vambrace

External images
	Metal vambrace with integrated elbow and upper arm protection(reenactment)[1]

Vambraces (French language avant-bras, sometimes known as lower cannons in the Middle Ages) are "tubular" or "gutter" defences for the forearm, developed first in the ancient world by the Romans, but only formally named during the early 14th century, as part of a suit of plate armour. They were made of either leather, sometimes reinforced with longitudinal strips of hardened hide or metal (a crafting method named "splinted armour"), or from a single piece of worked steel and worn with other pieces of armour. Vambraces are generally called forearm guards, with or without separate couters.

Archers often wear bracers, a variant of vambraces, to protect their arms while shooting.

External links

• The Armour Archive examples and construction information for replica vambraces

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