Chagatai and Timurid Plated Armguards of the Late 14th to Early 16th Centuries and Their Derivatives

Abstract

Introduction. The article deals with plated (lamellar) armguards (‘oversleeves’) used by warriors of the Chagatai Ulus and the Timurid Empire. Goals. The study aims to identify key trends in the evolution of plated armguards across the Chagatai Ulus, the empire of Amir Timur, and the Timurid states in the late 14th to early 16th centuries. Results. The study reveals oversleeve-type armguards were not that rare and exotic in the then armour patterns as is sometimes believed, and for several centuries the former successfully competed with vambraces and other armour elements supposed to protect shoulders and forearms. In a historical perspective, the late medieval armguards proved somewhat manifested optimization and modernization of the imperial-era ‘Genghisid’ armour from the 13th and 14th centuries. The High and Late Middle Ages, as well as early modern times, witnessed the use of segmented armguards by armoured warriors across Southern Siberia, West, Central, South, and mainland East Asia. However, evolutionary trends were distinguished by certain specifics in different regions. Such armguards existed mainly in the mid-14th to early 16th centuries. The oversleeve-type armguards were evolutionarily drifting toward the optimization of plate embedding patterns (belts be replaced by rivets), as well as a gradual increase in the elasticity of this armour element via plate size reduction. The latter made it possible to place plates in several rows and expand the protected area up to the wrist. The final stage in the development of such plated armguards across the Muslim East was mail and plate ‘sleeves’. Segmented armguards could be worn with body armour characterized by different plate embedding structures (i.e., plates riveted, sewn, laced or connected with pieces of chainmail, as well as onto chainmail only). The main consumers of long plated oversleeve-type armguards in troops of Timur and Timurids were representatives of the nobility and line officers. Conclusions. The plated armguards were left behind by Central Asian communities as a result of transformed local military traditions in the aftermath of the collapse of the Timurid states in the early 16th century.

Keywords

• chagatai ulus
• timur
• timurids
• chagatai armour
• timurid armour
• laminar armguards