Great helm, 13th century, medieval helmet made of 1.5 mm steel

Czech made Middle Ages
Set:
$345.00
In stock 5 - 10 pcs
- +
Code: HGO1545
New
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This handmade great helm from a Czech armourer’s workshop is based on the enclosed helmets worn by heavily armoured European warriors in the 13th century. Its characteristic flat top, enclosed sides and narrow eye slits give it the distinctive appearance associated with knightly armour during the Crusades.

The helmet is made from 1.5 mm thick sheet steel. Handcrafting results in slight differences in shape and surface finish between individual pieces. Solid craftsmanship and quality construction for stage combat.

  • Material: sheet steel, 1.5 mm thick
  • Sizes by head circumference: 57–59 cm or 60–63 cm
  • Manufacture: handmade in a Czech armourer’s workshop

History of the Great Helm

The great helm, known in German as the Topfhelm, developed through the gradual extension of protection around the face, sides and back of the head. Its predecessor was a helmet with a fixed faceplate, which protected the face with a steel plate but did not yet fully enclose the back of the head. The first fully enclosed forms appeared towards the end of the 12th century. An early example is also depicted on the seal of Richard the Lionheart.

Older and newer designs were used alongside each other during the first half of the 13th century. By the middle of the century, the great helm had become increasingly established among heavily armoured European warriors. Its enclosed form protected the entire head, with narrow eye slits providing vision and openings in the front allowing ventilation.

Construction and Knightly Decoration

Historical helmets were assembled from several steel plates riveted together. The front could be reinforced with metal strips, sometimes arranged in a cross. The surface was not always left as bare metal: coloured paint and heraldic designs were also used.

As an enclosed helmet concealed the wearer’s face, the devices displayed on the shield, surcoat and helmet became important means of identification. Helmet crests, such as horns, wings or animal figures, were mounted on top. In the Czech lands, such decorations are documented on noble seals from around the middle of the 13th century.

Around the turn of the 14th century, these earlier great helms developed into larger great helms with more rounded crowns, sometimes distinguished by the German term Kübelhelm.