After putting on that padding, I didn't know if you were preparing to put on a coif, or bring Parliament to order.

Still waiting for a follow up on this coif conundrum, 3 years later.

I cant stop laughing imagining lindybeige being the target of merciless bullying looking like that hundreds of years ago.

A Sword is essentially a big iron bar. I can already hear the swords enthusiast screaming in agony.

That padding looks like a Russian tanker's helmet.

Your first piece of padding looks more like a soviet tank headwear

Oh dear lord, when you put that on at the start I nearly dies laughing.

Freeze at 10:00 "We are in search of knights who will join me in my court of Camelot!" The resemblance is uncanny

I have a couple of ideas on this topic. For one the main reason why mail coifs were big in the crusades is because even back then the middle east was hot, far hotter than what most europeens were used to. And in that wheather you don't want have to wear a metal bucket on year head which pretty much boils your brain. On the other hand does a coif have enough protection against attacks, especially when combined with a tightly bound turban, which would be my idea on what kind of padding they used. A turban can be very resistant while not being to big. also it is not as brainmelting hot as a padding cap. this also could explain the differently made coifs. maybe instead of an expensive preshaped coif they used scarf like pieces of chainmail to wrap around their heads, fixing everything with a bandana or circlet. Also on the topic on why it was so popular during the crusades, besides the heat. Their enemys had very weak bows, different from an english longbow, they could barely penetrate any armor. and wouldn't penetrate a well made chainmail. their swords alike, they often had sabres, curved backwards. their primary focus is cutting not hacking, nor thrusting they too had problems penetrating chainmail. And from what I know their primary focus in battle was to cut open wounds in the stomach or throat to kill their enemys. With a coif that is covering not only your head but also your whole neck and throat combined with a standart chainmail they couldn't attack the throat or the stomach rendering the sabres almost completely useless. The rest is fashion.

There are two basic things that we often forget about when talking about medieval armor. The first is the fact that few people could purchase a full set of armor from the beginning. Because of this they would first purchase their padded armor and use it for basic protection, afterwards they would add on the chain maille layers over top which would serve to add more protection than just the padded components. Finally they would add on any plates or helmet that would be purchased at the end and likely be the most expensive part. This meant that each individual part had to be able to fit with everything else since you wouldn't want to purchase the same thing over and over again. The second, is practicality. Many times throughout history people are willing to sacrifice Perfect protection in exchange for more Comfort, or the ability to go on the March for an extended period of time without being essentially killed by your own armor. As such people had to make compromises in terms of what provides the best protection, and what is light enough or easy enough to use to not hinder you getting to the battle. This is why Norman style nasal caps are incredibly common throughout all the ages, even when superior helmets are available. they do not provide great all-round protection, and in many ways are just a simple bowl over your head, but they're light and fairly comfortable without hindering your senses.

12:23 erm... I think I may have solved the mystery of that "tuck" shown in the Morgan Bible. This may be completely daft, but that arrangement looks exactly like the method for turning a tube of fabric into a balaclava. (The company Buff Headwear has a tutorial video on how to do this, mind you, it's not very intuitive.) Conceivably a tube of maille would be easier to manufacture and more resistant to degradation than a cap with the face cut out. And, the "lace" you pointed out would solve a crucial flaw that I've encountered with the arrangement, where the fabric on either side of the face loosens and bunches up in one's peripheral vision. I know it's been a while since you made this video, but I believe it bears some further investigation.

lindybeige is the only KZfaqr I can and do binge re-watch pretty much indefinitely ive probably watched this video at least 3 times

Your coif is so well made, it can be enchanted with magic now.

A coif might be cooler on a battlefield in the Middle East. Maybe the relative thinness of the padding and the use of a coif instead of a helmet was related to thermal considerations, hence why it was developed during the Crusades? Also, maybe the reason some of them coifs have the mail going in different directions and have bands on them is because they weren't tailor made like the kind we think of, maybe some coifs were strips of mail that would be wrapped around the head, chin, and neck of the wearer, similar to a Middle Eastern head wrap? Maybe the Crusades were the inspiration for the whole thing...

"How is a coif better than a helmet" First thing that comes to mind if I am Crusading down in the desert of the Middle East a coif can breathe better since it's not a single piece of metal but several links and can allow air flow. It also can connect to the rest of the mail armor worn making it harder to knock off. Also whatever padding you wear under it would likely absorb moisture and sweat meaning you won't have it dripping down in your eyes like it might do with a helmet. It would also be easier to pack imo since a coif can collapse in shape where as a helmet is set in it's shape. Just a few things I would consider.

I wore/wear alot of stuff on my hard hat. At nights, which I spent 8 years working, there would be 2 head torches, ear defenders, safety goggles, safety glasses in a pouch on the back which also had spare batterys and writing implements. People would comment on how heavy it was but it never bothered me. After being off work for 18months my neck which was a solid lump of hard muscle previously has become soft and I can easily squeeze my tensed neck as before I couldn't. You get used to the extra weight and your muscles grow, saying that I wore my helmet all for 8 hours a day sometimes 12, I doubt someone would be using a coif that much but it's something to think about

I'd be sweating so much with all that shit on my head.

That life of brian reference, i laughed my ass off :D

"Come on! Who threw that? Who threw that stone? Come on." "She did! She did! He did! He! He. He. Him. Him. Him. Him. He did." ;)

The period when the coif-only look becomes more common in the contemporary artwork coincides with the time that the Cervelliere (metal skullcap) became popular. I believe this answers several of the questions that he brings up in this video. People depicted with what appears to be only a coif for head protection probably have a Cervelliere on underneath. This could also explain why the padded arming caps were generally not massive and stuffed with huge amount of padding like the one he made. In regards to the Visby skulls, I think the most likely explanation is that these soldiers were probably wearing helmets that were taken and the mail simply left behind. That, or they were simply poor and a coif is all they could afford.

That padded thing looks like the Soviet Era tanker's helmet.

You think mail coifs are not as simple as they seem? Try femail coifs!

Have you considered using felt (the material rather than the past tense of the verb to feel). Felt packs a lot of dense padding into less thickness and is known to have been used in armour.

I just love this guy i can just listen to all his videos and be not only interested but reach a level of peace and meditative joy....

One thing about the thickly padded coif is that it looks absolutely ridiculous, which could play a part in the reason why people had thinner ones. Never underestimate the desire of a warrior to look cool. As someone in the military you spend a lot of your time around your close friends who will rip you apart with banter if you look stupid. Maybe they didn't want to be the guy who shows up for formation only to have his entire unit laugh at him for looking like a big headed buffoon.

Great info! Earned a sub from me!

2 years later...Were any authentic examples of these ever found? What did you conclude? Did you make one in the chin-covering style? So many questions...

They might have been good against arrows or spears, they would be lighter and more flexible than plate helmets. Though they would still need padding (of course) to reduce the percussive effects of a projectile, the mail would stop the penetration.

well the people found wearing coifs were dead...

That padded under-hat looks like it would be brilliant for a serious night's piss up.

PLEASE please post Part II as soon as possible! VERY interesting. Can't wait to see how you resolve this project!

You’ve gained yourself a new subscriber. I stumbled on this channel tonight and you’re SO FUNNY. But also SO INFORMATIVE. Cheers from North Carolina! Great content!

"you MUst use padding otherwise they're FLIPPING useless" favorite line.

The padding that was used with coifs was much more closely stitched, and far tighter. It was gambeson, and also served as armour over the body. Gambeson for the body was 10-15 layers of wool, and gambeson for the head was usually 3-5 layers of wool, which were stitched close and tight, to be about 12-15 mm for the body and about 5 mm for the head. It starts as being quite rigid, but softens over time to become quite pliable.

I stop by this video every now and then it always cheers me up

I believe that it's not that a coif was better than a helmet, it's that it was cheaper while still providing some basic protection

Get some thick Balaclavas and put on multiple of them to determine which thickness you would like to have for your padding.

And he never came back to this.

This is real history, investigating and testing, rather than simply accepting what we're told or presented with on TV, and it's ongoing, not concluding neatly as TV programmes think they must do. I love your videos. Sooner or later the TV people will come with a brilliant deal, but never forget these KZfaq roots because the TV trade-off is a sacrifice of control. Others always think they know better.

Ahh, nearly three years later and I keep coming back to this just for that reveal of the super-padded coif that looks like a cross between a boxer's guard a high court wig. First time I saw that I thought I was going to pass out from laughter. One of his finer moments. :)

A possibility for wearing a coif instead of a helmet may be that the crusaders wanted more air flow to their heads in the arid regions of the Levant/Anatolia.

What about the femail coif? #lindybeigeissexist #yesallmongols #ottomanprivilege

New sub here, thank you so much for making these videos! Extremely, extremely interesting and I really appreciate your efforts.

Looking forward to actually seeing the finished stuff.

My theory is that the mail coif was intended to protect you against pigeons.

I suspect that the section that runs under the chin is a flap that is attached near the ear, thus allowing the coif to be snug fitting whilst also being able to be removed.

Cheers ...first laugh I had today was you putting that on

Perhaps they switched during the Crusades because of the heat of the middle east and Africa, or because it was cheaper and easier to make/used less materials or lower quality materials

Hope you actually see this, but as it seems nobody else has made any suggestions to how you would make a coif that could fit over your chin and neck, I propose that you might make a coif that opens in the back; the point that should see less action would be the structural weak point, and you pull the coif onto your face and hook it up at the back of the head and neck. I don't particularly know of any great disadvantages to this, and only strikes to the very back of the head and neck could potentially jeopardize your safety. *Again, I hope you see this comment, Lindy*

In the german historian museum in Berlin there is a Persian armour used by the Ottomans and they wear huge helmets because underneath it they had huge turbans. That must be uncomfortable to move your head...

laughed out loud from the end credits joke! Brilliant video as per usual!

Lol! I love that you got that far before realizing it was too big.

When you turned your head to the camera wearing the mail coif, the chainmail flapped about i wanted you to say " Armor, because i'm worth it"

That thing ended looking like a powdered wig XD Keep up the good work, Lindy ^^

I vividly recall the day this video was uploaded. Golly, it’s been 5 years.

It is two pieces of mail. The chin piece ties to the head piece like a head band type thinger. Also coifs were cheaper. That's why they went back to them. The rich still wore the helmets and even coifs under the helmets at times to protect their chin without limiting vision. Your channel is awesome btw, I hope this helps!

"You're not going to cut through it!" Don't tell that to the katana fan-boys.

Maybe those skulls had thin padding because those with thicker padding didn't get killed?

Mr Beige! I hail from new york city and there is a fantastic special armor exhibit featuring a collection of Maximillian (1459-1519) at the Met, where a coif is on display much like the one you made in this video. I couldnt help but think back to when i saw this and found a huge amount of appreciation for their inclusion of something so rare. they also included armor made specifically for jousting with mechanical parts in the breast plate that im sure you would appreciate. cheers man i love your channel! let me know if you would like pictures from the exhibit

That low key shade on the artist had me cracking up ;-) @ 3:50 To me Knights in old paintings always look like they fell asleep on a nuclear reactor.

11:18 When you shake your head with the half finished coif on you look like Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction, it's lovely

You say there are few male coifs left, but might there be female coifs? I notice (because of the patriarchy) chain male comes up a lot, but I've never ONCE heard of chain female. So much work to be done.

I have a mail coif of my own and every time I look down I have the front part of the mantle dangling in front of my face. I then got the idea of tying a bit of string around my neck to keep it in place. Now along with the mail staying in place where it should be, I can move my head about more easily because I didn't have to deal with the extra weight of mail dangling off my chin like you were describing.

hahahaha love the nod to Python.... again brilliantly informative, keep it up!

It's also worth noting that Lindy's ultra-cap would get EXTRAORDINARILY hot during combat. I do a spot of re-enactment, and the arming caps we wear under our helmets (we use solid helms because of the mercenary company we play) are no more than a centimetre of quite dense padding.

Brilliant Life of Brian reference.

The amount of memes you can make from this episode... Pausing at nearly any moment with Lindy in the frame is a goldmine.

Those skulls with the mail coifs still on them look badass!

I imagine a cloth lined leather headpiece under it would have been practical enough.

Hyped for the next video on coifs.

I love your silly looking home made padded hat. Thanks for sharing!

I think one advantage of having mail that isn't so closely tailored to your neck is that it offers more protection. It creates a buffer space. The weapon has to move all that mail in towards your neck in order to make contact, which will slow it down. In addition, as it's doing that, the mail will inevitably fold in on itself, effectively doubling the thickness. Sure it's slightly more unwieldy, but I think it's definitely a worthy trade off.

you padding looks like a soviet style tank helmet

The mail flopping around when you move your head is oddly intriguing

"I will be coming back to this subject when ive got a little bit further." Siri; play "Sounds of Silence."

from the research I did when I made mine, and I found illustrations that showed that the part that covers the chin is actually constructed as a flap that is contiguous with the right side of the cheek mail and is pulled up and laced to the leather band that sits alongside the left temple. This allows the lower half of the coif to fit closer to the neck and provides the larger area through which to fit the head as you put it on.

Your padding coif looks like a Renaissance wig, maybe that was the other function of those wigs, to protect agains slashing things :D

A year on from the original publication of this video Lloyd. Any chance you'll revisit this topic soon? I'm curious to see if you've made any progress or drawn any new conclusions. Love the content btw. Cheers.

Every video is excellent and I’m coming to terms with that

Lindy, please do consider giving us updates to your old videos. Such as this one!

Essentially a metal ski-mask in design. Also, it looks like - in that bible - the artist depicts them wearing the mail as one does a Keffiyeh or similar 'desert' style head scarf oh-so-popular with the tacticool folks nowadays. Much similar 'tucks' and folds. Perhaps they actually could be folded in such a way. Perhaps they are not 'tailored' to a certain shape at all but are just a large rectangular sheet. This would make production easier - I do not mean ALL mail coifs of course but it makes perfect sense that a 'knight on the cheap' would find a way to make it work sensibly. Simply a square or rectangular sheet of mail folded like a keffiyeh or similar head scarf. Someone with an authentic sheet let me know. I'm dying to know if I've discovered something.

Who is this guy? How come he has 190000 subscribers and i never heard of him? How come he's so unknown and yet so informative and funny? Whence did he appeareth unto my recommendeth listh? Subscribed.

I feel so enlightened and sophisticated

I made one many years ago with chin protection, and an undercut. I left some slack on the sides of the neck to aid turning the head, and laced up at the back of the base of the skull to be able to get it on and off. The undergarment was quilted, about 4 layers of blanket thick (same as the undergarment for my chainmail tunic).

The best coif channel on youtube :D

Didn't they have a flap of some sort that would be fastened on one side of the face, and then pulled across the chin and the mouth, and then fastened on the other side? I remember seeing images where this reaches under the chin, and seems to hold the coif closer to the neck

Why did helmets stop having holes in the sides for your hearing? In ancient times we see them both in the Corinthian helm as well as the Roman helms. So why did they stop? It's not often you get stabbed in the ear from the side, and the holes don't have to be big enough for that anyway, so why not put holes in them again? Did they have something against hearing or something?

lindy, you are very entertaining to listen to.

I would not use your first impression of the weight of the mail on your head and neck as an indicator that your first design must be too thick or heavy. Always your equipment will feel too clumsy and heavy when you first try it on. It can take a week or more before your muscles become accustomed to an unfamiliar load. I am reminded of the clutch on Ducati motorcycles which feel absurdly stiff and heavy if you have not been riding for a while. They almost feel unusable. In fact, I would get cramps in my forearms when riding in city streets where I had to use the clutch a lot. A lot of people go through a lot of trouble replacing the clutch cylinder to “fix” this. But if you stick with it and ride with the clutch as designed you will find that after a week you don’t even notice it at all... it’s the same when pulling a cross-now. At first it feels wrong. Soon it feels right. And shooting slugs out of a shotgun - at first you get bruises on your shoulder and the whole experience just seems crazy. After some regular practice it’s no big deal.

Art for art's sake is an empty phrase. Art for the sake of truth, art for the sake of the good and the beautiful, that is the faith that i am searching for.

LARP got it wrong? THIS BLOWS MY MIND!

The leather cord around the head stabilized the coif such that it would not shift out of position, acting as sort of a headband. The mail was attached to the padding underneath, making a composite. The lower face (chin) mail was pointed to the upper section, and could be removed on one side for better ventilation when not needed. A coif needs a mantle to protect the neck, and this was also lightly padded. The amount of padding was somewhere between what you demonstrated, as it was a compromise. This is probably the best interpretation out there because it WORKS. I am an armourer myself, and if there's one thing we know, if it didn't work, it wasn't done that way.

Interesting. Regards your, as not yet revealed, hypothesis. Throughout history there has been and always will be a trade off between protection vs manoeuvrability, sight, hearing and breathing. Finding the right balance is always difficult. I have worn many different helmets from across the centuries. throughout human history, if I had to choose one, I would choose the classical Roman Legionary helmet. (Maybe using kevlar rather than metal but that is just hypothetical). I say this because I think it has got the balance right. The helmets from the medieval that encase the head, offer great protection, but you can't breathe, see or hear - they feel quite claustrophobic. The visor was improvement but being able to hear is a problem. Obviously modern warfare is quite different because bullets and bombs are the order of the day, helmets are designed to deflect bullets and shrapnel rather than stop them. Another point, which is often overlooked, is the effect of concussion. Any blow to the skull, be it a pole arm, sword or even an arrow has the ability to knock you out. While the arrow, for example, may not penetrate; it is heavy and travelling at c.150 mph; it is going to hurt. How many cricketers have been concussed after being hit in the helmet by a cricket ball travelling at 80mph? A few. There has been a big thing about it right across sport, particularly the NFL, even as they wear padded helmets. Going back to the padded coifs, the big advantage over the helmet, is for the two aforementioned explanations. Visibility, hearing and breathing is greatly improved. The mail, coming up round the chin is akin to the styles of plate. Like I said, it doesn't matter what you wear on your head, one blow and you could be knocked out, then finished off. Using the information of head trauma, that we have through modern science, set up some mannequins in different armours and helmets and measure the force from direct impacts to the head of different weapons, a poleaxe, axe, mace, sword, morning star, arrow and bolt. Examine what the results be in terms of concussion, not just cuts and breaks.

Ever since Lloyd can remember he's been popping his collar.

Just discovered this channel. Very informative, and love the way you present this. Is there a sequel where you have your finished coif?

My favorite KZfaq channel!

send this padded coif to skallagrim for cut testing.

There’s an obvious explanation for the way coifs look in medieval art: knitted mail. 😉

Really good stuff. Love your enthusiasm and delivery. You remind me of someone...maybe Robert Llewellyn ?

IIrc, remembering back into the 80's , I think the Higgins Armorial Museum in Worcester Mass. USA has some coifs on display. I went there, and was awed by their collection! I made a mail byrnie and a coif based on the pictures of the Bayeaux Tapestry from Nat'l Geo photos. Cody at Cody's Lab has made a nice suit of mail too.