Final answer:
Medieval knights wore armor made from metal rings known as chain mail, which provided essential protection in battle.
Step-by-step explanation:
Knights wore shifts of mail, which was made from hundreds of thousands of metal rings, all linked together to protect against the blow of another knight's sword. These chain mail armors were vital in medieval combat, providing flexibility and protection. Significant advancements in medieval armor design evolved, with the inclusion of metal plates to better protect the knights in battle as seen in the fourteenth century, highlighted in England's King Edward III Surveying the Dead after the Battle of Crécy. This type of armor is distinct from leather straps, wooden panels, or silk threads, materials that were used differently in medieval warfare and attire. The Bayeux Tapestry even depicts scenes of Norman cavalrymen wearing mail shirts, giving us historical evidence of their use in the eleventh century.