Collect 2 Epics for FREE in Raid ✅ pl.go-ga.me/leheu9vt ⚡Lightsworn + Juliana (after reaching level 15) 🎅 Take part in the Christmas event and get your gift at raidxmas.com
How could I not mention the Burgonet that replace the sallet as a helmet in the16th century. Now they are very pleasing to the eye practical helmets by the Burgundians in their mountains.
With more holes/slits Breathing and vision improved sure, but so did communication. I think you mentioned ability to hear, but also the ability to issue orders, call for aid, coordinate with one's mates, and taunt your enemies (or ask for their surrender if a ransom was at stake).
In fact in El Quijote, what Alonso Quijano wears as a "helmet" is a barber's "bacía", also called "bacina" and "bacinilla" (a diminutive) with the same root as "bassin/bassinette". So as you can see, already in the 16th century Cervantes was making jokes about it...
A couple mechanical points: A more close fitting shape for a helmet provides less lever arm for a twisting action. If someone was poking at me with a pointed stick, this would be better because a glancing blow would have less effect on me. On the other hand if someone was coming at me in the baseball bat style, I might want a less form fitting helmet to give one space to soak up the energy. On the slots I noticed that the vertical dimension appears to be reduced as the horizontal dimension is increased. Pole arms tend to be larger in the vertical dimension. A slot that is the opposite to this would resist the pole arm getting a grip on the helmet.
I'd personally go for the kettle helm. I've worn hard hats of similar size and shape, and you'd be surprised by just how much the brim can protect you from.
Halfway into the 14th century we see the introduction of 2 other important armour components: The full breastplate & the lans rest And we see a departure from strapped shields, freeing both hands for polearms. I believe that this made a big impact (literally) that a srurdier nek protection was needed Tha mail aventail gives
Fighting in different forms of armor for over 40 years and I feel that the neck became more form fit for glancing and weight management more than any other reasons. Form fit means less metal is needed to cover the same area, so less weight. And more form fit keeps weight closer to the body to help with balance and movement.
If being used for tournaments it seems to me as though the improvement in neck protection and breathing/communication ability was a benefit because outright losing didn't require the loss of your life, and likely one of the chief complaints of people doing tournaments was neck damage from being smacked hard in the head! The lower neck mobility means you'd be at a disadvantage against folks with a flexible neck, but so long as you don't take ACTUAL harm from someone who literally wants you dead, the increased risk of loss was acceptable compared to going home with less of a headache at the end of the day.
I think the main advantage of a hinged neck-close as opposed to a bucket fit is in relative weight and in weight distribution. The circumference of the neckline is significantly smaller, so less material is needed, and the weight is moved more towards the neck, the centre of the body, away from the chest. While the latter would not distribute the weight better in making it easier to carry, being less forward placed, it does pull down less on a toppling motion.
Before watching. Depends on the century. In the 11th/12th century, it's the nasal helmet. In the 13th, the kettle hat should be a really good choice. Even in the 14th century. Both designs have advantages like the cone shaped form, able to deflect blows, great visibility and air. In combination with an avail, the face is adequately covered. Wont help against an arrow too the face or a dedicated stab but at least you have peripheral vision and oxygen. The kettle hat also offers excellent protection against blows from above, while the nasal gives additional protection from horizontal blows.
In Scotland the great bascinet persists later into the 15th century, which makes sense as they fought on foot in field battles. I'd wager most of the knights at the battle of Sark in 1448 on the scottish side wore great bascinet helmets.
I'd always wondered- why not go for something like the Great Bascinet's full neck protection while completely divorcing the rest of the helmet from the wearer's head? Have the whole thing be a single 'unit', as it were, with the front 180 degrees of it having the holes and slots, made in such a way that the user can move their head freely inside of it and that any strikes distribute the force down into the shoulders You would, of course, still wear padding on your head in case you get jostled and hit your head onto the helmet
They did, look up the frog helm. Granted it was pretty much a specialized jousting helmet, but it did what you're describing. It was worn pretty much entirely on the shoulders and allowed your head to turn freely inside.
I think what OP is talking about is having the full gorget and back plate around the neck, but allowing the helmet to sit within it, unattached to those plates. But I think this was already a thing in the early 15th century. For example, many images of Henry V show him wearing such a helm.@@Riceball01
During the transitional period between mail aventails and great bascinets a neck protection called a “standing collar” was sometimes used which seems to match your description. I am not certain why it was fazed out in apparent preference for a complete unit but an example is worn by the titular character in “Henry V” (1944).
Please make a video on gauntlets. It seems there are a lot of voices in the harness community that insist on mitten gauntlets and no fingered gauntlets, and even for those of us who go for mittens, there are differences between harnischfecten/historical gauntlets and those for buhurt.
14:50 I'd say the primary reason is just technological. The sallet+bevor and armet give you a "half open" configuration where your partially exposed face is still kinda protected via angulation. This is very obvious if you look at the side profile of a sallet+bevor with the visor up/tilted compared to a bascinet. You face sticks out of the bascinet when the visor is up. I think this is one of the best features of the "new" 15th century helmets.
The bevor in general is nice for the face protection it gives without affecting breathing nearly as much as a visor. The Iberian kingdoms in particular loved the bevor and wore it a lot with kettle hats (which doesn't even have a visor to begin with.)
I solved the sallet bevor issue for my friend drilling matching holes in the visor and bevor, adding grommets, and we would just lace them together before he'd go out and fight.
My suggestion for the change would be that armies might have become more organised. My first thought when the video started was; "Imperial Gallic/Italian or Moiron", cause as a military historian and analyst, I focus on organised fighting and the states behind those organised armies. On the battlefield a soldier in an organised army needs a mix of protection, and ability to communicate and pay attention to orders and surroundings. And the above mentioned helmets strike that balance well. Possibly the Burgonet would fit the need as well. A Bevor is closer to fulfill those needs than a Great Bascinet, so that could be the reason for the change; more organised fighting as part of the general development towards organised armies and states.
I would love a video on Burgonets. Some of my favorite helmets are burgonets with fold down bevors that give an almost armet like look to them with the visor and cheek pieces. Almost a middle ground between armet and bevored sallet visually.
I quite like the Spanish Morion helmet (I have 1) and considering that I'm Dutch and these existed during our war of independence, it's kinda fitting don't you think? Edit: Matt, I'd love a video on the Spanish Morion helmet.
Before watching: I would argue the kettle hat. Very protective, especially from overhead strikes thanks to the brim, while also providing good visibility and breathability.
That's true if you are low to medium ranking foot soldier. If you are a nobleman and you love your life a little more you would want somethinhg more substantial
@@TeutonicEmperor1198 There were noblemen who wore kettle hats, but you have a point. For extra protectiveness, a bascinet would be a good choice that, thanks to being a visored helmet, would still provide good vision and breathability with the visor up and still allow the wearer to turn their head.
@@matthewmuir8884 noblemen because they were noblemen had the luxury to have many helmets into their disposal. Something really light when they were marching into friendly territory, something more substantial when they were marching into enemy territory and 100% protective helmet when they were fighting the enemy. Kettle helmets and sallets were so diverse that they can be classified as both light and heavy helmets as both peasantry and royal helmets. Especially during the 16th centrury (especially Greenwich armour) when they could add or remove plates the distinction between light and heavy helmets became almost absolete.
I also think it might be worth considering that the Great Bascinet, one of the most inflexible armours in medieval era, was at its peak in popularity at the time of Agincourt, which is often used to argue for a stereotype that medieval armour severely limited mobility to the detriment of the wearer. I think it’s a stretch to say that the French lost because a lot of them were wearing great bascinets, but there is a correlation there that might be worth exploring.
I'm not an armour expert, but I suspect the change to lighter and more comfortable armour comes down to a balance of use and practicality. If you spend 6 hours in armour for a battle, but only 20 minutes fighting, being reasonably well protected, while comfortable, is far more important than being marginally more protected and uncomfortable. Consider, that in combat the better rested and more relaxed fighter will win, if skill is near equal. So having armour that allows you to rest and be comfortable, while still ready for action, is more practical than super protective armour that keeps you uncomfortable and takes time to get ready if in a resting state. Finally, consider that perspective of the soldiers of the time. Like soldiers today, they likely thought half of living was luck, and the other half was skill. So bundling on armour that made being skillful harder, was not likely to realistically extend their life.
Do you ever make a History of Medieval Helmets Part 2? The first video covered a lot of ground, but I really want a deep dive into the advantages and disadvantages of each of the late medieval helmets!
Anything that restricts head movement and adds weight to your head and neck also protects your brain and makes you harder to knock out. The best light helmet in the world might stop a poleaxe from punching through your skull, but if your brain experiences enough acceleration, you will be knocked out regardless. More weight = less acceleration = harder to knock out. More restrictive = less acceleration = harder to knock out.
The sallet and bevor was probably easier to make and needed less skilled artisans to mass produce than a great bascinet, which is why they replace them everywhere but nobility can still reach for a gb if they've got one around or can afford its creation.
Half the armor styles were likely as much fashion as defensive safety. An armorer devises a new style feature, convinces some top noble/influencer to wear it about court, and suddenly a whole raft of aspiring combatants scurry to their local blacksmith so they are not caught out and about with last year's armor model.
The reason is, because if a poleaxe or mace struck head and shake it like those dummy to test car crash, the chances of die by indirect trauma are huge. And if some warrior was witness of some death. Their experience is given to a designer, "because of this and that" Still is posible to move the head even in full range of motion, in a armor design if the head never do contact to any steel wall, but that would be cumbersome like that skirt plate, yet still effective. It is posible to do the same with a compromise design at least only in a horizontal plane never designed or forged through history. I thing those armor mentioned in this video, in general was wore by wealthy lords and never used directly. Because mobility is necessary to wrestle and do many actions. So any "Real armor" were used most extensively by common warriors, the majority, fill with unavoidable design flaws. In those eras factory consistency was rare. An the proportion is few rich, mostly poor. But i think anyways plate is overrated because the most pain wear it is overheating. Confort is very important.
I can imagine not only does the salet have more mobility and easy of use than the great bassinet but it might just be a matter of economics. In my eyes they look far easier to produce and easier to replace some parts instead of the entire helm from any big impact. You can change the helm or bever depending one which is severly damaged.
In your searching for examples of great bascinets have you or anybody else found examples for foot combat in the 16th century that aren't associated with a tonlet?
So I’m working on getting one, but you should too. There are a few French and English ones that no one likes to talk about. Toby left them out of his books and all the reference photos on the surviving English effigies that Mac has he hides, they are absolutely horrific helmets. Which is why I had to have one haha.
I feel exactly the same! And the weird and wonderful English examples are fascinating. I don't know why Toby didn't have a section on them. I'll ask him.
It is worth saying, without specific knowledge of the helmets you are referring to, Toby does specify that he is not examining tournament helms or armour in his book. Perhaps that applies to the ones you are referencing?
I’m having the one found on 'Sir William Gascoigne‘ s effigy made. I’m just fascinated by it. My harness is about 15 year’s earlier than 1465, but I just couldn’t help it.
It’s possible that’s why Toby left them out, but in French art they are shown in a war context. And if I recall how Mac addressed it it was something like “oh dear God please for the love of all that is, don’t let people see these” but I think that is mainly because he doesn’t want a bunch of bad examples floating around the reenactment community
@@brothersliutgeryitzchakjea7889 Super interesting, looks almost like a robot face if I found images of the right effigy but I do suspect it is a tourney helm. Personally I have been dying to see a recreation of the spiral fluted salets which I first heard about in Toby’s book. Someone with money for armor please commission one haha.
My favorite helm(et) ever is the Sir Giles Capel Foot-Combat helm. Such a cool looking design, unsure how practical it is exactly, but modern fencing helmets evoke it. Though obviously "best" is entirely context-dependent, maybe it's not so great against heavier arms? Ah, I see in the images you show, it's one of the examples. At 10:25 ish. Neat.
I would like to see an overview on the artistics styles among the western european armets/close helmets (like from Francia, Aquitaine, Castella, Burgundy, Venetia, Venice, Flanders and so on).
I don't understand Harnischfechten. Fencing in armour would likely mean fencing to defeat armour. That can only be done by excessive force or aiming for vulnerable spots
That's the exact point minus excess force. Regular HEMA uses blossfechten rules where you are treated as unarmored despite wearing protective gear. Harness is very different for several reasons, chief among them the restrictions of plate armor, the small amount of viable targets, and the protection of plate armor letting you do certain actions that are too risky outside armor. For example there is a lot of clinching and grappling in harness, the extra weight of armor gives both people more momentum that can be exploited by a skilled fighter.
@scholagladiatoria Video suggestion: Matt you always say of certain narrower blades that they can cut. But what does that mean, exactly? Can some of the rapiers and sideswords actually cut off limbs or otherwise inflict immediately incapacitating cuts? Any historic accounts would be interesting ofc, they always are. Cheers for the great work!
Interesting again. BTW, if you want to call the fighting in armour in the correct German way, it would be Harnischfechten. Sounds more like [ha:nish] and actually means armour. A 'harness' in German would be 'Zaumzeug' or 'Geschirr' like a harness for horses or 'Gurtzeug' like things strapped on with buckled or knotted straps or a piece of rigging on a sailing ship. 'Harness fechten' actually doesn't make any sense as a mixture of an English and a German word.
In modern times, today, with good patterns, there is no difference. In medieval times, it's theorized that both the bascinet and the sallet were raised from cut patterns. And it has been proven repeatedly that both of these helmets can be raised from a single flat of steel. Until someone with enough gravitas allows possible seams to be cut and electron microscoped we cannot prove that seams on most medieval helmets were forge welded. The fact that earlier sallets had a ridge along the top seems to indicate a possible forge weldment and certainly today we do all these patterns in two pieces with a welded seam. We do know that some items on helmets were forge welded, but there is really no need for clarity in this discussion because master armorers worked at the top of a pyramid of subordinate workers who could have been raising blanks to be finished by the masters.
Thanks so much for the video. I've always liked the Teutonic or others crusader helmets from the 1300's. I can't remember the newer helmet I liked I'll have to do some checking
Having worn a lot of heavy helmets over the years, I'd be interested to know if there are any noticeable benefits to performance or endurance if one wears a helmet where the weight is on the shoulders rather than the neck.
Are there advantages that the barbute has over other similarly styled helmets? I love the aesthetic design of the barbute but think the concavities around the cheeks would cause issues during melee but have advantages over ranged weapons.
I am currently thinking about getting a custom made helmet that is supposed to resemble a predatory bird and am debating with myself if it's going to be a great bascinet, armet or close-helm.
How about a video on metal shields? When I see how easy arrows go through wooden shields it makes me think why metal ones weren't more in use than they were. At least I'm under the impression that they were rare. Or course cost is an issue but even taking that into account they seem rare in my opinion. Probably flawed opinion. So if you could afford metal armour and a metal shield why get a wooden shield? Weight? Metal vs wood shields why when positives and negatives etc. Why this question might be incredibly stupid! 😅
If you can afford good full armor plate a metal shield or any shield becomes rather pointless as the armor is the shield, the only exceptions I know of are the Spanish Rodeleros and that was a some what of a failed concept. It's an understandable question, however the industrialization of armor in the 15th and 16th centuries nullified the costs to equip armies with semi decent armor. This is still poorly and rarely explained by historians as everyone looks to the flashy armor that survived instead of the standard armor of the time that was disposed of after it became obsolete
@flyingmonkeydeathsquadronc968 Oh I'm aware of the armour becomes the shield in later periods bit. I guess I phrased my question poorly. For when shields were still in use why not more metal shields? Mail and a coat of plates and a...metal shield? For example. You last paragraph is great. 😀
@@arc0006 I'd assume, although I'm willing to be corrected, it has to due with metallurgy and mining technology. If your standard source for iron is bog iron and your armor is more of a wrought iron, weight and supply become relevant. hopefully others will either correct of verify my assumption.
@flyingmonkeydeathsquadronc968 Hmm and maybe we have a good answer there. When armour was mail a metal shield might have been too heavy. When plate armour was around a good metal shield could be made(ie weight etc.), however then a shield wasn't really needed. 🤷♂️
A more accurate translation of Kolbenturnier would be mace tournament. Club is Keule (kɔɪ̯.lə) in German. Kolben (among various other meaning in 21st century German: rilfe butt, piston, specific lab flask) means mace.
Greetings Mr. Easton, I love your channel and I love your work I've been a long time subscriber. I would love a piece about cauldron and other shoulder armor. This seems to be the piece of armor that is most often exaggerated and oversized in modern fantasy and modern medieval fiction. How were they actually use and what were some of the things people would look for in quality pauldron, And did medieval nights ever have enormous pauldrons like our depicted Modern fantasy, and if not why do we so often blow these so far out of proportion today.
Interesting question. If you include all the strapping and padding, it is certainly true that even good fitting armor needs to have the strapping replaced every time it blows out. Generally straps break when you move in a method the strapping can't conform to. As far as wear and tear on the metal itself. Rust is a big one. Your sweat causes the steel to rust and storing the padding starts to rot. Leather molds. So I would say every season you need to go through your gear and inspect/replace bits. Generally it's just the rivets that work themselves out, so you need to replace rivets every so often. I've transitioned almost everything I have to stainless, so that helps, but you do get complaints about the shine. It's considered rude to deliberately use your shiny armor to blind your opponent.
Extremely good video!! I know I've asked for this before, but please can you do a vid on the 'open grill' style helmet of the English Civil War? It's probably the wrong term scientifically and maybe you've done one already, in which case I would love if you were to provide the link, but I think you know what I'm getting at. Could some also tell me what the scholarly and historical terms for them are?
The armet is another good option, but because of the way it joins at the chin, it has an inherent weak point there, which was mitigated by wearing a 'wrapper' over the chin and throat in addition. It has more mobility than the great bascinet, but not really as much protection from impacts. Better on horse, worse on foot, IMHO.
Do a guided tour in a german museum/ castle and show the guide ( Führer) that you have knowledge about historicsl weaponry, then watch the joy in their faces!
Hey Matt I have seen some fully articulated neck plates (on what I expect are fairly late armors) but I have been curious how early did they come about and how popular was it?
Lobstertails are a hard one to nail down, provenance wise. Certainly they were used throughout asia, china, Japan etc. There is some crossover in the earlier period persian helmets that certainly used them. There is even some evidence that some mongolian/slovak helmets used them as well. However, how much of that is metal straps, and how much is leather straps or even wooden lacquer straps. Without surviving evidence other that representation in art it's hard to say without any shadow of a doubt. In Europe though, the chainmail was used almost exclusively until very late in the period.
@@hcharlequinharlequincorps8394 thanks for the reply. Yeah, hard to nail down has been my experience so far as well, there's definitely some things in there I can follow up on though, thanks.
Got custom made plate armor gloves that are like a second skin yet? 😇 I know they are quite expensive, but they are also very nice! I love me some plated gloves, the kind that feels like a second skin of steel scales sliding over and under each other with movement. 🥰
Why so popular? Because the face is the sensory reception and relay-direction centre and if that is disrupted, then the entire fighting machine is disrupted.
I'm surprised you guys don't wear some sort of plastic eye protection under your helmets (maybe like some American Footballers have on their hats). Doubly so for jousters with all those splinters flying about.
@scholagladiatoria In all seriousness, as someone who is fascinated with the medieval period and loves the look of the clean shaven head, is there any evidence that this was done in the medieval period? I know of the tonsure of the Catholic monks, but would any man clean shave his skull like men do in this day and age? I would think there would be some advantages for a man-at-arms to be clean shaved or at least closely shorn inside of his helmet.
Collect 2 Epics for FREE in Raid ✅ pl.go-ga.me/leheu9vt ⚡Lightsworn + Juliana (after reaching level 15)
🎅 Take part in the Christmas event and get your gift at raidxmas.com
i have a giant head so i often wonder if helmets were about the size of baseball caps, what us big heads were to do?
Is that a reptile in the background?
How could I not mention the Burgonet that replace the sallet as a helmet in the16th century.
Now they are very pleasing to the eye practical helmets by the Burgundians in their mountains.
Hey cold you please do a video on longswords
The great/grand bascinet makes me think there must also be a mediocre/medium bascinet and a budget/modest bascinet out there.
I mean... It's not exactly what you are afrer, but there are the open faced bascinet...
Lesser: open faced
Medium: visored
Great: plated neck & throat
With more holes/slits Breathing and vision improved sure, but so did communication. I think you mentioned ability to hear, but also the ability to issue orders, call for aid, coordinate with one's mates, and taunt your enemies (or ask for their surrender if a ransom was at stake).
As a native French speaker, it feels weird to refer to a 'bassinette" as a helmet rather than as a wash basin .....
We have the same word in English, and that's what most 'normal' people would think of.
@@scholagladiatoria Although in a military context those items are frequently interchangeable ....
A bassinet is also something you put babies in to sleep, at least in America. Like a small crib.
Oui-oui, we-we are weird-weird! 🧴🪥
In fact in El Quijote, what Alonso Quijano wears as a "helmet" is a barber's "bacía", also called "bacina" and "bacinilla" (a diminutive) with the same root as "bassin/bassinette". So as you can see, already in the 16th century Cervantes was making jokes about it...
A couple mechanical points:
A more close fitting shape for a helmet provides less lever arm for a twisting action. If someone was poking at me with a pointed stick, this would be better because a glancing blow would have less effect on me. On the other hand if someone was coming at me in the baseball bat style, I might want a less form fitting helmet to give one space to soak up the energy.
On the slots I noticed that the vertical dimension appears to be reduced as the horizontal dimension is increased. Pole arms tend to be larger in the vertical dimension. A slot that is the opposite to this would resist the pole arm getting a grip on the helmet.
I'd personally go for the kettle helm. I've worn hard hats of similar size and shape, and you'd be surprised by just how much the brim can protect you from.
In Kingdom Come Deliverance that is my go to.
just checked it out
good choice
Kettle hat (or cabasset) & bevor is the way to go👍
Halfway into the 14th century we see the introduction of 2 other important armour components:
The full breastplate & the lans rest
And we see a departure from strapped shields, freeing both hands for polearms.
I believe that this made a big impact (literally) that a srurdier nek protection was needed
Tha mail aventail gives
Never, ever forget the impact of fashion. "OH, my lord the duke has one"...."so i must"
Fighting in different forms of armor for over 40 years and I feel that the neck became more form fit for glancing and weight management more than any other reasons. Form fit means less metal is needed to cover the same area, so less weight. And more form fit keeps weight closer to the body to help with balance and movement.
I always get a haircut around Christmas, so it warms my heart to see that Matt gave his pate a polish too. It even outshines the helmets. 🌞😁
I've long wondered why the general design of the barbuta wasn't in widespread use.
It will also save you from being knocked out having it connected to you shoulders it will stop your head being flung back or to the side violently
If being used for tournaments it seems to me as though the improvement in neck protection and breathing/communication ability was a benefit because outright losing didn't require the loss of your life, and likely one of the chief complaints of people doing tournaments was neck damage from being smacked hard in the head! The lower neck mobility means you'd be at a disadvantage against folks with a flexible neck, but so long as you don't take ACTUAL harm from someone who literally wants you dead, the increased risk of loss was acceptable compared to going home with less of a headache at the end of the day.
I hope you enjoyed your Christmas Matt.
I think the main advantage of a hinged neck-close as opposed to a bucket fit is in relative weight and in weight distribution. The circumference of the neckline is significantly smaller, so less material is needed, and the weight is moved more towards the neck, the centre of the body, away from the chest. While the latter would not distribute the weight better in making it easier to carry, being less forward placed, it does pull down less on a toppling motion.
Before watching.
Depends on the century.
In the 11th/12th century, it's the nasal helmet.
In the 13th, the kettle hat should be a really good choice. Even in the 14th century.
Both designs have advantages like the cone shaped form, able to deflect blows, great visibility and air.
In combination with an avail, the face is adequately covered.
Wont help against an arrow too the face or a dedicated stab but at least you have peripheral vision and oxygen.
The kettle hat also offers excellent protection against blows from above, while the nasal gives additional protection from horizontal blows.
In Scotland the great bascinet persists later into the 15th century, which makes sense as they fought on foot in field battles. I'd wager most of the knights at the battle of Sark in 1448 on the scottish side wore great bascinet helmets.
I'd always wondered- why not go for something like the Great Bascinet's full neck protection while completely divorcing the rest of the helmet from the wearer's head?
Have the whole thing be a single 'unit', as it were, with the front 180 degrees of it having the holes and slots, made in such a way that the user can move their head freely inside of it and that any strikes distribute the force down into the shoulders
You would, of course, still wear padding on your head in case you get jostled and hit your head onto the helmet
They did, look up the frog helm. Granted it was pretty much a specialized jousting helmet, but it did what you're describing. It was worn pretty much entirely on the shoulders and allowed your head to turn freely inside.
I think what OP is talking about is having the full gorget and back plate around the neck, but allowing the helmet to sit within it, unattached to those plates. But I think this was already a thing in the early 15th century. For example, many images of Henry V show him wearing such a helm.@@Riceball01
During the transitional period between mail aventails and great bascinets a neck protection called a “standing collar” was sometimes used which seems to match your description. I am not certain why it was fazed out in apparent preference for a complete unit but an example is worn by the titular character in “Henry V” (1944).
Please make a video on gauntlets. It seems there are a lot of voices in the harness community that insist on mitten gauntlets and no fingered gauntlets, and even for those of us who go for mittens, there are differences between harnischfecten/historical gauntlets and those for buhurt.
14:50 I'd say the primary reason is just technological. The sallet+bevor and armet give you a "half open" configuration where your partially exposed face is still kinda protected via angulation. This is very obvious if you look at the side profile of a sallet+bevor with the visor up/tilted compared to a bascinet. You face sticks out of the bascinet when the visor is up. I think this is one of the best features of the "new" 15th century helmets.
The bevor in general is nice for the face protection it gives without affecting breathing nearly as much as a visor. The Iberian kingdoms in particular loved the bevor and wore it a lot with kettle hats (which doesn't even have a visor to begin with.)
@@perrytran9504 In the early 15th century you also had a lot of mail bevors paired with kettle hats with vision slits. Especially in Central Europe.
I solved the sallet bevor issue for my friend drilling matching holes in the visor and bevor, adding grommets, and we would just lace them together before he'd go out and fight.
I'd be down for a round table about why great bascinets were so short lived, relatively speaking =)!
My suggestion for the change would be that armies might have become more organised.
My first thought when the video started was; "Imperial Gallic/Italian or Moiron", cause as a military historian and analyst, I focus on organised fighting and the states behind those organised armies.
On the battlefield a soldier in an organised army needs a mix of protection, and ability to communicate and pay attention to orders and surroundings. And the above mentioned helmets strike that balance well. Possibly the Burgonet would fit the need as well.
A Bevor is closer to fulfill those needs than a Great Bascinet, so that could be the reason for the change; more organised fighting as part of the general development towards organised armies and states.
I would love a video on Burgonets. Some of my favorite helmets are burgonets with fold down bevors that give an almost armet like look to them with the visor and cheek pieces. Almost a middle ground between armet and bevored sallet visually.
What's the animal in your terrarium?
Honestly I'd love for you to discuss all parts of your new armor as you research and decide
I quite like the Spanish Morion helmet (I have 1) and considering that I'm Dutch and these existed during our war of independence, it's kinda fitting don't you think?
Edit: Matt, I'd love a video on the Spanish Morion helmet.
Before watching: I would argue the kettle hat. Very protective, especially from overhead strikes thanks to the brim, while also providing good visibility and breathability.
That's true if you are low to medium ranking foot soldier. If you are a nobleman and you love your life a little more you would want somethinhg more substantial
@@TeutonicEmperor1198 There were noblemen who wore kettle hats, but you have a point. For extra protectiveness, a bascinet would be a good choice that, thanks to being a visored helmet, would still provide good vision and breathability with the visor up and still allow the wearer to turn their head.
@@matthewmuir8884 noblemen because they were noblemen had the luxury to have many helmets into their disposal. Something really light when they were marching into friendly territory, something more substantial when they were marching into enemy territory and 100% protective helmet when they were fighting the enemy. Kettle helmets and sallets were so diverse that they can be classified as both light and heavy helmets as both peasantry and royal helmets. Especially during the 16th centrury (especially Greenwich armour) when they could add or remove plates the distinction between light and heavy helmets became almost absolete.
I also think it might be worth considering that the Great Bascinet, one of the most inflexible armours in medieval era, was at its peak in popularity at the time of Agincourt, which is often used to argue for a stereotype that medieval armour severely limited mobility to the detriment of the wearer. I think it’s a stretch to say that the French lost because a lot of them were wearing great bascinets, but there is a correlation there that might be worth exploring.
I'm not an armour expert, but I suspect the change to lighter and more comfortable armour comes down to a balance of use and practicality. If you spend 6 hours in armour for a battle, but only 20 minutes fighting, being reasonably well protected, while comfortable, is far more important than being marginally more protected and uncomfortable.
Consider, that in combat the better rested and more relaxed fighter will win, if skill is near equal. So having armour that allows you to rest and be comfortable, while still ready for action, is more practical than super protective armour that keeps you uncomfortable and takes time to get ready if in a resting state.
Finally, consider that perspective of the soldiers of the time. Like soldiers today, they likely thought half of living was luck, and the other half was skill. So bundling on armour that made being skillful harder, was not likely to realistically extend their life.
These atrocious ads in middle of Pinterest research. I remember now why I don't bother searching anything there, lol.
Do you ever make a History of Medieval Helmets Part 2? The first video covered a lot of ground, but I really want a deep dive into the advantages and disadvantages of each of the late medieval helmets!
Anything that restricts head movement and adds weight to your head and neck also protects your brain and makes you harder to knock out. The best light helmet in the world might stop a poleaxe from punching through your skull, but if your brain experiences enough acceleration, you will be knocked out regardless.
More weight = less acceleration = harder to knock out.
More restrictive = less acceleration = harder to knock out.
I'd be really interested in a discussion of the tradeoffs implied by various forms of Renaissance partial plate harness.
The sallet and bevor was probably easier to make and needed less skilled artisans to mass produce than a great bascinet, which is why they replace them everywhere but nobility can still reach for a gb if they've got one around or can afford its creation.
Half the armor styles were likely as much fashion as defensive safety. An armorer devises a new style feature, convinces some top noble/influencer to wear it about court, and suddenly a whole raft of aspiring combatants scurry to their local blacksmith so they are not caught out and about with last year's armor model.
Dont use influencer to describe anyone from the Middle Ages.
The reason is, because if a poleaxe or mace struck head and shake it like those dummy to test car crash, the chances of die by indirect trauma are huge. And if some warrior was witness of some death. Their experience is given to a designer, "because of this and that"
Still is posible to move the head even in full range of motion, in a armor design if the head never do contact to any steel wall, but that would be cumbersome like that skirt plate, yet still effective. It is posible to do the same with a compromise design at least only in a horizontal plane never designed or forged through history.
I thing those armor mentioned in this video, in general was wore by wealthy lords and never used directly. Because mobility is necessary to wrestle and do many actions. So any "Real armor" were used most extensively by common warriors, the majority, fill with unavoidable design flaws. In those eras factory consistency was rare. An the proportion is few rich, mostly poor. But i think anyways plate is overrated because the most pain wear it is overheating. Confort is very important.
Since you mentioned him a couple times, do you know if Ian LaSpina is still out there? It seems like he disappeared.
He's leading a happy life, as far as I can tell. Just not making videos.
In my oppinion, I would say the Cullender bascinet is the best on foot helmet. It offers great vision, breathability with excelent stabing protection.
Absolutely loved this video. Thanks for all of the information!
Having done poleaxe and half sword bouts against a grand bascinet, I can confirm the neck protection is there because my favourite armour gap is gone!
I can imagine not only does the salet have more mobility and easy of use than the great bassinet but it might just be a matter of economics. In my eyes they look far easier to produce and easier to replace some parts instead of the entire helm from any big impact. You can change the helm or bever depending one which is severly damaged.
So much better than the tin foil hat.
Oh I don’t know. Without the tinfoil hats, we’d still have the sun and the moon revolving around a flat earth 🤷🏽♂️😁
@@dgoodman1484People know way longer that the earth isn't flat than they created tin foil..
My bad. I mistakenly thought everyone knew that tinfoil hats was a metaphor
In your searching for examples of great bascinets have you or anybody else found examples for foot combat in the 16th century that aren't associated with a tonlet?
So I’m working on getting one, but you should too. There are a few French and English ones that no one likes to talk about. Toby left them out of his books and all the reference photos on the surviving English effigies that Mac has he hides, they are absolutely horrific helmets. Which is why I had to have one haha.
I feel exactly the same! And the weird and wonderful English examples are fascinating. I don't know why Toby didn't have a section on them. I'll ask him.
It is worth saying, without specific knowledge of the helmets you are referring to, Toby does specify that he is not examining tournament helms or armour in his book. Perhaps that applies to the ones you are referencing?
I’m having the one found on 'Sir William Gascoigne‘ s effigy made. I’m just fascinated by it. My harness is about 15 year’s earlier than 1465, but I just couldn’t help it.
It’s possible that’s why Toby left them out, but in French art they are shown in a war context.
And if I recall how Mac addressed it it was something like “oh dear God please for the love of all that is, don’t let people see these” but I think that is mainly because he doesn’t want a bunch of bad examples floating around the reenactment community
@@brothersliutgeryitzchakjea7889 Super interesting, looks almost like a robot face if I found images of the right effigy but I do suspect it is a tourney helm. Personally I have been dying to see a recreation of the spiral fluted salets which I first heard about in Toby’s book. Someone with money for armor please commission one haha.
My favorite helm(et) ever is the Sir Giles Capel Foot-Combat helm. Such a cool looking design, unsure how practical it is exactly, but modern fencing helmets evoke it. Though obviously "best" is entirely context-dependent, maybe it's not so great against heavier arms?
Ah, I see in the images you show, it's one of the examples. At 10:25 ish. Neat.
I would like to see an overview on the artistics styles among the western european armets/close helmets (like from Francia, Aquitaine, Castella, Burgundy, Venetia, Venice, Flanders and so on).
I don't understand Harnischfechten. Fencing in armour would likely mean fencing to defeat armour. That can only be done by excessive force or aiming for vulnerable spots
That's the exact point minus excess force. Regular HEMA uses blossfechten rules where you are treated as unarmored despite wearing protective gear. Harness is very different for several reasons, chief among them the restrictions of plate armor, the small amount of viable targets, and the protection of plate armor letting you do certain actions that are too risky outside armor. For example there is a lot of clinching and grappling in harness, the extra weight of armor gives both people more momentum that can be exploited by a skilled fighter.
@scholagladiatoria Video suggestion: Matt you always say of certain narrower blades that they can cut. But what does that mean, exactly? Can some of the rapiers and sideswords actually cut off limbs or otherwise inflict immediately incapacitating cuts? Any historic accounts would be interesting ofc, they always are. Cheers for the great work!
Video on pauldrons and spauldors
Interesting again. BTW, if you want to call the fighting in armour in the correct German way, it would be Harnischfechten. Sounds more like [ha:nish] and actually means armour. A 'harness' in German would be 'Zaumzeug' or 'Geschirr' like a harness for horses or 'Gurtzeug' like things strapped on with buckled or knotted straps or a piece of rigging on a sailing ship. 'Harness fechten' actually doesn't make any sense as a mixture of an English and a German word.
Wish we got more picture examples of what you’re talking about
Is there a major difference in cost and ease of production for the sallet? I wonder if it was just a matter of cost over benefit.
In modern times, today, with good patterns, there is no difference. In medieval times, it's theorized that both the bascinet and the sallet were raised from cut patterns. And it has been proven repeatedly that both of these helmets can be raised from a single flat of steel. Until someone with enough gravitas allows possible seams to be cut and electron microscoped we cannot prove that seams on most medieval helmets were forge welded. The fact that earlier sallets had a ridge along the top seems to indicate a possible forge weldment and certainly today we do all these patterns in two pieces with a welded seam. We do know that some items on helmets were forge welded, but there is really no need for clarity in this discussion because master armorers worked at the top of a pyramid of subordinate workers who could have been raising blanks to be finished by the masters.
Thanks so much for the video. I've always liked the Teutonic or others crusader helmets from the 1300's. I can't remember the newer helmet I liked I'll have to do some checking
Having worn a lot of heavy helmets over the years, I'd be interested to know if there are any noticeable benefits to performance or endurance if one wears a helmet where the weight is on the shoulders rather than the neck.
How difficult is it for a fallen warrior to get up without neck movement?
Do you know what happened to Knight Errant. He suddenly stopped making videos.
Ian is still out there, just not making videos. I think he decided it was too time consuming running the channel alongside his regular life.
That makes me sad, I love his content, but I hope he is doing great and living life large@@scholagladiatoria
Are there advantages that the barbute has over other similarly styled helmets? I love the aesthetic design of the barbute but think the concavities around the cheeks would cause issues during melee but have advantages over ranged weapons.
I am currently thinking about getting a custom made helmet that is supposed to resemble a predatory bird and am debating with myself if it's going to be a great bascinet, armet or close-helm.
20:48 "a great bascinet is a great bascinet"
so that's why it's called great, I always thought it was size rather a statement on quality.
How about a video on metal shields? When I see how easy arrows go through wooden shields it makes me think why metal ones weren't more in use than they were. At least I'm under the impression that they were rare.
Or course cost is an issue but even taking that into account they seem rare in my opinion. Probably flawed opinion.
So if you could afford metal armour and a metal shield why get a wooden shield?
Weight?
Metal vs wood shields why when positives and negatives etc.
Why this question might be incredibly stupid! 😅
If you can afford good full armor plate a metal shield or any shield becomes rather pointless as the armor is the shield, the only exceptions I know of are the Spanish Rodeleros and that was a some what of a failed concept.
It's an understandable question, however the industrialization of armor in the 15th and 16th centuries nullified the costs to equip armies with semi decent armor. This is still poorly and rarely explained by historians as everyone looks to the flashy armor that survived instead of the standard armor of the time that was disposed of after it became obsolete
@flyingmonkeydeathsquadronc968
Oh I'm aware of the armour becomes the shield in later periods bit.
I guess I phrased my question poorly. For when shields were still in use why not more metal shields? Mail and a coat of plates and a...metal shield? For example.
You last paragraph is great. 😀
@@arc0006 I'd assume, although I'm willing to be corrected, it has to due with metallurgy and mining technology. If your standard source for iron is bog iron and your armor is more of a wrought iron, weight and supply become relevant.
hopefully others will either correct of verify my assumption.
@flyingmonkeydeathsquadronc968
Hmm and maybe we have a good answer there.
When armour was mail a metal shield might have been too heavy.
When plate armour was around a good metal shield could be made(ie weight etc.), however then a shield wasn't really needed.
🤷♂️
A more accurate translation of Kolbenturnier would be mace tournament. Club is Keule (kɔɪ̯.lə) in German. Kolben (among various other meaning in 21st century German: rilfe butt, piston, specific lab flask) means mace.
you mention crests developing layer, I'd love to learn more and how that might have fed into the development of the morion
I'd love to see a video on German armor from the 1st half of the 15th century - Kastenbrust style. It's so weird and cool. Thanks.
Do any of these helmets have original padding or webbing inside? Are they similar to modern helmets on the inside?
Greetings Mr. Easton, I love your channel and I love your work I've been a long time subscriber. I would love a piece about cauldron and other shoulder armor. This seems to be the piece of armor that is most often exaggerated and oversized in modern fantasy and modern medieval fiction. How were they actually use and what were some of the things people would look for in quality pauldron, And did medieval nights ever have enormous pauldrons like our depicted Modern fantasy, and if not why do we so often blow these so far out of proportion today.
May be, but "salet" is also a banger of a first guess in Wordle!
How much damage does a suit of armour and helmet take in reenactment and/or sparring? What is the wear and tear like?
Interesting question. If you include all the strapping and padding, it is certainly true that even good fitting armor needs to have the strapping replaced every time it blows out. Generally straps break when you move in a method the strapping can't conform to. As far as wear and tear on the metal itself. Rust is a big one. Your sweat causes the steel to rust and storing the padding starts to rot. Leather molds. So I would say every season you need to go through your gear and inspect/replace bits. Generally it's just the rivets that work themselves out, so you need to replace rivets every so often. I've transitioned almost everything I have to stainless, so that helps, but you do get complaints about the shine. It's considered rude to deliberately use your shiny armor to blind your opponent.
I’ve been looking for a sallet for a good while. Where can I find a good, accurate piece of kit?
If you were rich in 700ad England would you buy armor to show of or the latest cloths from Byzantine ?
Extremely good video!! I know I've asked for this before, but please can you do a vid on the 'open grill' style helmet of the English Civil War? It's probably the wrong term scientifically and maybe you've done one already, in which case I would love if you were to provide the link, but I think you know what I'm getting at. Could some also tell me what the scholarly and historical terms for them are?
But what about the burgonet?
The armet is another good option, but because of the way it joins at the chin, it has an inherent weak point there, which was mitigated by wearing a 'wrapper' over the chin and throat in addition. It has more mobility than the great bascinet, but not really as much protection from impacts. Better on horse, worse on foot, IMHO.
I would have been very disappointed if that lead up wasn't for Raid: Shadow Legends 😂
Who's your armourer?
Not seen any new content from Ian LaSpina in 3 years. Is he still producing content on a different platform to you-tube?
I don't think so. I've looked, but he seems to have put making videos behind him. At least he has a nice video library we can go back and watch.
Very true, thanks.@@Immopimmo
7:12 But is this possible when the chin strap is fastened?
Do a guided tour in a german museum/ castle and show the guide ( Führer) that you have knowledge about historicsl weaponry, then watch the joy in their faces!
i want to know more about your future Harnischfechten kit
What about the armet and other close helmet designs?
Some day this year, I hope to see a Karambit video, as I didn't find any on this channel yet. 🥺👉👈
Hey Matt I have seen some fully articulated neck plates (on what I expect are fairly late armors) but I have been curious how early did they come about and how popular was it?
Lobstertails are a hard one to nail down, provenance wise. Certainly they were used throughout asia, china, Japan etc. There is some crossover in the earlier period persian helmets that certainly used them. There is even some evidence that some mongolian/slovak helmets used them as well. However, how much of that is metal straps, and how much is leather straps or even wooden lacquer straps. Without surviving evidence other that representation in art it's hard to say without any shadow of a doubt. In Europe though, the chainmail was used almost exclusively until very late in the period.
@@hcharlequinharlequincorps8394 thanks for the reply. Yeah, hard to nail down has been my experience so far as well, there's definitely some things in there I can follow up on though, thanks.
exactly what I need
Matt mentions Ian LaSpina in this video. What happened to him? I loved his videos
Got custom made plate armor gloves that are like a second skin yet? 😇
I know they are quite expensive, but they are also very nice! I love me some plated gloves, the kind that feels like a second skin of steel scales sliding over and under each other with movement. 🥰
So this video is basically an attempt to put the case to Lucy about purchasing one?
Why so popular?
Because the face is the sensory reception and relay-direction centre and if that is disrupted, then the entire fighting machine is disrupted.
I also dont like the term harnischfecten, and for the same linguistic reasons. I just has harness fighting.
We need video about close Sallet or i need that vid
I'm surprised you guys don't wear some sort of plastic eye protection under your helmets (maybe like some American Footballers have on their hats). Doubly so for jousters with all those splinters flying about.
maaaan you are persuading me to trade in my Sallet and Bevor for this, also we should do some HF at fight camp!
Also I'd love your opinion on close sallets and why the english loved them (reputedly)
I don't think you'll ever convince Raff. He really loves his frogmouth!
IMHO really really terrible choice for fighting on foot though. I mean, if my opponent chooses one, I'm happy 😅
@scholagladiatoria
In all seriousness, as someone who is fascinated with the medieval period and loves the look of the clean shaven head, is there any evidence that this was done in the medieval period? I know of the tonsure of the Catholic monks, but would any man clean shave his skull like men do in this day and age? I would think there would be some advantages for a man-at-arms to be clean shaved or at least closely shorn inside of his helmet.
When I read the title for the first time, I had a Freudian slip: I read: The GREATEST Medieval HELMET for Food Combat? 🤪
It is the year 2024 and it is absolutely criminal this man does not own a grand bascinet!!
How about a video on Ailettes?
Harnessfechten is such a weird Denglisch conglomeration. Harness-Fencing or Harnischfechten please. 😅
How did they predict Rhianna's forehead? Nostradamus!😄
Skip to 4:10
i like big Bassinets and I cannot lie
One made out of lego