Known variously as the gambeson, aketon, arming doublet, or padded jack, this quilted defensive garment was a vital part of medieval equipment from around the 10th century onward, worn either as standalone armour or beneath mail and plate. Built from multiple layers of linen or wool stitched together by quilting, with stuffing that varied from scrap cloth to horsehair, a sufficiently thick gambeson offered genuinely excellent protection, absorbing and distributing the force of blows while preventing the chafing that bare mail or plate would otherwise cause against the skin. The word aketon likely derives from the Arabic al-qutn, “the cotton,” reflecting the garment’s origins and preferred stuffing material.
This version specifically recreates the 15th and 16th-century arming doublet, fitted with genuine mail gussets sewn into the elbows and armpits to protect the gaps a full plate harness could not otherwise cover, alongside arming points for attaching individual plates.
Deepeeka’s reproduction pairs cotton construction with real chainmail gussets, part of our historical clothing range.
