You could have the most brilliant design possible, made by an artisan with a lifetime of experience, but oh shit, here's a slag inclusion, a poor weld or a brittle spot and one day your helmet cracks and you're dead.Īnswering your question would be like answering 'what is the tastiest dish'. Until relatively recently in history, quality, uniform metal was the exception and not the rule. More importantly, what can your character afford? Some of these designs require a master craftsman working for days, some designs could be bashed out by a village blacksmith out of a scrap cooking pot.įurther, more important than any possible part of the design is the quality of the materials. Is the person wearing it an archer? Pikeman? Heavy cavalry? Light cavalry? Are they more concerned about projectiles, or close combat?ĭid they supply their gear from personal resources, or was it produced en masse by a royal/municipal armory? What was the quality of metal they had to work with? Is a greathelm more protective than a kettlehelm in close combat? Yes, but it also restricts your vision and hearing, and undoubtedly isn't great to have on your head on a hot day or bright sun. Every design is a tradeoff between coverage/protection and mobility/comfort. I'd say this isn't really an answerable question. This was similar to the manner in which Byzantine heavy infantry and cavalry of the 10th -15th centuries covered their faces with mail masks to intimidate their enemies in battle. Some knights later adopted a menacing faceplate, which hid the entire face, leaving only the eyes exposed. The Norman-type helm, noted for its prominent nasal bar, and based on the spangenhelm, was used extensively during the 10th through 12th Centuries by not only the Normans, but also their various neighbors. A variant of this helm is the iconic Viking spectacle helm, used by (unsurprisingly) Vikings, the Rus', and Varangians. It had its origins in the Middle East and became used throughout Europe during the 6th - 10th Centuries. The Spangenhelm was arguably the most popular helmet of the Early Medieval Period. It probably had its origins in Medieval Byzantium, and spread to the rest of Europe in the 11th Century. The Kettle Helm was also a popular helm amongst Europeans during the High and Late Medieval periods. It became popular amongst Western knights during the time of the Crusades. The Great Helm that you listed is an example of a helmet from the High Medieval period (c. With that said, I would probably add on a few other helms to your list that were common in the Early and High Medieval periods, to round out the representation of the whole era. I invite you to consider that these helms, while taken to be the quintessential "Medieval" helmets in popular culture, in reality only represented a very narrow slice of the types of helms that were used in Europe during the Medieval period. Just a brief note: with the exception of the so-called "Great Helm", all of the helmets you listed date from the end of the Medieval period, when plate armor became relatively common. ![]() Previous AMAs | Previous Roundtables Featuresįeature posts are posted weekly. May 25th | Panel AMA with /r/AskBibleScholars Please Subscribe to our Google Calendar for Upcoming AMAs and Events To nominate someone else as a Quality Contributor, message the mods. Our flaired users have detailed knowledge of their historical specialty and a proven record of excellent contributions to /r/AskHistorians. Please Read and Understand the Rules Before Contributing. Report Comments That Break Reddiquette or the Subreddit Rules. Serious On-Topic Comments Only: No Jokes, Anecdotes, Clutter, or other Digressions. ![]() Provide Primary and Secondary Sources If Asked. Write Original, In-Depth and Comprehensive Answers, Using Good Historical Practices. Questions should be clear and specific in what they ask, and should be able to get detailed answers from historians whose expertise is likely to be in particular times and places. Nothing Less Than 20 Years Old, and Don't Soapbox. Be Nice: No Racism, Bigotry, or Offensive Behavior. ![]() Downvote and Report comments that are unhelpful or grossly off-topic.Upvote informative, well sourced answers.New to /r/AskHistorians? Please read our subreddit rules and FAQ before posting! Apply for Flair
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |