Vambraces or forearm guards are "tubular" or "gutter" defences for the forearm worn as part of a suit of plate armour

Plate armour

Plate armour is a historical type of personal armour made from iron or steel plates.While there are early predecessors such the Roman-era lorica segmentata, full plate armour developed in Europe during the Late Middle Ages, especially in the context of the Hundred Years' War, from the coat of...

. Vambraces may be worn with or without separate couter

Couter

The couter is the defense for the elbow in a piece of plate armour. Initially just a curved piece of metal, as plate armor progressed the couter became an articulated joint.-External links:*...

s in a full suit of medieval armor

Components of medieval armour

Following is a table that concisely identifies various pieces of medieval armour, mostly plate but some mail, arranged by the part of body that is protected and roughly by date...

. The term originates in the early 14th century. They were made from either leather

Leather

Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...

 or steel. Leather vambraces were sometimes reinforced with longitudinal strips of hardened hide or metal creating "splinted armour

Splint armour

Splint armour, also referred to as splinted armour. Splint armour first appears in a Scythian grave from the 4th century BCE..-Splint Armor:...

".

Vambraces formed an integral part of the Great Steppe, Central Asia

Central Asia

Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...

n, and Islamic warrior armor. Vambraces remained in use long after the high mark of Renaissance armor in Europe. They were worn in Poland until 1770s, in the Caucasus

Caucasus

The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...

 region until the second half of the 19th century, and in Asia at least until the mid-19th century in Persia and the Indian subcontinent., where it may be known as a bazuband.

See also

Bracer

Bracer

A bracer is a strap or sheath, commonly made of leather, stone, or plastic that covers the inside of an archer's arm to protect it while shooting. Bracers keep the inside of the archer's forearm from getting hurt by the string of the bow or the fletching of the arrow; they also prevent loose...

, armguard used by archers, & Manica, armguard of the ancient Romans.

External links

• The Armour Archive examples and construction information for replica vambraces