The European Buff coat was an item of leather clothing

Clothing

Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...

 worn by both the infantry

Infantry

Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

 and cavalry

Cavalry

Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...

 during the 17th century, usually worn under armour

Armour

Armour or armor is protective covering used to prevent damage from being inflicted to an object, individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact weapons or projectiles, usually during combat, or from damage caused by a potentially dangerous environment or action...

. It was derived from the simple leather jerkin

Jerkin (garment)

A jerkin is a man's short close-fitting jacket, made usually of light-colored leather, and often without sleeves, worn over the doublet in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries...

s worn by soldiers during the Tudor period

Tudor period

The Tudor period usually refers to the period between 1485 and 1603, specifically in relation to the history of England. This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII...

 eventually becoming a 3/4 length, close-fitting garment with long sleeves and a high collar to protect the neck and arms.

Typically, a buff coat was crafted from 3mm-thick suede cowhide and provided protection against swords, blunt trauma

Blunt trauma

In medical terminology, blunt trauma, blunt injury, non-penetrating trauma or blunt force trauma refers to a type of physical trauma caused to a body part, either by impact, injury or physical attack; the latter usually being referred to as blunt force trauma...

 and possibly long range pistol balls, however as with all armour of the time it was ineffective against musket

Musket

A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....

 fire.

Together with the lobster pot helmet

Capeline

Capeline is the name given to two distinct types of post-Renaissance helmetThe first was a steel skullcap usually worn by archers that continued to be worn into the 17th century by musketeers and horsemen who wished to wear fashionable broad-brimmed hats but also retain some level of protection...

 and cuirass

Cuirass

A cuirass is a piece of armour, formed of a single or multiple pieces of metal or other rigid material, which covers the front of the torso...

 it formed the basis of the equipment of the New Model Army

New Model Army

The New Model Army of England was formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War, and was disbanded in 1660 after the Restoration...

's Ironside cavalry during the English Civil War

English Civil War

The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...

. Cavalier

Cavalier

Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...

s wore similar buff-coats, either privately purchased and decorated with gold lace, or captured from fallen enemies. Both sides issued a sleeveless version to the musketeers in the pike and shot

Pike and shot

Pike and shot is a historical method of infantry combat, and also refers to an era of European warfare generally considered to cover the period from the Italian Wars to the evolution of the bayonet in the late seventeenth century...

 formations to give them some protection during hand-to-hand combat.

The buff coat was also worn by civilians, including some of the Pilgrim Fathers due to its plain and simple appearance suggesting equality. It was lined with cotton for warmth and fastened with hooks and eyes as the Puritans viewed buttons as extravagant and vain. Due to its durability it was worn by men of all classes and religious leanings, including the Catholic James II of England

James II of England

James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...

.

As well as protecting the wearer from bad weather the buff coat became a highly desirable status symbol in the mid 17th century, making it the ancestor of the modern leather jacket

Leather jacket

A leather jacket is a type of clothing—a jacket-length coat—usually worn on top of other apparel, and made from the tanned hide of various animals. The leather material is typically dyed black, or various shades of brown, but a wide range of colors is possible...

.