A soldier's sleeveless tunic of mail or protective armor worn in medieval times, also called a byrnie or byrney.
From Old Norse 'brynja,' directly borrowed from Scandinavian armor-making traditions. The word traveled into English through contact with Norse warriors and smiths who made superior armor.
A byrnie wasn't just clothing—it was cutting-edge military technology, often worth more than a peasant's house. Viking and Norman warriors dominated Europe largely because their byrnie mail gave them protection others couldn't match.
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