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Knightly Great Helm
A full-enclosure steel helmet used by European knights from the late 12th to the 14th century, with a flat or rounded top covering head and neck and …
Timeline
- c. 1150–1180Western Holy Roman Empire · Holy Roman EmpireIn the mid-12th century appeared barrel-shaped helms riveted from several steel plates that fully enclosed the head, lined with cloth padding to cushion impacts; forms were not yet uniform and were largely experimental heavy protection.
- 1181–1190France · FranceDriven by the Third Crusade and internal Western European wars, the flat-topped great helm became standardized: flat top, cross-shaped vision slits in the faceplate, and a widened neck rim; used together with a mail cap, it became a symbol of knightly status.
- 1250–1400Western Europe · Western EuropeFrom the 13th to 14th centuries, great helm surfaces were often engraved with heraldry and gilded, and used specifically for tournaments; in actual combat, the great helm's limited vision and ventilation led to its gradual replacement by the visored bascinet.
Sources
- David Edge and John Miles Paddock, Arms and Armor of the Medieval Knight (Crescent Books, 1988) — David Edge (1988)
- Ewart Oakeshott, European Weapons and Armour: From the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution (Lutterworth Press, 1980) — Ewart Oakeshott (1980)