Though we usually think of quilting in a context of feminine and peaceful pursuits, quilting has also played a role in warfare over the centuries, both as armor and a protective layer under metal armor.
European knights wore a variety of quilted jackets or tunics, and the terminology used to describe them again differs depending on the period and source.
An early form was the haqueton (also known as an aketon, or acton), which is also called a gambeson by some sources. It was worn under armor and helmets for comfort and to pad their bodies from blows, and in some cases, in lieu of armor. The term is said to have originated with Crusaders and is thought to derive from the word "cotton".
The jupon (also called a gambeson by some!) was an over-armor tunic to protect the armor from the sun, particularly in the Middle East during the Crusades - armor gets quite hot in direct sunlight.
(NB: There is ongoing debate over the exact meanings of gambeson, jupon, and haqueton. I am following the definitions as used by most of the authorities I have studied. In the case of the illustrations here, I follow the author, McClintock.)
The jupon later evolved to a quilted and decorated short, fitted surcoat, worn over armour in the 14th and early 15th centuries. Made of several thicknesses of fabric, the outer layer was often a rich velvet or silk, with the owner’s arms embroidered or appliquéd on.
The warriors also used quilted padding under their helmets and sometimes under the armor worn on the arms and legs. In all cases, the material and padding used varied greatly with the wealth and status of the user. The higher classes used linen and silk, with horsehair or other batting, and the poorer soldiers used rougher material with grass or tow batting.
Here are some early representations of military quilting. These are tomb effigies depicted in H. F. McClintock's classic work, "Old Irish and Highland Dress with Notes on That of the Isle of Man" (Dundalk, Dundalgan Press, 1943).
On the left is an Irish knight of the Burke family, at Glinsk, Co. Galway. The effigy on the right is of a Highland chief from Islay in the Hebrides of Scotland. Both are c. 13th century. You can see a peek of the haqueton on the effigy on the left, under his mail armor hauberk (a long mail shirt that reached to below the hips or knees - the shorter version that went to the waist only is called a habergeon, aka haubergeon or habergon.). The figure on the right has only a mail coif, and thus almost his entire haqueton is visible.
(These depictions have been in the past been mistaken for "kilts", but, "Braveheart's" numerous errata notwithstanding, kilts didn't develop in their earliest known form until the 16th century. In their present form, they began to develop about 1725. They were never Irish garb, other than perhaps of the Scoto-Irish mercenaries who traveled back and forth fighting in the various wars and campaigns. For an interesting history of tartan by an expert researcher, see: Peter E. MacDonald )
(Mail is flexible armor made up of interlocking metal rings, the rings composing a piece of mail would be riveted shut, and is quite ancient. Mail was invented some time in the mid 1st millennium BC, but it's unknown where. The earliest finds are from 5th century BC Scythian graves. The word "chainmail" is modern - in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, chain was the English name, while maille was the common French name for it. Maille (and alternative spellings such as "maile") derive from the Italian maglia, from the Latin macula, meaning "net".) |
An example of mail armor of "1-in-4" type Below is an engraving by the famous German artist, Albrecht Dürer, c. 1521, depicting Irish mercenaries in Germany. Note the figure on the left who wears a quilted garment which may be worn over armor, or in place of it. |
The most complete example of quilted armor-clothing is in the Cathedral of Chartres, probably placed there by Charles VI of France, c. 1400 A.D. It is an "arming coat" in excellent condition, made of quilted white linen stuffed with wool and covered with crimson silk damask, woven with medallions containing heraldic birds and beasts, and interspersed with foliage. It is mid-thigh length with a scalloped lower edge, closes at center front with 25 wooden buttons covered with the same crimson damask and has long, loose, sleeves which taper to the wrist. On the left side are two slits to accommodate the straps of the sword scabbard. (Arms and Armour of the Medieval Knight, by David Edge and John Miles Paddock, published by Saturn Books, 1996) |
Elsewhere in the world, Mali warriors wore quilted suits of armor for protection in battle as early as the 1300’s, and in the Sudan, quilted garments were worn as protective armor for both warriors and their horses. Until the end of the 19th century, the Fulani calvary (a nomadic people of West Africa) wore quilted cloaks (sometime decorated in patchwork). Under the cloaks, heavy quilted armor (made in several pieces to protect different parts of the body) was worn. These were worn over metal body armor or chainmail. As with Europe, some of the earliest first known quilting in the Americas were suits of quilted armor among the Aztecs, Mayas, and other native forces. According to Fray Duran, a monk who described the Aztecs, and other contemporary sources, Aztec warriors were well equipped with jackets of dense maguey cactus fiber with "brine-soaked" quilted cotton padding for the limbs. The Aztecs called this type of jacket "ichcahuipill". They also used wooden helmets, and the officers added padded vambraces and greaves (armor for the arms and legs). Here is a drawing of Aztec warriors taken from a contemporary Aztec depiction. The quilted armor, although quite stylized, is easily recognizable. |
The Spanish found this armor effective against the Aztecs' own weapons of sharp obsidian, though less so against the Spaniards' weapons of steel and their firearms, or the maquahuitl - described by Diaz as a "dreadful broadsword" and "two-handed cutting sword." Many Spaniards substituted the Aztecs' lightweight breastplates for their own hot, heavy, metal armor, better suited for Europe than the heat of South America. The Aztec word ichcahuipill became corrupted in Spanish as escaupilla, though they were also sometimes simply referred to as armas de la tierra--"arms of the country", i.e., native armor. However, they were never able to successfully reproduce the Aztec armor (possibly due to deliberate misinformation given by captive Aztec craftsmen). There are many mentions of quilting in connection with armor from many periods, though there are few examples left for obvious reasons. |
