Knight's helmet and other types of armor

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

Knight's helmet is one of the main attributes of a medieval warrior. He not only protected the head from damage, but also served to intimidate enemies. In some cases, helmets were a kind of insignia in tournaments and during combat.

Knight's armor and its evolution in time

It's paradoxical, but true: the heyday of armor production falls on the period when chivalry as the leading fighting force has sunk into oblivion. What we imagine as knightly armor is rather a late decorative version. The fact is that a separate hand protection appeared in the 13th century, and in the middle of the 14th it was already supplanted by chain mail gloves, which were much lighter, cheaper and easier to manufacture.

In an effort to lighten armor, gunsmiths soon abandoned metal and began to use leather gauntlets with layers of metal. In the same 13th century, for the first time, bracers were mentioned that completely protected the forearm. It is believed that the Byzantines borrowed this type of protection from the Arabs, and those from the Mongols. Leg protection appeared much earlier and was actively distributed during the time of the Roman Empire. In medieval Europe, greaves sometimescovered with cloth in the same way as the Arabs did. Changes have not bypassed the design of helmets.

How the knight's helmet changed

The most ancient helmet is an ordinary round one. Perhaps its design remained unchanged for many centuries, as the most practical and easy to manufacture. During the early Middle Ages, they were also widespread, and there were options both with a nose plate for additional protection, and without it. Sometimes the knightly helmet of a noble warrior was decorated with decorative rims. The main source of knowledge of modern scientists about the armor of that time is medieval poems, in particular French ones. They describe the helmets of prominent warriors and heroes decorated with jewels along the rim. There is also a mention that the nose plate was decorated depending on the rank of the owner of the helmet.

Crusader helmet design

During the Crusades, helmets were covered with cloth on top in order to reduce the rate of heating. Some models had a plume of feathers on top. Early helmets consisted of several elements. The top was the strongest part of it, below which was a rim to protect the face. The nasal plate increased the rigidity of the structure and formed the axis of symmetry. The helmet was fastened with straps, including those stretched under the chin. The battle conditions have changed the design of the helmet.

Frequent clashes with archers have led to the appearance of protective plates with slits for the eyes. They protected the knight from arrows and sand, which alsoto deal with. The helmet familiar to us, which protected the face and head of a warrior from all angles, appears in the first quarter of the 13th century. In documents dating from the end of the 14th century, a helmet with a visor is mentioned for the first time. That is, by the beginning of the 14th century, the knight's helmet acquired the form and appearance familiar to us.

Types of knightly helmets in the early Middle Ages

The Hundred Years War forced both the British and the French to change their approach to armor in general and to helmets in particular. Thus, a knight's helmet covering the entire head gave way to the so-called bascinet, which was a metal pot with a felt balaclava and a chain mail canopy. They could be either completely round or pointed, and were worn without a visor in close combat, since there was no need for it.

Hundsgugel, or "dog's head", is a common name for helmets, the distinguishing feature of which was a protruding part under the viewing slots. Due to the increase in space near the mouth and nose, the air flow in such helmets also increased significantly, making combat easier. There are also references to helmets that simply had a metal plate with breathing holes in the front, or a simple lattice without decorations. This was done in order to lighten the knight's armor as much as possible.

Late Middle Ages and helmets

In the 15th century, dating back to the late Middle Ages, salads began to be used, which had narrow viewing slots, an elongated "tail" and a sloping shape with a hint ofprotective fields. The gunsmiths faced the question of how to make a knight's helmet light and practical. And the solution was found. Despite the fact that they covered the head from above and were not attached to the armor, the design provided for a chin rest. The gap between the helmet and the shoulders disappeared with the normal position of the head, resulting in maximum neck protection.

Helmets developed in two ways - tournament and combat. Arme - the same helmet attached to the shoulders with a folding visor. It was characteristic of late chivalry and was considered a combat option. Tournament models, such as "toad heads", were intended for short-term wear. It was possible to breathe in most of them for no more than five minutes, because then the air supply ended and came only when a special small door was opened on the side.