What Was An Aventail?

Tomb of Edward of Woodstock, Canterbury Cathedral Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

This week we’re back to chainmail, but it’s a relatively small piece. In the early fourteenth century helmets came down almost to shoulder level. Previously the head had been covered with chain mail for extra protection, but a close-fitting iron cap was worn under the new style of helmet. It doesn’t sound very much more comfortable than a chainmail balaclava, but presumably provided greater protection. It did, however, leave the neck exposed, so something was needed to protect it. Something flexible like chainmail was the obvious answer and this became the aventail. It hung from the bottom of the iron cap around the neck and over the top of the shoulders. Not only did it provide necessary protection, but it allowed the knight to move his head to the left and the right, which had been quite difficult before. Eventually the outer helmet was done away with and the inner cap became a more fitted helmet.

In the photograph at the top of the post, you can see the tomb of Edward of Woodstock (otherwise known as the Black Prince), in which you can see part of his aventail very clearly.

Here you will find an example from the Wallace Collection of a helmet with an aventail attached and this is a lovely modern model in the Royal Armouries of a knight in the style of armour made at the end of the fourteenth century. The aventail covers his shoulders and part of his chest and back.

Sources:
Knight – Robert Jones
The Battle of Agincourt – ed. Anne Curry and Malcolm Mercer (N.B. The link is to the UK store)