The great helm or heaume, also called pot helm, bucket helm and barrel helm, is a helmet of the

High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended around AD 150 ...

which arose in the late twelfth century in the context of the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...

and remained in use until the fourteenth century. The barreled style was used by knights in most European armies between about 1220 to 1350 AD and evolved into the

frog-mouth helm The frog-mouth helm (or meaning "jousting helmet" in German) was a type of great helm, appearing from around 1400 and lasting into the first quarter of the 16th century. The helmet was primarily used by mounted knights for tournaments (jousting) ...

to be primarily used during jousting contests.

History

In its simplest form, the great helm was a flat-topped cylinder of steel that completely covered the head and had only very small openings for ventilation and vision. Later designs gained more of a curved design, particularly on the top, to deflect or lessen the impact of blows. The helmet was also extended downward until it reached shoulders. The great helm ultimately evolved from the nasal helmet, which had been produced in a flat-topped variant with a square profile by about 1180. From this type of helmet an intermediate type, called an ' enclosed helmet' or 'primitive great helm', developed near the end of the 12th century. In this helmet the expansion of the nasal produced a full face-plate, pierced for sight and breathing. This helmet was largely superseded by the true great helm by c. 1240. A later variant with a more conical top is known as a 'sugarloaf helm'. In Spanish they are called ''yelmo de Zaragoza'', referring to

Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...

where they were introduced for the first time in the Iberian peninsula. Although the great helm offered vastly superior protection than previous helmets, such as the nasal helm and spangenhelm, it limited the wearer's peripheral vision, and in addition to being heavy, the mass-produced form (flat-topped without ventilation holes) provided little ventilation and could quickly overheat in hot weather. Knights usually wore the great helm over a mail

coif A coif () is a close fitting cap worn by both men and women that covers the top, back, and sides of the head. History Coifs date from the 10th century, but fell out of popularity with men in the 14th century."A New Look for Women." Arts and ...

(hood) sometimes in conjunction with a close-fitting iron skull cap known as a

cervelliere A cervelliere (cervelière, cervelliera; la, cervellerium, ''cerebrarium'', ''cerebrerium, cerebotarium'') is a hemispherical, close-fitting skull cap of steel or iron. It was worn as a helmet during the medieval period. History The cervel ...

. The later development of the cervelliere, the

bascinet The bascinet – also bassinet, basinet, or bazineto – was a Medieval European open-faced combat helmet. It evolved from a type of iron or steel skullcap, but had a more pointed apex to the skull, and it extended downwards at the rear an ...

, was also worn beneath the great helm; men-at-arms would often remove the great helm after the first clash of lances, for greater vision and freedom of movement in melee combat. The bascinet had a mail curtain attached, a

camail An aventail () or camail () is a flexible curtain of mail attached to the skull of a helmet that extends to cover the throat, neck and shoulders. Part or all of the face, with spaces to allow vision, could also be covered. The earliest camail ...

or aventail, which superseded the coif. Mail throat and neck defences such as these were made obsolete when plate

gorget A gorget , from the French ' meaning throat, was a band of linen wrapped around a woman's neck and head in the medieval period or the lower part of a simple chaperon hood. The term later described a steel or leather collar to protect the th ...

s were introduced, around 1400. The bascinet evolved from its early skull cap form to supersede the great helm for combat. The great helm fell into disuse during the 15th century; however it was used commonly in tournaments where a version of the great helm, the frog-mouthed tilting helm, evolved. Somewhere around 1600 Great helms became a popular part of

Funeral Achievement A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

Decoration

The Great Helm was often blackened, lacquered or painted, and frequently bore decorations such as: * Ventilation decoration (crosses and symbols) * Visor (horizontal and vertical "cross") decorations * Crests, such as crowns, feathers, caps of maintenance, wings, lions, etc.

Contemporary reenactors

The great helm is today especially popular amongst live-action role players and used in

Medieval reenactment Medieval reenactment is a form of historical reenactment that focuses on re-enacting European history in the period from the fall of Rome to about the end of the 15th century. The second half of this period is often called the Middle Ages. This m ...

of the 13th and 14th centuries. It is inexpensive, easy to manufacture with even rudimentary equipment (metal scissors, drill, rudimentary anvil, rivets and hammer), and provides good protection for the head against both sharp and blunt weapons. Its biggest drawback is the square edges, that crumple very easily under blunt force trauma, and poor ventilation and air circulation. This can make it very hot in warm weather, although not much heavier, hotter or more cumbersome than a number of other medieval helmet styles. However period-accurate methods of padding and suspending the helmet can drastically improve the wearer's experiences.

Modern reenactment Modern reenactment is historical reenactment of events of the modern period, most commonly events from the 18th century to the present. The period starts with events such as the Seven Years' War, the Napoleonic Wars, and the peak of the Royal N ...

versions of great helms weigh 1.5 to 3 kg. They are sometimes but not always made from thicker steel than medieval originals yet are not usually overly heavy, cumbersome, or uncomfortable. Although visor slits are usually only some 20–30 mm wide, they do not greatly restrict the field of vision as they are very close to the wearer's eyes to reduce parallax.Source Noticeboard in

Stafford Castle Stafford Castle is an ancient Grade II listed castle situated two miles west of the town of Stafford in Staffordshire, England. From the time of the Norman Conquest and as recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 it was the seat of the powerful Ang ...

on 1 October 2011 medieval armoury.

Notes

References

*Gravett, Christopher (1993), ''Norman Knight 950-1204 AD'', Osprey, London.

External links

*
The Field of a Shield and the Heraldic Tinctures
a discussion of heraldry and great helm crests

design and construction techniques for replica great helms

design and construction techniques for helm crests * {{Authority control Medieval helmets Western plate armour