Armor Type:  Leg armor

Brief Description:  Schynbalds were experimental, early plate armor for the lower legs, consisting of single curved metal plates strapped directly over mail chausses or padded stockings. Unlike true greaves, schynbalds covered only the front and outside of the shin and did not enclose the back of the leg.

They first appeared in the 13th century (around the 1230s–1250s) as an early transition from flexible chain mail to full plate harness. Because covering the entire lower leg in rigid, unarticulated metal severely restricted mobility, knights utilized these open-backed shin plates to protect vulnerable, heavy impact zones while still retaining flexibility for movement on the battlefield.

Schynbalds were typically held in place by leather straps and buckles at the calf, working in tandem with other early transitional plate components like poleyns (knee guards). While full greaves (which enclose the entire calf) eventually replaced them in the fully articulated, 15th-century suits of plate armor, schynbalds remained in use for over two centuries.