@@Lilrob06I think it's because of the actors. Like directors wouldn't pay so much for high end actors of most of the time the audience couldn't see the actors face. Sad tho because armour is just so cool
@@Lilrob06Pretty simple, Removing a face from an actor by making him wear a helmet in battle takes away protagonism. It would be more realistic if they kept their helmet on but it would also be less iconic... After all the point of Fantasy its that its fiction.
For those unaware, Darth Vader's helmet design took inspiration from both Samurai and German WWII helmets. And German WWII helmets took inspiration from German Medieval Sallet.
@@Likexner Nowhere! I could listen to Matt for hours on end. It’s just always funny to me when he talks about making a “short point” at the beginning of the video, and you already know from the running time that he’s going to go into a lot more detail than he originally intended.
@@KorKhan89 I understand you were reacting to him saying it would be a short video. Im asking because this is not an isolated incident. I remember many times when Matt seemed to feel compelled to make it short. Maybe its his own idea but the way he promises he will be brief makes it look like he is under pressure from someone else constantly telling him his videos are too long.
Re: the pronounciation of 'sallet'. In Shakespeare's 'Henry VI pt2' (Act 4; Scene 10, 1st speech for anyone who wants to look it up) the revolutionary John / Jack Cade when hiding out in a garden talks about using his helmet to drink from: "and many a time when I have been dry, and bravely marching, it hath served me instead of a quart-pot to drink in; and now the word 'sallet' must serve me to feed on". Shakespeare's intent here is a pun on 'salad', so as far Shakespeare is concerned 'sallet' sounds like 'salad'. In fact, a few lines earlier he talks about eating grass or 'picking a sallet' (ie picking the ingredients for a salad) before concluding: "and I think this word 'sallet' was born to do me good". So the words for 'sallet' (helmet) and salad (food) were not just similar but identical, phonetically. Definitlely 'sa-let', not 'sa-lay'. Granted, Shakespeare was not a military expert but it is evidence of common usage of pronounciation in the time period (1590s in the instance of this play). Shakespeare expected his audience to understand the play on words.
I would content that that is a circular argument. The projection that he intended a pun with the word salad begins with the assumption with the pronunciation. This assumption is itself contentious since at that point in time the word salad did not refer to a dish. It retained the definition from the original French as meaning varieties of edible lettuce.
@@andrewjohnson6716 All I can reply to your objection is that you read the entirety of the speech in context and decide what you think it means. My interpretation is not just mine but a general scholarly interpretation. That doesn't mean it must be correct; we can't ask Shakespeare. But it's not spurious either. In context the character is on the run from the authorities and he is starving. He hides out in a garden and, sardonically, proposes that his only options are to eat his 'sallet' (his helmet) or to 'pick a sallet' (ie collect the produce of the garden as a (modern English word) salad). Clearly the humour derives from the the confuting of 'sallet' (helmet) with 'sallet' (food dish). Bear in mind when you talk about pronounciation that in the 16th century there was ONLY pronounciation as there was no standardized spelling. This means puns were particularly piquant. For example, the words 'heart' and 'hart' to us are 2 completely different words with distinct meanings that just happen to sound the same phonetically. To Shakespeare, it is the same word but with 2 different meanings, giving it powerful, potentially even deep potentiality. Here he is doing the same with 'sallet', for comic effect but also with deeper meaning: his helmet, once a signifier of his might is now useful for nothing other than drinking out of or (sardonically) eating. But unless the word 'sallet' has a secondary food meaning that idea, that wordplay doesn't work. And shakespeare makes sure it does work by using the word a few lines before in its normal context: "picking a sallet". You give a very specific definition of 'salad' and I would say you should be wary of that because not only was there no standardized spelling at the time but no comprehensive or definitive dictionaries, meaning that defining the meaning of a word is as nebulous as spelling it. I don't know what your source is but it is most likely derived from sort of dictionary or encylopedia from the era and that in itself is not reliable as any indicator of general usage because usually it was a definition coined by a sole author without reference to any wider consensus. It was simply enshrining what HE meant by a word, not what any other given person might mean it to refer to. For example, most of Dr Johnson's definitions in his famous dictionary are subjective and sometimes plain erroneous. To use modern vernacular: he pulled a lot of it out of his arse. Some scholar may have given the definition you gave but who knows what the average farm labourer or town citizen might understand this fancy French derived word to mean. I think it rather more likely that Shakespeare, a popular actor and playwright, was probably a little more in touch with common usage. I think if you read the passage for yourself you will agree there is very little possibility of any other meaning :)
In French it was still is called a salade by the way. In Italian it's called a celata. That's why I find it very hard to believe the English would just drop the t. It certainly can't have been inspired by French as some people assume.
At a steampunk event I saw a young lady wearing a bevour, I complimented her on it... I then never had to explain the name of a piece of armour so quickly in my life! ;)
I would love to see you in full harness with someone else in full harness and demonstrating the tactics that you can practically employ in a scenario like that. I've never felt like we were missing out on this until I saw that photo of you in your harness, but now it's all that I want.
Pursuing the Knightly Arts has a couple of videos on it. ua-cam.com/video/x4envYMBWuY/v-deo.html Here my favorite, it's about Ringen, armored wrestling.
This almost reads like something sexual "I'd love to see you wearing [insert thing], actually it's the only thing I want to see, I can't stop imagining it since I saw you wearing [thing]" without you even trying. Had you used foresight and gone full-blown sexual innuendo Matt would be making that video right now just to use the jokes!
The movie with the most sallets (albeit futuristic) is Star Wars. They are all over the place. From rebel soldiers to imperial dudes operating the death star to Darth Vader. Nice that you acknowledged Mr. Vader.
Early sallets seem to have had 'bascinet' visors (bulbous ones with a lot of breathes) which went down pretty far. Presumably the shorter visors were developed specifically to pair with higher bevors, most likely by the French as they seem to have been the first ones to adopt the visored sallet + bevor combination. These sallets with bascinet-like visors do survive rarely in the background up to the 1460s or 70s in the lowlands where they're seen in a few tapestries, but never as anything common.
I cannot post links. But in two of the flemish Caesar Tapestries (if I recall correctly they were the Crossing of Rubicon and the Battle of Pharsalus) these forms can be seen. Both date to the 1460s. For an earlier example there's a painted window in the chapel at Windsor Castle, dated around 1435 also depicting one of these sallets. Lastly they can also be seen in the french manuscripts _Gouiron le Courtois_ (BNF Francais 356, ca 1440) and _Le Livre et le vraye hystoire du bon roy Alixandre_ (BL Royal 20 B XX)
Robocop's skin is actually synthetic. It's all metal parts underneath his mouth and face, so even if he's shot in the mouth the damage would be superficial
The skull was indeed metal but Robocop's face was 100% Murphy's face which was preserved and, together with portions of his cerebrum and cerebellum, applied to a cybernetic body. The scar from the gunshot wound Murphy sustained can be seen when RoboCop has his visor off, further suggesting his face is not a replica, but in fact his original organic one.
not only was the sallet and bevor the go to helmet for jousting historically when not doing gestech in a gestech helm, at teh Royal armouries we used salet and bevors as the go to jousting helmet for decades. We also used the strap over the bevor at the time quite routinely. not only is there art showing it, there is also the pietro monte description of a stud on the bevor to stop the chinstrap slipping off the bevor, which is this ideas main issue with some bevors that the chinstrap slips towards the nose sallets are perfectly servicable helmets for jousting, in particular balsa jousting, they were then, they are now.
Matt it would be cool to see a comparison of the sallet to the Helmet Model 5 and M1917 and M1 helmets used in WW1 and the outer shell and inner helmet compared and contrasted!
Some depictions of sallets remind me of the faux-corintian helmets with the tilted back look becoming the only wearable position. Also, Matt in his new armour is only a few yellow highlights and some solar heraldry away from being a Nilfgaardian. Watch out for Henry Cavil!
Sallet and Bevor is one of my favorite armor combinations. I am realizing now that Darth Vader's helmet combo might have had a bit to do with that preference.
I love my Sallet, only problem is, with a bevor on and Visor down visibility is abysmally bad. The trick with the strap on the bevor is a good thing to learn, thank you for showing it.
+scholagladiatoria *Sallet and bevor were appropriate for infantry; the Japanese developed neck guards for their native bowl helmets that were also appropriate for sallets.* Basinets were more appropriate for cavalry, being engineered to withstand lance strikes that were almost certain to occur in the opening stage of a battle.
Makes perfect sense to wear it that way, if anything id think that would be the most used considering the benefits As a side note, an obscure sword that might be cool to cover is the Portuguese age of discovery "colhona" (Meaning big balls, although female word which makes it kinda funny), in english known as carrack black sword, it has a fairly unique design and fairly unknown
I remember in Hamlet, there is a reference to the armoured ghost of Hamlet’s father having his “beaver” up, meaning you could see his face. Does this mean that by Shakespeare’s day, the bevor had simply become another word for the visor, or should we imagine some close-helm type arrangement where you could raise both the bevor and the visor separately?
There is also a line in Henry IV part 2 about the character seeing Hal “with his bevor on”. As the armorer on one production I had to explain that reference to the cast and crew. I felt quite proud of myself for securing a bevoured suit of armor that fit the actor playing Hal.
Bill Shakespeare never wore armour nor knew it’s name, think of him like a Gilbert and Sullivan style deal; pop trash for the masses with absolutely zero research into the topic they write about.
The bevor and sallet is really interesting to me from a modern infantryman standpoint. A sallet shares a functional similarity to a modern ACH with a set of ballistic goggles, the goggles rest on the top of your helmet until you need the protection, then they are lowered providing significant protection to the upper half of your face. (The goggle we wore were rated to take 12ga 00 buck, and have saved my eyes from spalling and other debris.) It's very interesting to see the similarities and differences in protective measures over history. On another note, Mr. Easton, have you got any recommendations for books on the subject of armor throughout history? Other than the one you mentioned in the video, which I am trying to find now.
Close Sallets seem like the coolest helmet because they retain that darth vader back area fanning outward which looks stylish yet the practicality of a dynamic bevor that is also permanently attached
The minus here is - the strap is exposed. However, a century later, Burgonet's design has exposed strap embedded to it so we might assume the chance of it cut within battle was deemed low enough to ignore it. Personally I am afraid of the strap being cut on my burgonet so i added a hook to keep the helmet a pair of seconds together for me to react and just fall down in melee. Wonder if that kind of safety feature can be done here somehow
"Would that protect the Spanish, 🇪🇸 conquistadors head from the clay balls⚽ made of stone 🪨 and obsidian rock 🪨 thrown from a string made sling used by the Aztec jaguar 🐆 and eagle 🦅 warriors of primitive stone 🪨 age Mexico?"🇲🇽
I always liked putting on my beavor then the sallet and strapping it under the chin of the armor before knowing it was historically done because I felt it was safer and more stable. Glad to know my thinking was right.
This is a great video Matt. Thanks for making it. I really liked that you stuck to one topic, didn't ramble (caught yourself a few times) and used a bunch of evidence and images. This is the kind of video I love from you!
Whole first half I was just jokingly thinking it was going to be doing up the strap lol. The parent in me coming out lol. But when it actually was doing up the strap differently I lost it. Nice one Matt. Stay safe mate.
I have to say, I am what a few people would call an history buff. At the same time I am not an expert on armory and weapons. I rearly appreciate yoer videos because every no and then I learn something new because you know what you are talking about.
12:44 a crossover somewhat, The armet is a child of the basinet and has hinged plates from the side to enclose the lower face. The closed helmet evolved from the salad first attaching the bevor to the vizor later independently hinged on the same point, than like tadpoles losing the tail.
You should try to have Lucy do a black streak of eyeshadow across your face and nose bridge. That way when your visor is down, we'd just see darkness, and your eyes. Would be cool for photo's. ^_^
I'm a concept artist and watching your videos and watching how things work really helps my work! Thank you! Sallet probably my favorite medieval helmet model to be honest.
I suppose fewer people put the stap over the bevor due to risk of it being cut and then having the sallet essentially free on your head. But again, like all things armour (and weapons) trade offs i suppose
I don't think it's that easy to cut a leather strap resting against armor. Italians had their breastplates attached with a leather strap at the front and never felt the need to attach it another way, so it seems it wasn't much of a problem
I think you underestimate how hard it is to cut leather. Also, a lot of plate harnesses are basically covered with leather straps, my cuirass has like 14 of them, and all on the outside, so it wasn't that big of a deal.
@@AlricOfRahls possibly but it is still a risk to have one thin strap opposed to 14, presumably thicker straps. Im just speculating at the end of the day
@@romainburgy908 true though i am just speculating. I mean if the strap Matt used is the average, that is a pretty thin bit of leather. Maybe i am over thinking it because it would be a hard place to hit and possibly irrelevant as you'd get your head shaken about like a good un regardless. Im just coming up with a possibility as to why it was not done as often as strap under the bevor
@@BH-rx3ue Yeah, there's always a chance of it getting cut but it's quite unlikely I think (btw it would be nice to see Matt test how hard or how easy it is to cut leather that's resting against plate armor). And let's not forget it's possible it was done this way just as much but doesn't appear as often in art of the period because maybe the artists didn't always bother including all the fine details of armor like straps etc.
That's actually how I've ever wear mine. And no, haven't been hit by rolling pins, but was once hit with a grain thresher so hard that it knocked me over - so I can testify it is a very protective way of bearing a sallet!
I love the thumbnail, you should really consider plating that helmet with something gold-looking! PS The strong English "ey" at the end (particularly common when Americans pronounce french words) is arguably a worse mispronunciation than hard "et" could ever be :v
While England had a French-speaking aristocracy for much of the Middle Ages after 1066, words borrowed into English before the final 't' became silent in French would retain it, just as English retains the earlier pronunciation of French 'ch' and 'j'' (even the *sound* of 'j' was a borrowing in initial position, since Old English never had that sound at the beginning of a word).
Great video as always Matt! The development of armour and convergent evolution is amazing. When wearing the bevor inside it is almost reminiscent of the Japanese kabuto helmet with facemask. You can also see the inspiration of the bevor with burgonet helms and their falling buffe, with some beautiful surviving examples out there too. The burgonet and savoyard helms are such a culmination of lessons from helms of the past
Strangely perhaps, I've always displayed my sallet with the bevior strapped together, it just seemed the obvious way to wear it to me, maybe because I also have a samurai kabuto with mempo that has built in hooks to pass the kabuto's cords through forcing them to be tied under the chin of the mempo creating a similar set up. Love your tempered 'dark' armour! That retractable bevoir is a really cool design, the one you talk about with a full retracting face shield sounds very interesting! Do you know of any modern replicas?
Man, I have watched medieval content for quite a while now. But one thing that occasionally really intrigues me is what kind of armour would we end up if we made armour made for medieval combat, but with modern technology, materials and knowledge. Some type of steel would probably still be best for most of the armour part, but I would imagine you would have some stab proof cloth in joints and stuff instead of mail. But really the most interesting part is how the armour part would be constructed.
I've seen manuscript illustrations of men-at-arms wearing the sallet and bevor as he was doing later on. Also have seen it being worn with helm donned first, and without the bevor. Since it was an age without uniform dress, one supposes that every man did as he saw fit for himself, and if he survived until the end of battle, then it was obviously fine! I will make a further observation by stating that many figures depicted wearing a sallet without a bevor are men-at arms on foot, or common foot soldiers. It makes sense since foot combat requires a lot of breathing, and regular foot soldiers or gents who couldn't afford a horse might readily not have the full kit and were getting by on what they could afford or plunder.
@@scholagladiatoria So if ever some kids refuse to tie a napkin around their neck before eating, we can tell them that it a cool item related to knights.
at around 11:35, I was expecting you to start bashing yourself with a rolling pin lol Really neat way to wear sallet + bevor, I was planning to get those as my next head and neck armor pieces
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We needed a video about the bevor. Thanks. I see far too many reinactors who wear visored sallets with no bevor. I have no problems with an open-faced sallet worn without a bevor, but why impair vision with a visor while leaving the throat exposed?
That was incredibly common in the period though. If you look through my Pinterest page here, you can see lots of examples from period art: www.pinterest.co.uk/matt_easton/sallet-celata-barbuta-and-bevor/
Fun fact: the stahlhelm (WW1 era German Imperial helmet) and by extension, all modern military helmets, are based off of the sallet and, Darth Vaders armor design started from his helmet (to connote evil as by then, it was associated with the Nazis) and then they later filled in the rest of his suit using a medieval armor set as the basis.
That 'turtle up' movement you do one-handed (bevor up, visor down) seems like it could be done quickly - almost glamorously. There's seems enough facial exposure for use in a medieval war film - two soldiers talk, finish their conversation, 'turtle up', and move into danger.
Get dual strap into play so that you can bind it both under the bevor and over it. That way you helmet will not fall off if someone manages to cut your exposed strap.
Wel the sallette and bevor leaving a opening when you put your head up is also a benfit cause you can use it to catch a breath without opening your intire helemet up. Also don't forget to mention the low brimmed kettelhelm which is like a kettel sallette hybrid.
Luv your brigandine and also this armour, they look really really cool! I wonder, when wearing the sallet and bevor, could a thrust with a sword or spear glide upwards the bevor visor, and then hit the sallet visor, lift it, and hit you in the forehead? And if so, might this be avoided by an additional rim (“flare”?) at the top of the bevor’s visor?
Necroing, but I practice HEMA and have spoken to some more advanced people in my club who do harness fencing ie armored HEMA. Yes that can happen especially with swords, its actually why the sallet is not as popular among HEMA practitioners (or other armored combatants) as earlier bascinets which have more solid face protection. But there are ways around this in a modern sport context, people install perf plate to fill the gap between the visor and bevor that is there even if the visor is down, and that suffices to stop unlucky thrusts. It also isnt very conspicuous with the visor down.
Any idea if you and Lloyd are going to do a collab with your armours, Matt? It's interesting seeing different looks of sallet. I seem to remember Lloyd making his helmet based on the bellows sallet.
Lloyds harness is not too historical. He did not trust in the english effigies and instead went for something which wouldn't be found in England, paired with a helmet which does not fit the rest of the armour.
It's interesting how the Japanese kabuto+menpo were also apparently usually worn in a similar way. See Metatron's video on samurai masks, at 2:43 for example. Different, yet similar.
Didn't know about this, it seems much more protective this way. I bet that's why sallets were so popular, depending on the way you wear it, it can have a lot of different uses. Kind of the swiss army knife of helmets
Matt - Ever since Skyrim, I have always wondered about swords made of glass. Did our ancestors ever make swords out of glass? Were they martial weapons or ceremonial? Were they effective against armor?
With the bevor lowered and the visor raised it is very reminiscent of the effigy of Sir Humphrey Stafford that depicts him with open face bascinet and gorget. Almost as if the intended design was to achieve such a result without having to ditch your visor, or fight in melee with a big giant visor protruding off the top of your head.
I have a Pigface Bascinet for Christmas was a total shock, I just took a lot early rust from it, people recommend beeswax and olive oil mix to stop helmet from rusting.
Yes chinstrap under the bevor was done, it is safer. Not more practical on campaign when you need to wear your helmet all the time, because the bevor gets in the way with all day to day tasks. Its still better than wearing the bevor under the breastplate like a lot of reenactors do.
Wearing the bevor under the breastplate is also depicted. It's not too common, and the bevors were likely specifically made for it, but it is not entirely a re-enactorism
Wonderful video as always. One thing that is featured in art but isn’t talked about too much is a mail bevor. Interested to see an real example of one of those and analysis of the amount of protection one would provide.
I always wonder why movies revert to fantasy armor when the real stuff looks so much cooler.
Or why they take helmets off when helmets are so much cooler than peoples face
@@Lilrob06I think it's because of the actors. Like directors wouldn't pay so much for high end actors of most of the time the audience couldn't see the actors face. Sad tho because armour is just so cool
@@Lilrob06Pretty simple, Removing a face from an actor by making him wear a helmet in battle takes away protagonism.
It would be more realistic if they kept their helmet on but it would also be less iconic... After all the point of Fantasy its that its fiction.
@@whatsup4885 well yea fantasy is different but a Film perceived to be historical? Much different.
Dufferent times, different styles, many people don't like the small waist now but then it was a manly trait.
For those unaware, Darth Vader's helmet design took inspiration from both Samurai and German WWII helmets. And German WWII helmets took inspiration from German Medieval Sallet.
Some german firemen still have helmets in this shape, but today made of modern plastic.
“Short” video of 14 minutes. Never change, Matt!
We must watch very different sides of youtube because to me 14 minutes is a pretty short video!
Where does the idea that it _should_ be short come from?
@@Likexner Nowhere! I could listen to Matt for hours on end. It’s just always funny to me when he talks about making a “short point” at the beginning of the video, and you already know from the running time that he’s going to go into a lot more detail than he originally intended.
@@KorKhan89 I understand you were reacting to him saying it would be a short video. Im asking because this is not an isolated incident. I remember many times when Matt seemed to feel compelled to make it short. Maybe its his own idea but the way he promises he will be brief makes it look like he is under pressure from someone else constantly telling him his videos are too long.
Well, it is sort of short for Matt. Shortest (outside of a specific clip I remember) is around 6 minutes and longest can go north of 40 minutes.
Matt, good video. Who made your harness? I love the blued finish.
The blueing on the sabatons seems to have been done differently, if the color is any indication :)
@@BanjoJapeth , I was like "wait, I didn't think I saw any sabatons", then I was like "ohh... I see what you did there!"😀😂
This late Medieval (late 15 century) Western European armor is the most protective armor in world history!
@@jus_sanguinis
Dude, Google what a "tank" is. You're gonna freak out
@@Bear_Feces I mean body armor during late Medieval time and before it.
Re: the pronounciation of 'sallet'. In Shakespeare's 'Henry VI pt2' (Act 4; Scene 10, 1st speech for anyone who wants to look it up) the revolutionary John / Jack Cade when hiding out in a garden talks about using his helmet to drink from: "and many a time when I have been dry, and bravely marching, it hath served me instead of a quart-pot to drink in; and now the word 'sallet' must serve me to feed on". Shakespeare's intent here is a pun on 'salad', so as far Shakespeare is concerned 'sallet' sounds like 'salad'. In fact, a few lines earlier he talks about eating grass or 'picking a sallet' (ie picking the ingredients for a salad) before concluding: "and I think this word 'sallet' was born to do me good". So the words for 'sallet' (helmet) and salad (food) were not just similar but identical, phonetically. Definitlely 'sa-let', not 'sa-lay'.
Granted, Shakespeare was not a military expert but it is evidence of common usage of pronounciation in the time period (1590s in the instance of this play). Shakespeare expected his audience to understand the play on words.
I would content that that is a circular argument. The projection that he intended a pun with the word salad begins with the assumption with the pronunciation. This assumption is itself contentious since at that point in time the word salad did not refer to a dish. It retained the definition from the original French as meaning varieties of edible lettuce.
@@andrewjohnson6716 All I can reply to your objection is that you read the entirety of the speech in context and decide what you think it means. My interpretation is not just mine but a general scholarly interpretation. That doesn't mean it must be correct; we can't ask Shakespeare. But it's not spurious either. In context the character is on the run from the authorities and he is starving. He hides out in a garden and, sardonically, proposes that his only options are to eat his 'sallet' (his helmet) or to 'pick a sallet' (ie collect the produce of the garden as a (modern English word) salad). Clearly the humour derives from the the confuting of 'sallet' (helmet) with 'sallet' (food dish).
Bear in mind when you talk about pronounciation that in the 16th century there was ONLY pronounciation as there was no standardized spelling. This means puns were particularly piquant. For example, the words 'heart' and 'hart' to us are 2 completely different words with distinct meanings that just happen to sound the same phonetically. To Shakespeare, it is the same word but with 2 different meanings, giving it powerful, potentially even deep potentiality. Here he is doing the same with 'sallet', for comic effect but also with deeper meaning: his helmet, once a signifier of his might is now useful for nothing other than drinking out of or (sardonically) eating. But unless the word 'sallet' has a secondary food meaning that idea, that wordplay doesn't work. And shakespeare makes sure it does work by using the word a few lines before in its normal context: "picking a sallet".
You give a very specific definition of 'salad' and I would say you should be wary of that because not only was there no standardized spelling at the time but no comprehensive or definitive dictionaries, meaning that defining the meaning of a word is as nebulous as spelling it. I don't know what your source is but it is most likely derived from sort of dictionary or encylopedia from the era and that in itself is not reliable as any indicator of general usage because usually it was a definition coined by a sole author without reference to any wider consensus. It was simply enshrining what HE meant by a word, not what any other given person might mean it to refer to. For example, most of Dr Johnson's definitions in his famous dictionary are subjective and sometimes plain erroneous. To use modern vernacular: he pulled a lot of it out of his arse. Some scholar may have given the definition you gave but who knows what the average farm labourer or town citizen might understand this fancy French derived word to mean. I think it rather more likely that Shakespeare, a popular actor and playwright, was probably a little more in touch with common usage.
I think if you read the passage for yourself you will agree there is very little possibility of any other meaning :)
@@Chinaboatman so that's how enlightened people talk to each other... interesting
In French it was still is called a salade by the way. In Italian it's called a celata. That's why I find it very hard to believe the English would just drop the t. It certainly can't have been inspired by French as some people assume.
@@andrewjohnson6716 Italian celata, french salads, English salley? No way
At a steampunk event I saw a young lady wearing a bevour, I complimented her on it... I then never had to explain the name of a piece of armour so quickly in my life! ;)
I would love to see you in full harness with someone else in full harness and demonstrating the tactics that you can practically employ in a scenario like that. I've never felt like we were missing out on this until I saw that photo of you in your harness, but now it's all that I want.
Pursuing the Knightly Arts has a couple of videos on it. ua-cam.com/video/x4envYMBWuY/v-deo.html Here my favorite, it's about Ringen, armored wrestling.
This almost reads like something sexual "I'd love to see you wearing [insert thing], actually it's the only thing I want to see, I can't stop imagining it since I saw you wearing [thing]" without you even trying. Had you used foresight and gone full-blown sexual innuendo Matt would be making that video right now just to use the jokes!
@@Adam_okaay I was reading your comment just as Matt was saying "aahhhh, where's the hole.. I can feel it with my finger..."
The movie with the most sallets (albeit futuristic) is Star Wars. They are all over the place. From rebel soldiers to imperial dudes operating the death star to Darth Vader. Nice that you acknowledged Mr. Vader.
"Wheres the hole? I can feel it with my finger."
Never change Matt
Early sallets seem to have had 'bascinet' visors (bulbous ones with a lot of breathes) which went down pretty far. Presumably the shorter visors were developed specifically to pair with higher bevors, most likely by the French as they seem to have been the first ones to adopt the visored sallet + bevor combination. These sallets with bascinet-like visors do survive rarely in the background up to the 1460s or 70s in the lowlands where they're seen in a few tapestries, but never as anything common.
I cannot post links. But in two of the flemish Caesar Tapestries (if I recall correctly they were the Crossing of Rubicon and the Battle of Pharsalus) these forms can be seen. Both date to the 1460s.
For an earlier example there's a painted window in the chapel at Windsor Castle, dated around 1435 also depicting one of these sallets.
Lastly they can also be seen in the french manuscripts _Gouiron le Courtois_ (BNF Francais 356, ca 1440) and _Le Livre et le vraye hystoire du bon roy Alixandre_ (BL Royal 20 B XX)
No Way! Toby put out the second book!?!?!?!?! You just made my day!!!!! Ordering now, before I even finish your video. Sorry, Matt.
Robocop's skin is actually synthetic. It's all metal parts underneath his mouth and face, so even if he's shot in the mouth the damage would be superficial
The skull was indeed metal but Robocop's face was 100% Murphy's face which was preserved and, together with portions of his cerebrum and cerebellum, applied to a cybernetic body. The scar from the gunshot wound Murphy sustained can be seen when RoboCop has his visor off, further suggesting his face is not a replica, but in fact his original organic one.
Robocop sometimes held up a hand to protect his face, particularly after he started to become aware that he was Murphy inside there.
not only was the sallet and bevor the go to helmet for jousting historically when not doing gestech in a gestech helm, at teh Royal armouries we used salet and bevors as the go to jousting helmet for decades. We also used the strap over the bevor at the time quite routinely.
not only is there art showing it, there is also the pietro monte description of a stud on the bevor to stop the chinstrap slipping off the bevor, which is this ideas main issue with some bevors that the chinstrap slips towards the nose
sallets are perfectly servicable helmets for jousting, in particular balsa jousting, they were then, they are now.
Matt it would be cool to see a comparison of the sallet to the Helmet Model 5 and M1917 and M1 helmets used in WW1 and the outer shell and inner helmet compared and contrasted!
Some depictions of sallets remind me of the faux-corintian helmets with the tilted back look becoming the only wearable position.
Also, Matt in his new armour is only a few yellow highlights and some solar heraldry away from being a Nilfgaardian. Watch out for Henry Cavil!
Sallet and Bevor is one of my favorite armor combinations. I am realizing now that Darth Vader's helmet combo might have had a bit to do with that preference.
Styled after Date Masamunes own armor.
I love my Sallet, only problem is, with a bevor on and Visor down visibility is abysmally bad. The trick with the strap on the bevor is a good thing to learn, thank you for showing it.
+scholagladiatoria *Sallet and bevor were appropriate for infantry; the Japanese developed neck guards for their native bowl helmets that were also appropriate for sallets.* Basinets were more appropriate for cavalry, being engineered to withstand lance strikes that were almost certain to occur in the opening stage of a battle.
The photo of you standing with your back to the camera in armor is seriously bad ass (the pun is not even intentional)
Makes perfect sense to wear it that way, if anything id think that would be the most used considering the benefits
As a side note, an obscure sword that might be cool to cover is the Portuguese age of discovery "colhona" (Meaning big balls, although female word which makes it kinda funny), in english known as carrack black sword, it has a fairly unique design and fairly unknown
I'd love a video on Bevors!
I remember in Hamlet, there is a reference to the armoured ghost of Hamlet’s father having his “beaver” up, meaning you could see his face. Does this mean that by Shakespeare’s day, the bevor had simply become another word for the visor, or should we imagine some close-helm type arrangement where you could raise both the bevor and the visor separately?
He also could have just not known what he was talking about
Imagine more that Shakespeare just isn't very informed on military stuff. Take this from a Shakespeare nut.
There is also a line in Henry IV part 2 about the character seeing Hal “with his bevor on”. As the armorer on one production I had to explain that reference to the cast and crew. I felt quite proud of myself for securing a bevoured suit of armor that fit the actor playing Hal.
Bill Shakespeare never wore armour nor knew it’s name, think of him like a Gilbert and Sullivan style deal; pop trash for the masses with absolutely zero research into the topic they write about.
@@guypierson5754 Harsh, but fair.
Wow finally what a great kit, hoping to see a Superdry Tabard ;)
Or a Soundgarden tabard.
"Where's the hole... ah, fiddling around, I can feel it with a finger... There you go!"
that harness is exquisite
Very good point Matt! Thanks
The bevor and sallet is really interesting to me from a modern infantryman standpoint. A sallet shares a functional similarity to a modern ACH with a set of ballistic goggles, the goggles rest on the top of your helmet until you need the protection, then they are lowered providing significant protection to the upper half of your face. (The goggle we wore were rated to take 12ga 00 buck, and have saved my eyes from spalling and other debris.) It's very interesting to see the similarities and differences in protective measures over history.
On another note, Mr. Easton, have you got any recommendations for books on the subject of armor throughout history? Other than the one you mentioned in the video, which I am trying to find now.
Close Sallets seem like the coolest helmet because they retain that darth vader back area fanning outward which looks stylish yet the practicality of a dynamic bevor that is also permanently attached
Sallet + bevor just looks really cool. I don't know wht, but it's a nifty look.
The sallet reminds me a little of Corinthian style helmets - the Greeks must've relied on their beards to protect their lower face. Or something.
The minus here is - the strap is exposed. However, a century later, Burgonet's design has exposed strap embedded to it so we might assume the chance of it cut within battle was deemed low enough to ignore it. Personally I am afraid of the strap being cut on my burgonet so i added a hook to keep the helmet a pair of seconds together for me to react and just fall down in melee. Wonder if that kind of safety feature can be done here somehow
love sallets!!
"Would that protect the Spanish, 🇪🇸 conquistadors head from the clay balls⚽ made of stone 🪨 and obsidian rock 🪨 thrown from a string made sling used by the Aztec jaguar 🐆 and eagle 🦅 warriors of primitive stone 🪨 age Mexico?"🇲🇽
I always liked putting on my beavor then the sallet and strapping it under the chin of the armor before knowing it was historically done because I felt it was safer and more stable. Glad to know my thinking was right.
I love the Italian name: Celata. Its meaning has the flavor of secret and mystery
This is a great video Matt. Thanks for making it. I really liked that you stuck to one topic, didn't ramble (caught yourself a few times) and used a bunch of evidence and images.
This is the kind of video I love from you!
Yay, a reason to have an unmodded (modernly) sallet for HEMA: this method plus separate mensur goggles (for modern eye safety).
Whole first half I was just jokingly thinking it was going to be doing up the strap lol. The parent in me coming out lol. But when it actually was doing up the strap differently I lost it. Nice one Matt. Stay safe mate.
I have to say, I am what a few people would call an history buff. At the same time I am not an expert on armory and weapons. I rearly appreciate yoer videos because every no and then I learn something new because you know what you are talking about.
Okay. Off to try this with my White Rose Sallet and Bevor!
I learned something today. This is such a great channel. That seems like a very good way to wear it.
12:44 a crossover somewhat,
The armet is a child of the basinet and has hinged plates from the side to enclose the lower face.
The closed helmet evolved from the salad first attaching the bevor to the vizor later independently hinged on the same point, than like tadpoles losing the tail.
You should try to have Lucy do a black streak of eyeshadow across your face and nose bridge. That way when your visor is down, we'd just see darkness, and your eyes. Would be cool for photo's. ^_^
I'm a concept artist and watching your videos and watching how things work really helps my work! Thank you! Sallet probably my favorite medieval helmet model to be honest.
Oh yeah I've been looking forward to this. Sallet, Bevor, chainmail, shoulder pads and scale chest piece
I suppose fewer people put the stap over the bevor due to risk of it being cut and then having the sallet essentially free on your head. But again, like all things armour (and weapons) trade offs i suppose
I don't think it's that easy to cut a leather strap resting against armor. Italians had their breastplates attached with a leather strap at the front and never felt the need to attach it another way, so it seems it wasn't much of a problem
I think you underestimate how hard it is to cut leather. Also, a lot of plate harnesses are basically covered with leather straps, my cuirass has like 14 of them, and all on the outside, so it wasn't that big of a deal.
@@AlricOfRahls possibly but it is still a risk to have one thin strap opposed to 14, presumably thicker straps. Im just speculating at the end of the day
@@romainburgy908 true though i am just speculating. I mean if the strap Matt used is the average, that is a pretty thin bit of leather. Maybe i am over thinking it because it would be a hard place to hit and possibly irrelevant as you'd get your head shaken about like a good un regardless. Im just coming up with a possibility as to why it was not done as often as strap under the bevor
@@BH-rx3ue Yeah, there's always a chance of it getting cut but it's quite unlikely I think (btw it would be nice to see Matt test how hard or how easy it is to cut leather that's resting against plate armor). And let's not forget it's possible it was done this way just as much but doesn't appear as often in art of the period because maybe the artists didn't always bother including all the fine details of armor like straps etc.
Really look forward to seeing Matt in his full armor glory. Those 15th century metal garments look as cool as from the future
Sallet Helmet was ultra-popular
That's actually how I've ever wear mine. And no, haven't been hit by rolling pins, but was once hit with a grain thresher so hard that it knocked me over - so I can testify it is a very protective way of bearing a sallet!
I love the sallet and bevor combo! Or Schaller und Bart as it's known in Germany.
You know the Video of Ian McCollum ( Forgotten Weapons), where he wears M16 and Sappenpanzer?
11:35 that sallet and bevor looks really nice
Your harness looks awesome!
Given the lighting, that sallet looked like it had a golden finish.
A video on Sallet dressing, if you will.
Now I'm curious how this compares to the wearing of menpō and hanpō.
Surprisingly similar.
I just love the visored sallet+bevor aesthetic.
Armor looks great.
I love the thumbnail, you should really consider plating that helmet with something gold-looking!
PS The strong English "ey" at the end (particularly common when Americans pronounce french words) is arguably a worse mispronunciation than hard "et" could ever be :v
Awesome... Makes me love the thought of armor more and more
The sallet and bevor combo looks so cool.
Holy shit you look so much like Darth Vader without his helmet on when you wear just the bevor.
*Ha! fair play you mentioned it! I love your videos.
While England had a French-speaking aristocracy for much of the Middle Ages after 1066, words borrowed into English before the final 't' became silent in French would retain it, just as English retains the earlier pronunciation of French 'ch' and 'j'' (even the *sound* of 'j' was a borrowing in initial position, since Old English never had that sound at the beginning of a word).
Great video as always Matt! The development of armour and convergent evolution is amazing. When wearing the bevor inside it is almost reminiscent of the Japanese kabuto helmet with facemask. You can also see the inspiration of the bevor with burgonet helms and their falling buffe, with some beautiful surviving examples out there too. The burgonet and savoyard helms are such a culmination of lessons from helms of the past
This is my favourite kind of helmet, I love the look and the functionality
8:49 - Luke, let me see you with my own eyes...
Shit. DV clip just after I posted. Aw.
Strangely perhaps, I've always displayed my sallet with the bevior strapped together, it just seemed the obvious way to wear it to me, maybe because I also have a samurai kabuto with mempo that has built in hooks to pass the kabuto's cords through forcing them to be tied under the chin of the mempo creating a similar set up. Love your tempered 'dark' armour! That retractable bevoir is a really cool design, the one you talk about with a full retracting face shield sounds very interesting! Do you know of any modern replicas?
Man, I have watched medieval content for quite a while now. But one thing that occasionally really intrigues me is what kind of armour would we end up if we made armour made for medieval combat, but with modern technology, materials and knowledge.
Some type of steel would probably still be best for most of the armour part, but I would imagine you would have some stab proof cloth in joints and stuff instead of mail. But really the most interesting part is how the armour part would be constructed.
I've seen manuscript illustrations of men-at-arms wearing the sallet and bevor as he was doing later on. Also have seen it being worn with helm donned first, and without the bevor. Since it was an age without uniform dress, one supposes that every man did as he saw fit for himself, and if he survived until the end of battle, then it was obviously fine! I will make a further observation by stating that many figures depicted wearing a sallet without a bevor are men-at arms on foot, or common foot soldiers. It makes sense since foot combat requires a lot of breathing, and regular foot soldiers or gents who couldn't afford a horse might readily not have the full kit and were getting by on what they could afford or plunder.
Yes! Armor content!
I always wondered if "bevor" has something to do with the french word "bavoir"... a kind of napkin used to prevent drool...
Yes, exactly that.
@@scholagladiatoria So if ever some kids refuse to tie a napkin around their neck before eating, we can tell them that it a cool item related to knights.
@@adwarfsittingonagiantsshoulder clever lol
at around 11:35, I was expecting you to start bashing yourself with a rolling pin lol
Really neat way to wear sallet + bevor, I was planning to get those as my next head and neck armor pieces
"Would that protect the soldiers wearing the Sallet and Bevor, from Russian 🇷🇺 built AK-47 assault rifle bullets?"
"Is it bulletproof?"
"Would the Bevor and Sallet helmet ⛑ protect the Spanish, 🇪🇸 conquistadors from the stone 🪨 age primitive poison ☠ tipped obsidian rock darts 🎯 thrown from an atlatl, or poison ☠ tipped wooden feathery end 🔚 darts 🎯 blown 🌬 from a blow 🌬 gun, 🔫 or poison ☠ tipped obsidian rock 🪨 arrows ➡ fired🔥 from the primitive longbow 🏹 and arrow, ➡ or clay balls ⚽ made of stone 🪨 and obsidian rock 🪨 thrown from a string made sling used by the primitive stone 🪨 age Aztec jaguar 🐆 and eagle 🦅 warriors of Tenochtitlan Mexico?" 🇲🇽
I think the Salet is definitely my favorite medieval helmet.
Fingers crossed we are soon treated to a vid of Matt at Battle of the Nations in full harness and Nikes
We needed a video about the bevor. Thanks.
I see far too many reinactors who wear visored sallets with no bevor. I have no problems with an open-faced sallet worn without a bevor, but why impair vision with a visor while leaving the throat exposed?
That was incredibly common in the period though. If you look through my Pinterest page here, you can see lots of examples from period art:
www.pinterest.co.uk/matt_easton/sallet-celata-barbuta-and-bevor/
It is one of my favourite looking helmets ever
This helmet is so aesthetically pleasing.
Appreciate the Ian LaSpina reference there!
I learned something new today! I thought when there was a gap between the bevor and the sallet it meant they weren't fitted properly.
Man, that blued armor is pretty.
Fun fact: the stahlhelm (WW1 era German Imperial helmet) and by extension, all modern military helmets, are based off of the sallet and, Darth Vaders armor design started from his helmet (to connote evil as by then, it was associated with the Nazis) and then they later filled in the rest of his suit using a medieval armor set as the basis.
That 'turtle up' movement you do one-handed (bevor up, visor down) seems like it could be done quickly - almost glamorously.
There's seems enough facial exposure for use in a medieval war film - two soldiers talk, finish their conversation, 'turtle up', and move into danger.
Get dual strap into play so that you can bind it both under the bevor and over it. That way you helmet will not fall off if someone manages to cut your exposed strap.
I just realized that I've always said bascinet wrong... :(
Wel the sallette and bevor leaving a opening when you put your head up is also a benfit cause you can use it to catch a breath without opening your intire helemet up. Also don't forget to mention the low brimmed kettelhelm which is like a kettel sallette hybrid.
Hmmm, looks like I’m gonna have to try it for myself ... right now! Thx for the tip 🙂
Enjoyed this one! Very nice demonstration! Thanks.
Anything on Landsknecht armoring would be a treat. They have such amazing outfits that havn't been shown in any meaningful light in media. More armor!
Thanks for sharing 👍
This was far more than just moderately interesting! Keep up the good work!
Luv your brigandine and also this armour, they look really really cool!
I wonder, when wearing the sallet and bevor, could a thrust with a sword or spear glide upwards the bevor visor, and then hit the sallet visor, lift it, and hit you in the forehead? And if so, might this be avoided by an additional rim (“flare”?) at the top of the bevor’s visor?
Necroing, but I practice HEMA and have spoken to some more advanced people in my club who do harness fencing ie armored HEMA. Yes that can happen especially with swords, its actually why the sallet is not as popular among HEMA practitioners (or other armored combatants) as earlier bascinets which have more solid face protection. But there are ways around this in a modern sport context, people install perf plate to fill the gap between the visor and bevor that is there even if the visor is down, and that suffices to stop unlucky thrusts. It also isnt very conspicuous with the visor down.
Any idea if you and Lloyd are going to do a collab with your armours, Matt? It's interesting seeing different looks of sallet. I seem to remember Lloyd making his helmet based on the bellows sallet.
Lloyds harness is not too historical. He did not trust in the english effigies and instead went for something which wouldn't be found in England, paired with a helmet which does not fit the rest of the armour.
As someone who loves sallets and bevors, please do a video on just the bevor.
It's interesting how the Japanese kabuto+menpo were also apparently usually worn in a similar way.
See Metatron's video on samurai masks, at 2:43 for example. Different, yet similar.
Didn't know about this, it seems much more protective this way. I bet that's why sallets were so popular, depending on the way you wear it, it can have a lot of different uses. Kind of the swiss army knife of helmets
A protective medieval helmet that has the added bonus of making you look like the evil storm trooper.
All of the awesome!
The German Stahlhelm was based off this
Matt - Ever since Skyrim, I have always wondered about swords made of glass.
Did our ancestors ever make swords out of glass? Were they martial weapons or ceremonial? Were they effective against armor?
With the bevor lowered and the visor raised it is very reminiscent of the effigy of Sir Humphrey Stafford that depicts him with open face bascinet and gorget. Almost as if the intended design was to achieve such a result without having to ditch your visor, or fight in melee with a big giant visor protruding off the top of your head.
I have a Pigface Bascinet for Christmas was a total shock, I just took a lot early rust from it, people recommend beeswax and olive oil mix to stop helmet from rusting.
Yes chinstrap under the bevor was done, it is safer. Not more practical on campaign when you need to wear your helmet all the time, because the bevor gets in the way with all day to day tasks. Its still better than wearing the bevor under the breastplate like a lot of reenactors do.
Wearing the bevor under the breastplate is also depicted. It's not too common, and the bevors were likely specifically made for it, but it is not entirely a re-enactorism
Wonderful video as always. One thing that is featured in art but isn’t talked about too much is a mail bevor. Interested to see an real example of one of those and analysis of the amount of protection one would provide.
Great combination! And new to me. Thanks!
I did not know about this! Very interesting and makes a lot of sense.
After years of watching, finally first!