A cointoise is a pendant scarf made from a hat or helmet. Originally, the cloth was worn by

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...

to keep their helmets cool in the heat of

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

. Later, it was used a decoration in jousting; the same term being applied later to the veil worn by women which floated from the top of their

hennin The hennin ( ; possibly from Flemish meaning cock or rooster) was a headdress in the shape of a pointed hat, cone, steeple, or truncated cone worn in the Late Middle Ages by European women of the nobility. They were most common in Duchy of Burgu ...

s. It is the original of the heraldic "mantle" or wavy scrolls around a coat of arms.

References

Headgear {{clothing-stub