Armor Type:  Chain mail

Brief Description:  An aventail (also called a camail) is a flexible curtain of chain mail attached to the lower edge of a medieval helmet to defend the vulnerable neck, throat, and shoulders. Aventails were predominantly used during the 14th and 15th centuries, most commonly paired with the open-faced or visor-equipped bascinet helmet. They effectively replaced the earlier mail coif (a full hood worn under a helmet) by providing superior articulation and shedding weight.

Key design and functional features include:

Attachment methods: Early aventails were riveted directly to the helmet, but later historical versions utilized a strip of leather sewn to the top of the mail. This leather band was then threaded with wire or leather cords and secured to the helmet using decorative metal pegs known as vervelles.

Ventail flap: Some aventails featured a ventail, which was a specific flap of mail that could be hooked or laced over the lower face to cover the mouth and chin while still allowing the wearer to breathe or speak.

Plate reinforcement: In later medieval periods, many knights reinforced or replaced their flexible chainmail aventails with articulated plate aventails to better disperse the impact of heavy blows.