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Great Helm
The great helm was a full-enclosure steel helmet for late 12th-century Western European knights, covering head and neck with a barrel or flat-topped …
Timeline
- 1191–1192Levant battlefield · LevantDuring the Siege of Acre and the Battle of Arsuf in 1191–1192, English and French knights widely equipped great helms to counter arrows and melee threats from Saladin's forces, with full-enclosure helmets becoming standard for heavy shock charges.
- c. 1195–1200France and England · France/EnglandAfter experience from the crusades flowed back, great helm forms became uniform in Western European tournaments and border conflicts: flat or rounded barrel shape, cross-shaped breathing holes, and narrow vision slits, often topped with a plume to identify the wearer.
Sources
- Armies of the Middle Ages, Volume 1: The Hundred Years War — Ian Heath (1982)
- European Weapons and Armour: From the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution — R. Ewart Oakeshott (1980)