the.com/chausses
medieval leg armor that proved chivalry's weakest link was always the knees
means Chausses are medieval leg coverings — close-fitting hose or armored leggings worn to protect a knight's legs and feet, often made of mail.
from From Old French 'chauces,' meaning leggings or hose, which descends from Latin 'calcea' (a covering for the foot), itself from 'calx,' the heel. It's the same root family that gave Italian 'calza' and Spanish 'calza' — and it survives faintly in 'chaussure,' the modern French word for footwear.
- origin
- From Old French for covering or hose
- material
- Mail or quilted cloth shielding legs and feet
- mobility cost
- Mounted knights wore them, walking ones suffered
- evolution
- Replaced by rigid plate greaves by 1400s
- linguistic heir
- Spawned the modern word chaussures, French for shoes
for instance
chausses of charlemagne — leg armor worn by frankish warriors in the 8th-9th centuries, depicted in the bayeux tapestry and historical manuscripts