Almain rivet
Encyclopedia
An Almain rivet is a type of plate armour
created in Germany around the end of the 15th and early 16th centuries. It was designed to be manufactured easily yet afforded considerable protection to the wearer. It consisted of a breastplate
and backplate with laminated thigh-guards called tassets
.
Almain rivets were as a rule of fairly low quality, but they were cheap: a royal proclamation issued by Henry VIII in 1542 designated at 7s 6d - one sixth the cost of a suit of demi-lance
armor.
As such, Almain rivets were frequently purchased en masse as munitions-grade armour to equip royal armies or personal retinues.
The OED explains the term rivet from the "overlapping plates sliding on rivets" characteristic of this type of armour (Almain is the Early Modern English
term for "German").
The term was introduced ca. 1530 and remained in use until the end of the 16th century.
Based on the term almain-rivet, the word rivet itself acquired a meaning of "armour", attested (rarely) during the mid-16th century.
Plate armour
Plate armour is a historical type of personal armour made from iron or steel plates.While there are early predecessors such the Roman-era lorica segmentata, full plate armour developed in Europe during the Late Middle Ages, especially in the context of the Hundred Years' War, from the coat of...
created in Germany around the end of the 15th and early 16th centuries. It was designed to be manufactured easily yet afforded considerable protection to the wearer. It consisted of a breastplate
Breastplate
A breastplate is a device worn over the torso to protect it from injury, as an item of religious significance, or as an item of status. A breastplate is sometimes worn by mythological beings as a distinctive item of clothing.- Armour :...
and backplate with laminated thigh-guards called tassets
Tassets
Tassets are a piece of plate armour designed to protect the upper legs. They take the form of separate plates hanging from the breastplate or faulds. They may be made from a single piece or segmented...
.
Almain rivets were as a rule of fairly low quality, but they were cheap: a royal proclamation issued by Henry VIII in 1542 designated at 7s 6d - one sixth the cost of a suit of demi-lance
Demi-lancer
The "Demi-lancer" or demilancer was a type of heavy cavalryman found in Western Europe in the 16th and early 17th centuries.-Characteristics:...
armor.
As such, Almain rivets were frequently purchased en masse as munitions-grade armour to equip royal armies or personal retinues.
The OED explains the term rivet from the "overlapping plates sliding on rivets" characteristic of this type of armour (Almain is the Early Modern English
Early Modern English
Early Modern English is the stage of the English language used from about the end of the Middle English period to 1650. Thus, the first edition of the King James Bible and the works of William Shakespeare both belong to the late phase of Early Modern English...
term for "German").
The term was introduced ca. 1530 and remained in use until the end of the 16th century.
Based on the term almain-rivet, the word rivet itself acquired a meaning of "armour", attested (rarely) during the mid-16th century.