flat ring chainmail leggings chausses hoses riveteChainmail chausses were the standard type of metal leg protection in Europe from the 9th century until the early 14th century. They offered flexible protection against most weapons but were gradually replaced by iron plate armor from the second half of the 13th century. The earliest examples date from the 9th century, such as a chainmail covered foot in the Kyulevcha catacombs in Bulgaria. Byzantine art depicts calf length chainmail chausses in Tokali