Knight's helmet and other types of armor

Knight's helmet is one of the main attributes of a medieval warrior. He not only protected his head from damage, but also served to intimidate enemies. In some cases, helmets were a distinctive sign of difference in tournaments and during the battle.

Knight's armor and their evolution over time

Paradoxically, but the fact: the heyday of the manufacture of armor falls on the period when chivalry as the leading fighting force has sunk into oblivion. What we imagine as a knight's armor is rather a late decorative option. The fact is that a separate arm protection appeared in the 13th century, and in the middle of the 14th it was already replaced by chain mail gloves that were much lighter, cheaper and easier to manufacture.

In an effort to relieve the armor, gunsmiths soon abandoned the metal and began to use leather gloves with layers of metal. In the same 13th century, the first mention of bracers, fully defended the forearm. It is believed that this type of protection Byzantines borrowed from the Arabs, and those - from the Mongols. Protection for the feet appeared much earlier and was actively spread during the Roman Empire. In medieval Europe, the leggings were sometimes covered with a cloth in the same way as the Arabs did. Changes have not bypassed the design of helmets.

How the knight's helmet changed

The oldest helmet is a usual round one. Perhaps its design has remained unchanged for centuries, as the most practical and easy to manufacture. During the early Middle Ages, they were also widespread, with variants with both a nasal plate for additional protection and without it. Sometimes the knight's helmet of a noble warrior was decorated with decorative rims. The main source of knowledge of modern scientists about the armor of the time - medieval poems, in particular French. They describe the jewels decorated with rims by the helmets of outstanding warriors and heroes. There is also a mention that the nasal plate was decorated depending on the rank of the owner of the helmet.

The design of the crusaders' helmets

At the time of the crusades, the helmets were covered from above with a cloth in order to reduce the rate of their heating. Some models had a feather sultan on top. The early helmets consisted of several elements. The top was the most durable part of it, below which was a rim to protect the face. The nasal plate strengthened the stiffness of the structure and formed the axis of symmetry. The helmet was attached using belts, including those stretched under the chin. The conditions of the battles changed the design of the helmet.

Frequent collisions with archers caused the appearance of protective plates with slits for the eyes. They protected the knight from arrows and sand, which also had to deal with. The helmet, which we used to protect the face and head of the warrior from all angles, appears in the first quarter of the 13th century. In documents dated the end of the 14th century, for the first time there is a mention of a helmet with a visor. That is, by the beginning of the 14th century, the knight's helmet acquired the familiar form and form.

Types of knight helmets in the early Middle Ages

A century-long war forced both the British and the French to change their approach to armor in general and to helmets in particular. Thus, the knight's helmet that covered the whole head gave way to the so-called bacinet, which was a metal pot with felt felt and chain mail. They could be either completely round or pointed, and were worn without visor when conducting close combat, since there was no need for it.

Hundsguel, or "dog head", is a common name for helmets, the distinguishing feature of which was the protruding part under the observation slots. Due to the increased space near the mouth and nose, the airflow in these helmets also increased significantly, making it easier to fight. There are also mentions of helmets, which in the front part had just a metal plate with breathing holes or a simple lattice without ornaments. This was done with the aim of making knight armor as easy as possible.

Later the Middle Ages and helmets

In the 15th century, dating back to the late Middle Ages, salads began to be used, with narrow viewing gaps, an elongated "tail" and a sloping shape with a hint of protective fields. The question of how to make a knight's helmet easy and practical appeared before the armourers. And a solution was found. Despite the fact that they covered the head from above and were not attached to the armor, the design provided for the chin. The gap between the helmet and the shoulders disappeared in the normal position of the head, resulting in the maximum protection of the neck.

Helmets developed in two ways - tournament and combat. Armet is the helmet with a folding visor, fixed on the shoulders. He was characteristic of late chivalry and was considered a combat option. Tournament models, such as "toad heads", were intended for short-term wearing. Breathing in most of them could not be more than five minutes, because then the air supply came to an end and came only when a special small door was opened on the side.