Medieval helmets in illuminated manuscripts 476–1450
It is in such helmets that after the movie "Alexander Nevsky" we represent almost all the knights, but such an idea is only partly true. Frame from the film "The Ballad of the Valiant Knight Ivanhoe"
With these words, he rather unceremoniously
removed the helmet from the head of the Blue Knight,
and gray curls appeared to the eyes of the audience
and the face that the Black Knight
did not expect to meet
under similar circumstances."
Walter Scott "Ivanhoe"
removed the helmet from the head of the Blue Knight,
and gray curls appeared to the eyes of the audience
and the face that the Black Knight
did not expect to meet
under similar circumstances."
Walter Scott "Ivanhoe"
stories about weapons. Middle Ages. VO readers liked the appeal to articles on stories and the culture of the Middle Ages, that many of them began to propose to expand the series of “tales about weapons” and introduce into it a section devoted directly to the depiction of weapons of this era in miniatures.
There were already separate articles in this format on VO, in particular, material on swords based on the periodization of Ewart Oakeshott. But it was a long time ago. While the rest of the articles about armor and weapons, until recently, were generally based on photographs of exhibits from various museums. But after all, medieval miniatures from manuscripts are so bright and colorful that you simply don’t get tired of looking at them. After all, when we studied the Middle Ages at school, then all this wealth, in fact, passed us by. Remember our textbooks?
Miniatures, if there were, then, as a rule, in black and white drawing, and color ones were given only in small pieces, although, in my opinion, they should have arranged the entire textbook from beginning to end, showing at the same time the genesis of the book miniature itself of that era. But what is not, is not yet. But on the other hand, there is an opportunity here, at VO, to correct this lack of our education. Well, we start with the topic of weapons and armor, and the most important armor - helmets for the head!
Let's start with the fact that in the early Middle Ages, the helmets of both riders and foot soldiers were quite similar. The most popular, if I may say so, was a helmet made of vertical metal plates, curved in such a way that they form a cone. There were holes in the plates, with the help of which they were connected to each other with rivets. Helmets of this type were called Spangenhelm (German Spangenhelm), and the Byzantine infantry wore them in the XNUMXth-XNUMXth centuries and even later. The following names for the Spangenhelm are “frame helmet”, since its plates were assembled on a frame, and “segment helmet”, since it consisted of separate segments.
What did he look like in the miniatures? And here's how: we look at a miniature from the Stuttgart Psalter, 801-850. State Library of Württemberg, Stuttgart. It just shows a warrior in a Spangenhelm helmet with a clearly visible outer frame
Let us turn again to the Stuttgart Psalter. All the defensive weapons of the warriors depicted here consist of a helmet and a round shield with a umbon - a protruding (and usually metal) hemispherical or conical part in the center. The helmet of the so-called "Phrygian type" with a pommel bent forward was popular among the warriors of the Carolingian era of the late VIII - mid-IX centuries, that is, the era of the reign of Charlemagne
At one time, we examined in great detail the embroideries from the 70-meter Bayesian Canvas. But here we have a miniature from Stephen Harding's Bible, 1109-1111. Burgundy, France. Municipal Library of Dijon. The warriors depicted on it are like two drops of water similar to the characters from the embroidery from Bayeux!
That is, it was a kind of uniform of an equestrian warrior of the XNUMXth - early XNUMXth centuries. But the main thing is that the helmet, as we can see, has practically not changed at all in more than a hundred years. The process of development of protective weapons was slowly going on, to be sure.
The giant Goliath throughout the Middle Ages was a very popular figure in medieval miniatures. This is how the artist depicted him in the manuscript of Beatus Liebansky, a church writer and theologian of the 1109th century, “Beatus of Silos”, XNUMX. Santo Domingo de Silos, Spain. British Library, London. He wears a conical helmet with a nosepiece, a very long mail shirt. And the quilted armored clothing is clearly visible. Round shield with umbon is richly decorated. Ankle-length mail stockings complete his attire. The sword has a handle of a very unusual shape, and it is not clear how it is held on chain mail. The "winged spear" (with a crossbar) was commonly used by riders. So, Beat of Liebansky's Goliath is clearly not some kind of dork, perhaps, who picked up a weapon for the first time, but ... a knight!
Changes in defensive weapons began during the Crusades. Already in 1100, first in Germany, and then in France, helmets with masks with slits for the eyes and holes for breathing began to be used. The so-called "pan helmets" or "pill helmets" also came into use. There is an image of such a helmet, dating back to 1170, on a painting in Rodeneg Castle.
The scene of the assassination of St. Thomas Aquinas - Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, which took place in London in 1170 - was very popular among miniaturists, as was the biblical story of David and Goliath. Pay attention to the warrior in the center. He is wearing a typical tablet helmet, and even with a chin rest. Miniature from the Psalms, 1200-1225 East Midlands, British Library, London
And here are the helmets in the illustration for the novel "Aeneid" by Heinrich von Veldekes, around 1215. Berlin State Library. It is obvious that helmets were also made from some of them for the "Ballad of the Valiant Knight Ivanhoe"
It turned out that "pills" (or "pots") are much more technologically advanced than segment helmets, as they are assembled from only two parts. They did not sit too tightly on the head, and blows from them no longer slipped, but they did not reach their goals either, since they fell along the L-shaped edge of the crown of the “pan”, which was more difficult to cut through than the smooth plate of the previous helmet 1,5 mm thick . They wore such helmets on a chain mail hood, under which they wore a quilted cap made of fabric. Together with helmets with masks, the first helmet decorations in the form of flags, raised palms and eagle paws also came into fashion.
Now it only remained to rivet a plate on the back of the head to them in order to get a helmet completely closed on all sides. And this was already done by 1214, when the knights of England and Germany, wearing such newfangled helmets, first appeared on the battlefield of Bouvina. Outwardly, it looked like a barrel or a bucket flattened from the sides, it was called topfhelm (German topfhelm - “pot helmet”). Topfhelm, called in England the name of the "grand slam", could withstand a direct blow to the face with a spear and well protected from arrows and sword blows aimed at the head. Globular-shaped balaclava helmets appeared - servillier or bascinet, which at the same time began to be worn under the hood of the hauberg or over it.
Since the "grand helmets" were usually painted, their owners were often called that: "knight of the red helmet", "knight of the blue helmet", "black knight". Miniature from the manuscript "History of the Holy Grail", 1250-1275. National Library of France, Paris
Often a cap was put on something like a bundle of stuffed matter, like a headdress among the Zulus; he had to support the helmet on his head and keep the right distance between him and the knight's face. In combination with a quilted cap, a chain mail hood, a leather balaclava, and even two layers of forged metal, this further increased the protection of the head.
A knight wearing a topfhelm helmet typical of his time. In addition, his shield and horse blanket, decorated with a lambel, indicate that this is a person of royal blood from the family of French kings, let's say this: the eldest son of the heir with a living father, grandfather or great-grandfather. "Collection of Songs", 1250-1300, National Library of France, Paris
To distinguish one knight, clad in metal from head to toe, the most fantastic helmet decorations began to be widely used. The very surface of the helmet was richly decorated with strips of metal, superimposed in the form of a cross on the front part and with a lily pattern at the ends. In addition, the helmet was also painted and even gilded. However, the "grand helmet" was heavy (it could weigh about three kilograms) and besides, it was very hot and stuffy in it. Therefore, they put it on their heads only immediately before the attack.
Heinrich von Frauenberg (1284–1305) is a famous knight-minnesinger of the Swiss canton of Graubunden, depicted during a jousting tournament. According to a miniature from the Manes Code, his topfhelm was decorated with two gilded paws of a bird of prey. Codex Manes, 1305 Heidelberg University Library, Baden-Württemberg
By the end of the XNUMXth century, a helmet popular in the Middle Ages appeared in France - the “chapelle de fer” (“iron hat”), which in England was called “chance”. All the same shallow helmet-pan, it had conical fields attached to it; later helmets of various shapes appeared, including hemispherical and conical, with the same fields.
Helmets of this type were both solid forged and riveted, assembled from several parts. They gave a good view, you could breathe freely in them, so some knights preferred the Chapelle de Fer to all others. Sometimes they were worn over a chain mail hood. And for infantrymen, the "chapelle de fer" was the main means of protection until the middle of the XNUMXth century.
However, by the middle of the next XIV century, "grand slams" almost completely went out of fashion and, if they met, it was only at tournaments. They were replaced by bascinets with cone-shaped crowns and a retractable visor, which was also removed. Bascinets could be worn all the time, including with or without an open visor, which was much more convenient than, if necessary, taking off and putting on a “big helmet” every now and then.
For the characteristic visor with a cone in front for the flow of air for breathing, these helmets were called Bundhugel or “dog helmet” (“dog muzzle”). And at first it was just a cheap balaclava, which was worn under the top helm, but gradually it began to stretch up and at the same time fall on the neck and temples. When a visor was added to it, they ended up with a helmet that was used by knightly cavalry riders for more than a century.
In this miniature, we again observe the scene of the murder of St. Thomas Aquinas. "Lives of the Saints", 1325-1350 National Library of France, Paris. But it was drawn a century and a half later, and the warriors on it do not correspond to 1170, but to their time. Moreover, it is interesting that the artist painted all the different helmets. The warrior on the left has a “chapelle de fer” (“iron hat”) helmet, and under it is a servillier helmet-balaclava; on the head of a warrior in the center is a “big helmet”, which by this time had received a pointed top; and on the one on the right - an early form of a bascinet helmet
Miniature from the manuscript "Mirror of Man's Salvation", 1350-1399. Nuremberg, Germany. Pierpoint Morgan Library and Museum, New York. The “grand helmet”, having taken it off the head, was usually worn like that, while remaining in the bascinet, which allowed breathing freely and provided complete freedom of vision
Miniature from the manuscript "Chronicles of France or Saint-Denis", 1380-1400. British Library, London. It depicts the Battle of Courtrai or the "Battle of the Spurs" in 1302. Notice the helmets: they are all early versions of the Italian barbute, which means that such a helmet appeared around this time. Although, on the other hand, maybe this is an attempt by the artist to depict a bascinet helmet, and also an early one ...
Somewhere around 1400, a helmet appeared in Italy called selata (better known to us as sallet). Then he penetrated into France and Burgundy, by 1420 he had reached Germany and England, and a decade later he had already spread throughout Europe.
The sallet was shaped like a bell with a narrow slit for the eyes in front and an elongated nape at the back. Sliding it to the back of the head, it was possible to look out from under it. But in battle, he was pulled over his face, and a viewing slot was used for viewing. At the same time, the upper part of the face and nose were protected by a special protrusion that threw arrowheads and spears to the sides, and not down to the neck.
True, to fully protect the face, the sallet had to be worn along with a chin-bevor (could also be called a bouvigère or gorget). The latter was attached to the breastplate of the cuirass, covered the chin, but was not part of the helmet.
The German sallet had a nape in the form of an elongated tail; French and Italian - more like a bell. Salads were also worn by equestrian warriors, for example, French horse archers, and knights, and even infantrymen.
Dismounted knights in Bundhugel bascinets. "Great Chronicles of France", 1390-1405 National Library of France, Paris
Mounted knights in Bundhugel bascinets. "Queen's Book", 1410-1414 Paris, France. British Library, London
The barbute helmet, judging by the miniatures, was already known at the beginning of the 1450th century and was also an Italian invention. It covered the head from behind and from the sides, had a pointed or hemispherical upper part and usually a vertical y-shaped or T-shaped slit for the eyes and for ... a beard, since “barba” in Italian is a beard. By XNUMX it had also become the helmet of both knights and foot soldiers, and remained popular until the end of the XNUMXth century. I didn’t even disdain them to know, but it happened that they covered it with fabric and decorated it with chased gilded lilies!
Miniature from the chivalric novel "Guiron le Courtois", popular in the Middle Ages, 1420. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris. On the grass to the left next to the sword is a typical French salad. The visor on such helmets was usually not real, but was a reinforced armor on the front of the helmet. The rider on the right also has a bascinet, and with a bevor-preface that protected the chin
In the future, knightly helmets improved even more, only they were no longer worn with chain mail, but with forged metal armor. But that's a completely different story...
To be continued ...
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