I picked up a very old book at a yard sale-it was “Seven League Boots”-by Richard Halliburton (published in 1935). In it, he recounts his visit to a remote area in southern Russia (Khevsoor), in the Caucasus Mountains. The people he found living there are believed to be the descendents of a group of 12th century Crusaders, from the Lorraine region of France. As of the time of Halliburton’s visit, they were still wearing chain mail armor, and helmets of the style of the 12th century.
Supposedly, this region was so isolated that these people had almost no contact with the outside world.
Now, I know that Halliburton was a popular author, and probably made a lot of thingsd up-but chapter 18 “The Last of the Crusaders” is a fascinating read.
Has anything ever been proven about these people?
Whilst the ethnography of the Khevsureti is not thought to be wholly European (they are mentioned in Greek and Roman literature prior to the Crusades), it is possible that a small genetic trace might stem from the events that took place in Georgia at the time (Wiki).
Fascinating question. I hope others might know more.
We associate mail armor with Medieval Europe but in fact it was worn by many other peoples including the Mughals, the Turks, and many of the Central Asian armies. The mail over the face was definitely an Eastern style - I have a book right here with a photo of a suit of Indian mail armor with a face covering.