Medieval Glossary

Ailette

Literally a "little wing," an ailette was an appendage to armour that appeared in the late thirteenth to mid-fourteenth centuries. Ailettes were reinforcements made of leather, covered with cloth, and fastened by silk laces. They were probably designed to prevent sword cuts to the side of the neck and to defend the shoulders.

Related term(s): Pauldron; Brassart; Rerebrace; Plate Armour; Armour
Category: Armour and Shields
Added: 05.07.05
Last modified: 11.05.05
Source information: Wise, Terrence. Medieval Warfare. New York: Hastings House Publishers, Inc., 1976. 35; Wilhelm, Thomas. A Military Dictionary and Gazetteer. Philadelphia: L.R. Hamersly & Co., 1881. 14.

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