à chardonereus.
Item, a gamboissed coat with a golden tree?, emboidered with goldfinches.
Item 18. bannieres batuës des armes de France et de Navarre, et 4. de couture.
Item, 18 battered banners with the arms of France, and of Navarre, quartered.
Item 51. pennonciaux batus de France et de Navarre.
Item, 51 battered penoncels with the arms of France and Navarre.
Item unes couvertures à cheval batuës de France et de Navarre.
Item, a horse covering, battered with the arms of France and Navarre.
Item unes couvertures gamboisées de France et de Navarre.
Item, a quilted covering with the arms of France and Navarre.
Item Flancieres et Picieres de France et de Navarre.
Item, flanchers and picieres with the arms of France and Navarre.
Item un escu et 2. targes de France et de Navarre ; et un escu Ynde à lettres d'or, et un chappiau de drap de France et de Navarre.
Item, a shield and 2 targes with the arms of France and Navarre; and an Indian shield with letters of gold, and a hat of cloth with the arms of France and Navarre.
Item unes couvertures d'estamines
Item, a (horse) covering of estamines.

[Ernst]

So I missed a few banners and horse trappers, but the King had a lot of stuff. I may come back later and highlight questionable words or phrases in color, for later correction.

[RandallMoffett]

Was this his inventory at death?

Some very interesting things. I remember Blair saying he hardly saw a knightly inventory from the post 1310s era without pairs of plates and as I got more into period text I was amazed by how common they must have been and the variety.

Thank Ernst!

[Ernst]

Yes, it's a death inventory. It seems to be a common time for taking them.

Should I break these into groups of 10 or some such to make for easier reading? Highlight or use colored text for passages or phrases I just don't understand?

[RandallMoffett]

It is indeed. They have a number of types of inventories from determining assets for upkeep, fees for lawsuits etc but death is a very common time indeed.

I'd vote for keeping it together as well.

I'd highlight the things you are unsure of.

RPM

[worldantiques]

Item une barbiere de haute cloüeure de chambli.
Item a "barbiere" of high nailing of Chambly. (A "beard" of all-riveted Chambly mail. Perhaps a mail bevor.)

Since this is from 1316 it is describing all wedge riveted mail from the late 1200s to the early 1300s. Are there any earlier known mentioning of this?

[Ernst]

This is the earliest mentioning I've seen of "high nailing". Richardson argues that this is all-riveted construction, and I'm inclined to agree as I was making the same argument before reading his thesis. I'm not certain we can say it is wedge riveted rather than round riveted, or that haute doesn't literally refer to high rivets, but given our current state of evidence, all wedge-riveted seems the most likely.

Also notice the amount of steel vs. iron mail, though the King gets the best available.

[worldantiques]

I'm not certain we can say it is wedge riveted rather than round riveted, or that haute doesn't literally refer to high rivets, but given our current state of evidence, all wedge-riveted seems the most likely.

Also notice the amount of steel vs. iron mail, though the King gets the best available.

If it does not refer to all wedge riveted mail is there any evidence of all round riveted mail from that time period?

[Ernst]

1. How do you date mail reliably to that time period?
2. Is there any all-riveted mail with round rivets, at all? From any period?
3. I don't know. That's why I think it might be possible.

[Sean M]

I think that all we know for sure about mail with high riveting is the name. Richardson's idea that in the records of the Privy Wardrobe it is what some other archives call fully riveted mail intrigues me, and if Ernst was leaning the same way that is a good sign, but right now there is not a lot of evidence.

Riveting can vary in ways other than round/wedge and all riveted rings/half riveted rings and half solid rings.

[RandallMoffett]

We have several European remaining examples of round rivets in mail for the medieval period but as is so often the case linking terms is complex more often than not.

[worldantiques]

We have several European remaining examples of round rivets in mail for the medieval period but as is so often the case linking terms is complex more often than not.

Yes, there are some examples of round riveted mail but are there any examples of all round riveted mail without alternating rows of solid links?

[worldantiques]

1. How do you date mail reliably to that time period?
2. Is there any all-riveted mail with round rivets, at all? From any period?
3. I don't know. That's why I think it might be possible.

So you agree at least with the first sentence of my timeline.

At some point in time (currently unknown) European riveted mail started to be manufactured with alternating rows of solid and round riveted links (demi riveted), whether European mail before this point was made with only round riveted links and no solid links is unknown. Almost no existing European riveted mail from early time periods exists.

[Ernst]

As I stated before, my primary disagreement with that statement lies in the last sentence. How early do you consider early? Ciumeşti Celt or Rome? There is a fair amount of pre-medieval mail, though there is almost no extant mail from the earliest period.

[Ernst]

We have several European remaining examples of round rivets in mail for the medieval period but as is so often the case linking terms is complex more often than not.

Yes, there are some examples of round riveted mail but are there any examples of all round riveted mail without alternating rows of solid links?

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=89515

(Bolding mine - Mart)

I'ts all rivited, ID is 8mm, the wire is ovoid and it's thickness is approximately 2mm. Looks like round rivits to me, but cannot be sure of that...

Greetings,
Medka

Now, Medka's not certain, and he's closer than we are. Further, we don't have a firm dating or provenance for the coif. I still think German or central European from the 13th or 14th century is more likely than Turkish, but I might well be wrong. Unless we have better photographs of this heavily corroded object, or images of a missing rivet, or do some destructive testing and grind a section of a ring, we won't know if it's round riveted. If you think it's demi-riveted rather than all-riveted, you could try to contact Medka, and ask if he was in error.

Under our current theories, if it's all-riveted, it's more likely European (or western European). If it's all riveted, it likely dates to the 14th century or later. If it's a coif with a square front, it's more likely to be German-Central European-Scandanavian in origin rather than English, French, or Italian.

If it's Turkish and all riveted, it's likely 16th century or later. I've seen mail hoods with a square front in Indo-Persian sources, but the flap goes over the nose rather than across the chin.

But, that goes to the purpose of sharing these inventories. Can we match what's listed to our images and believed timelines?

[worldantiques]

Now, Medka's not certain, and he's closer than we are. Further, we don't have a firm dating or provenance for the coif. I still think German or central European from the 1th or 14th century is more likely than Turkish, but I might well be wrong. Unless we have better photographs of this heavily corroded object, or images of a missing rivet, or do some destructive testing and grind a section of a ring, we won't know if it's round riveted. If you think it's demi-riveted rather than all-riveted, you could try to contact Medka, and ask if he was in error.

Under our current theories, if it's all-riveted, it's more likely European (or western European). If it's all riveted, it likely dates to the 14th century or later. If it's a coif with a square front, it's more likely to be German-Central European-Scandanavian in origin rather than English, French, or Italian.

If it's Turkish and all riveted, it's likely 16th century or later. I've seen mail hoods with a square front in Indo-Persian sources, but the flap goes over the nose rather than across the chin.

But, that goes to the purpose of sharing these inventories. Can we match what's listed to our images and believed timelines?

Indo-Persian mail hoods have a vertical triangular flap and a small round plate at the top. I personally can not remember one having a square horizontal flap and no plate at the top but if there is such a thing please post a picture..

Here again we have someone who could have taken close, high resolution, detailed images of the outer and inner links but did not....unless he just did not post those. If someone knows him maybe he could be asked?

I think there must be examples of all round riveted mail, they just have to be identified, without being able to see both sides of the links you can only speculate.

[Andeerz]

The "estuiaus" might be the same thing as "estivalles" mentioned in the 1322 Count of Flanders inventory.

To quote my earlier post in that thread:

The "estivalles" might mean something relating to summer. Perhaps some sort of piece normally worn in the summer??? Or perhaps relating to some sort of armour that was derived from a style pertaining to a place called "Estival" or something.

Curiously, in "The Armourer and His Craft", in the glossary towards the end, there is the term "estival" mentioned, which is defined as "leg-armour for a horse; exceedingly rare in MSS.; only one example of this armour exists, in Brussels"

Let's see if we can find it!

It also has a brief mention in "Critical Inquiry Into Antient Armour, Existed Europe, Particularly Great Britain, Norman Conquest Reign King Charles II" on page 150... talking about an inventory of arms of King Louis X, which talks about an "estivau de plates garnit de samit".

[Andeerz]

http://ducange.enc.sorbonne.fr/ARMATURA3

Item 2. chapiaus de fer couvers.
Item, 2 kettle hat covers(?)

...

Item une paire d'estamine à couvrir chevaux.
Item, a pair of 'taverns'? to cover horses.

With regard to "estamine", check this out! https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/stamin

It seems that (according to Wiktionary.org) that "estamine" could be related to the Latin word "stamineus", meaning “consisting of threads”. So this could just be a kind of fabric covering.

As for the "chapiaus de fer couvers", I would wager from the word order that it just means covered kettle hats. Perhaps covered with leather or cloth?

[Ernst]

The "estuiaus" might be the same thing as "estivalles" mentioned in the 1322 Count of Flanders inventory.

To quote my earlier post in that thread:

The "estivalles" might mean something relating to summer. Perhaps some sort of piece normally worn in the summer??? Or perhaps relating to some sort of armour that was derived from a style pertaining to a place called "Estival" or something.

Curiously, in "The Armourer and His Craft", in the glossary towards the end, there is the term "estival" mentioned, which is defined as "leg-armour for a horse; exceedingly rare in MSS.; only one example of this armour exists, in Brussels"

Let's see if we can find it!

It also has a brief mention in "Critical Inquiry Into Antient Armour, Existed Europe, Particularly Great Britain, Norman Conquest Reign King Charles II" on page 150... talking about an inventory of arms of King Louis X, which talks about an "estivau de plates garnit de samit".

http://www.persee.fr/doc/bch_0007-4217_ ... _74_1_2496

(8) A pair of boots (Ital. Stivale).

[Ernst]

An earlier reference to a hauberk of Chambly mail is found in Le Roman de Gaydon line 1886, from c. 1230.
https://archive.org/details/gaydonchansondeg00gues

1883 Les chauces chauce, onques meillors ne vi,
1884 Espérons ot qui sont à or burni,
1885 .I. auqueton ot de Roie vesti,
1886 Puis vest l'auberc, qui fu fais à Châmbli.
1887 Cuirie ot bonne qui fu de cuir boilli,
1888 Cote à armer d'un dyaspre gaydi.
1889 Le hiaume lace, qui très bien li séi ,
1890 Ceinte a Pespée qui fu roi Cloevi;

So what made Chambly mail superior? Is it the quality of iron in the region, or was it simply a mail production center which had long been established for some unknown reason?

[Sean M]

I was just looking at this old thread. I think the tunictes in the Treatise of the Points of Worship in Arms is a mis-reading of tunicle, because tunicle is a common word and tunictes seems to be unique. I wonder if the tunicle is another name for coat of arms. One writer thinks it means something over the legs, another thinks it means something over the body though.

Pierre Touremine wanted to fight wearing "a chouces for over my legharness of vermillion cloth or of cendal" in 1386. I think that is the same word as the houce.

[James Arlen Gillaspie]

Despite steel mail being mentioned in this inventory and other places, precious little of the mail tested so far has been steel. If little of the very fine mail mail made in the 16th century proves to be made of steel (which seems to be the case), it argues that steel mail wasn't worth the hassle of manufacture, which is what I strongly suspect. Mail, on a human body in a fight, would be very hard to cut, and steel mail may actually not be all that great when it comes to handling projectiles.