A kettle helm, a coat of plates or more probably a brigantine - some form of leg protection and hand protection. That's all you'd probably need. A big ole' armored cod piece would be a nice thought for confidence more than anything else but I think we're getting into fantasy at that point.
A little side note on affordability and use among lower/higher classes: I read an essay about Prussian castle findings and some period documentation told for example how many and what kind of armour a castle had in storage, and it specifically separated eisenhut schwartz (kettle helmet black iron) and eisenhut stahl (kettle helmet steel). It also said that knights might often wear kettle helmets apparently because they were so comfortable, but they demanded higher quality steel.
Yes, this was actually found out because they were a couple of drawings from medieval art showing knights with kettle helmets and also a full suit of armor, these were really useful and were extremely comfortable, the Stalhelm german helmet series from world war 2 was partly based off of it.
@@scootch4224 what @Loklar said, plus it was during WWI, not WWII. The American PAS-GT (Fritz) kevlar helmet in turn was based off the German Stahlhelm, who's derivatives are in use today. So arguably the sallet basically is longest used combat helmet in the world today. The British WWI helmet was based off kettle hat by the way. *edit: typo
As a reenactor I absolutely love kettle hats. You get unrestricted vision and breathing, it's super easy to take off and put back on as needed, and I feel much safer having the brim protect my face (since in reenactment most of the blows come from above), neck and partially shoulders than, for example, an open-face bascinet.
My thoughts exactly as I was watching this. As a modern fencer though, the brim would give me problems facing an edged weapon like the sabre, so in it's time it would be a problem spotting and parrying a downward sword strike. Also makes it easy to bang your head in low ceilings/ branches like I sometimes do when wearing a ball cap. Then again it wouldn't hurt like it does for me with just a cap. ;-)
I know I'm super late, but anyway: That's interesting, because the British WW1 (and also WW2) Brodie helmet, which is basically a modern kettle hat, had the same logic behind it. Back in WW1 trench warfare, the Brodie helmet was thought to be practical against shrapnel coming from above. Kinda ironic how certain kinds of armor become relevant again through the ages. Another example is the Soviet WW2 steel breastplate and today's ceramic body armor. Think of 18th and 19th century warfare, when no soldier would wear body armor or helmets because they were considered obsolete due to firearms. Nowadays, they're relevant again. Edit: Also, I read that the iconic German Stahlhelm was inspiried by medieval sallets. If that's the case, this means that today's PASGT derived helmets are also descendants of sallets, since the PASGT helmet itself was inspired by German Stahlhelms.
@Führer des Benutzers Only if you like being chewed out first by your captain and then the quartermaster. Troopers where expressly forbidden to use the M1 in such a manner because the heating and cooling involved could alter the material properties of the steel and destroy it's protective properties.
Some Modern hardhats for construction work still use that design. What I like is it can keep the sun and rain off you while you’re marching or entrenching or performing camp chores. But still need to be in gear. It’s a working man’s helmet.
I think it's also nice that it covers the neck and defect stones and stuff from above off your body by a siege for exaple. And it allows good air circulation for the head to prevent overheating.
I love the kettle helm both for design and it's universal appearance. The Yuan, and Ming dynasties both used them, and the Tran of Dai Viet also had their own "acorn" style kettle helm.
Amazing channel. Matt Easton sent me here, and I don't regret coming. About the kettle helmet, it seems to be very usefull against falling debris (the main use of the similar WW1 helmets). Do you think the popularity of the kettle helmet may suggest that anti-personel falling projectiles (like, you know, stones) could have been more present in the medieval battlefield than we tend to think?
+Thiago Monteiro Thank you, and welcome to the channel! The brim is really effective a lot of things I think. It's not only great at keeping weapons out of your face, but like you say it can be very effective at keeping you safe from falling debris. I tend to think that it's so good at keeping blades from hitting you that it's effectiveness against falling debris may be more of a wonderful side benefit of its design (that may have been exploited more and more over time), but I think primarily it was intended for defense against melee weapons and arrows (although, the latter is definitely 'falling debris' to an extent). In a 'siege' situation though, I'm willing to be the air was filled with all kinds of horrible flying dangerous objects and a lot of people were happy to have that brim on their helmets.
+Battam Ah yes... I did forget to mention that. You're absolutely right, you can certainly hear a lot better in a kettle helm than you can in any helm that covers the ears. Especially as compared to a bascinet with great helm worn over it!
I would assume that the brim was bent down to protect from downward strikes and falling rocks. If the rim was broad and horizontal, then it could transfer some serious impact on your neck. PS: I like the Morion and the Witcher 2 style spiral kettle hat most (its apparently based on real finds)
I think he is referring to the Peter Paul Reubens portrait of Maximilian I. It is on wikipedia: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Peter_Paul_Rubens_120b.jpg
When I saw you put on the kettle helmet and rotate it, it gave me an idea. I think another benefit of the kettle hats design is similar to the back rim on Roman helmets. When someone strikes at your face, the instinctual reaction is to turn your face down and away from the strike. In the case of a kettle hat, this means that the side rim will now be covering most or all of where your face was, thus protecting your face, head, and neck when a different open helm would not.
10 out of 10! Very well done. I love that you follow the historical thread of the helm from when we first see depictions of it all the way to wear it begins to meld and blur into other forms and other styles of helm. To often we focus to much on what classifies a specific piece of armor and we forget to touch on or acknowledge the grey areas. Like you said with the kettle helm, were it starts to blur into the sallet, especially when used injunction with a bevor. Great presentation.
hands down this has to be my favorite helmet in all of history, not to mention that some early winged hussar helmets had brims reminiscent of kettle hats
Knyght Errant the helmet honestly reminds me of a Boeotian helmet from the Ancient and Classical eras. It was used as the main helmet of choice by Alexander the Great's cavalry. I think the Hetairoi, or the Companions. I mean I can see how effective it is without compromising much of sight and hearing. But the protection for the face leaves much to be desired...
The zombie head was a perfect display head for that helmet. You can see why they were popular, especially given they were cheap and quickly manufactured. I can imagine there would be two generations of hand me downs among the common soldiers. One thing I have gotten a better understanding of, from you, is how expensive it was to equip yourself for warfare. A mounted man at arms must have put a lot of effort into obtaining and up grading his equipment. That could put some serious pressure on a noble young fellow, with no gold in the family coffers.
Thank you so much for putting so much into your research. I wear a Chapel de Fer in combat. It is an amazing helm. I can't begin to tell you how much I've had to hear how it is a "peasants' helm". I found documentation for days proving exactly the opposite before I finally decided to have mine made for my early 14th kit. Your videos are very informative and your knowledge of armor is extensive. Again, thank you.
Also looks like it takes very little movement of the head to protect the face with the front of that brim should it be needed. Think I'd rather have this than a visored helm for everything but jousting (be it tournament or battlefield).
Great videos! stumbled on to you while searching for Medieval Armor on RUclips. Been watching as I work on an original 16th century mail standard. Keep up the wonderful content and discussion.
Thanks for the video. It was very entertaining and informative. One point I think you missed out on when talking about the advantages of the kettle helm is that it also doesn't limit your hearing to any substantial degree. In situations where you can't see your enemy, such as assaulting the insides of a castle, being able to hear well would be vital to success.
For all the sallets and greathelms, the kettle helm will always be my favorite. You sacrifice the coolness of being faceless with the coolness of having a wide brim 😎
My favorite is the 15th century variant with eye slits. However, I think it makes the eyes very vulnerable to stabs because like you mentioned, attacks tended to be directed towards the top of the brim.
A kettle hat with an large brim might interfere with a longbow string. A shorter brimmed hat may not pose as much of a problem. An open-faced bascinet would be even more conducive to a close draw.
You know this is probably the most underated helmet of the times. Which is sad because i really like this helmet. It gives you good vision and protection and if worn with say some mail or a bevor to protect the neck and face you're even better off protection wise. Lots of people love the basenet or the armet, and i do to, but i would much rather be able to see and breath when fighting in halberd formation or in very close quarter combat wit a sword. Then again it is possible they just lifted, or removed their visors when in that for of combat, but still I would prefer the kettle helm or perhaps a y faced barbute.
Thanks for giving us a look at your fine collection. Good video and very informative. Besides the advantages you describe, it seems like a little care given to an easily removable liner would also make this helmet a useful cooking pot around the campfire. I remember reading something long ago about GI WWII helmets being used in this manner and thus being superior to the German models because their liners could not be easily removed. They were also better as a digging implement although enferior to the German in terms of coverage, draftiness, and rain deflection. Fascinating stuff for history buffs. Thanks again for your time and effort.
This is a really great series! Is there a video about vision while wearing a helmet planned? I'm still not sure how well the vision was with only the eye-slits. A camerashot through the bascinet-visors to demonstrate this would be great, if it's possible ...
I really enjoy the commentary of how the kettle helmet is an influence to WW1 helmet. Armor evolutionary trees are unquantifiable entertainment from a historical and, to a lesser extent, biological perspective. :D
Judging by what I could see when you tipped your head forward, your face is somewhat more protected, and the length of the rear brim still covers your neck so on the battlefield when the arrows are flying you can get a little more protection for your face?
+Ben Kirkby Yes, I imagine during an arrow volley, tilting your head forward to protect your face with a brim like that would be a very good idea :) The rear brim would still provide very good coverage for anything coming from above or forward of your position.
Who's the handsome model you got there doing the vid with you? Also I've always loved the design of the kettle helmets. Different variations but the one you're showing is off one of the funnier looking ones, yet there's something great about it too.. and it's huge.
You forgot a pair of important features. An excellent sunblock, for those sunny days, or even the rainy ones, it's nice with some screening for the eyes and the head. And in a pinch, you can put it on a fire, fill it with water and use it as a kettle. Or more of a pot but you get my drift. Also it looks stylish. Yours have a robin hood-esque vibe to it. I like it.
+Knyght Errant the kettle helmet to me seems like it would be a worse version of the ancient Greek botacian helmet(i think that's how it's called) if they changed the design just a little bit . the botacian helmet is like the kettle helmet, but in the face area the helmet curves up so you get good vision and good protection. I don't know how to exactly explain it, but you can find a video talking about Greek helmets if you want to see what it looks like.
+Just a talking taco If you only think of attacks coming straight at you or downward. The kettle is excellent design to protect the skull from falling rumble and debris, like what you would encounter during a siege. Hence the design was used again in WWI british army helmet and construction crew still use plastic kettle hats today.
Philip Dyer if they made the botacian helmet with medieval smiting it would be in many ways better. Yes it would be just a little small bit easier to stab The face, but you would have unhindered vision. It's all a matter of preference. I like the great helm more because the big cone sticking out of the pig faced(hound skull) helmet hinders the vision very much. the Maximilian helmet is one of the best ones but it was in the reneasons period so it doesn't count. The best one in medieval times was the Italian helmet that I don't know the name of. :p
Christopher Jackson I seen this many times. They say that the vision is great ,but in fact what they mean is that it's good enough .You probably can't see up without tilting your head up, witch ecsposes your head to arows and swords ,and your forward vision does seem to be a bit obsessed when wearing the kettle helmet. Yes there were different warrants, but in games and movies, they mostly used this design or a similar one. I'm not saying that movies are always accurate ,far from it ,but even if there was a variation like the boeotian helmet ,there probably wouldn't be many of them .Also on other reviews and videos, it's the same or similar design as this one in the video. Find a picture in total war Rome 2 of the Greeks wearing this helmet.(you probably already know what it looks like since you know the name of it but whatever) It is to much curved in the game and to small in my opinion, but you get the idea that if they made the main kettle helmet with the way and style that they used in the medieval times , it would be better in my opinion then this one,but this way it does seem a bit inferior.
It seems to mee that the brim has one big disadvantage: it would lead stabs with swords and spears right to the head. It would also protect you from arrows if you turn your face slightly downwards though.
The more I think of this helm, the more I like the idea. It keeps the sun out of your eyes, protects your neck and shoulders, all while leaving your vision, hearing, breathing, and speech unimpaired. With a mail coif and padding, it would actually provide an ideal ratio of protection without encumbering anything important. Compare that to the sallet (less bevor), which provides comparatively worse protection while looking more fashionable.
+Lar Mayotte Hi! Thank you for coming and welcome to the channel. This particular kettle hat is advertised at 2.9 kilos but I haven't weighed it myself. I intend to do a video dedicated to weighing each piece of kit individually.
Hi there, yes, He is right (M Easton that is!) you do cover a very interesting period, am interested in late 13c and early 15c myself , am subscribed now, cannot wait for your more of your stuff. A question? because it has a thick leather chinstrap, would it not be a problem of choking or cause neck pain? if the helmet was knocked back or pushed back in combat? I was thinking of a spear thrust under the broad brim! which would force the helmet back very quickly?
+Bryn Noble Thanks and welcome to the channel! Sure it can be a potential problem, but I think the advantages of keeping the helmet on far outweigh the risk of the chinstrap becoming dangerous in the case of the kettle hat. You can probably find a flaw to exploit in most any piece of armor, but you have to consider whether or not that flaw negates the protective value otherwise offered by the piece of equipment.
I had 2 questions about it. 1. As it was used primarily by the non men at arms portion of the fighting men wouldn't the use of a shield make it fantastic? The shield covers your face and the helmet does not restrict you in any way? 2. How much does it weigh, especially compared to a modern military helmet?
+macharim The kettle hat is probably one of the most useful and versatile helmets in history. My kettle helmet weighs a little over 6 lbs, by comparison when I was a military helicopter pilot, my helmet (an HGU-84) weighed about 3 lbs 5 oz, I still have my helo helmet so I just weighed it :) With the addition of night vision goggles you can add about 1 lb.
So surprisingly light then. Obviously this means that lower rank soldiers had good head protection but how would you rate the rest of their armor? Say around the time of Agincourt? Whatever they could find or refined, effective gear? Also I was wondering if you have as much knowledge of lighter armour? That plate was almost invulnerable has been pretty clearly shown but my question is how effective was the cheaper gear worn by rank and file?
I'm following all your videos about the helmets. I think they're perfect! Thanks to share your knowledge with us. Anyway, weren't the Crusades led by Louis IX heading to Egypt and Tunisia, and not directly the Holy Land?
+Piergiuseppe Di Michele As I understand it, after negotiating his release from captivity in Egypt he spent several years in the Holy Land with Joinville (the writer of Vie de St Louis), perhaps the account I read was taken from that time. The account I was referring to is described secondhand in European Armor by Claude Blair.
Does it affect the hearing in any way? Thanks for all your videos, I've just marathoned your armour series! And yes, I am another of Matt's subscribers :D
+Ægir Bladeworks I'm very happy that you're enjoying them! I'm sure there are some minimal effects from the brim, but compared to a helmet that covers the ears, there's no comparison. You can hear, see and breathe considerably better in a kettle helmet than in a bascinet, especially a bascinet with great helm over it. I was remiss to forget to mention the hearing aspect in the video.
I very much am enjoying them, although I've watched all now so you need to make some more :D Thanks for the extra information, I appreciate you taking the time to answer!
It strikes me that it would be very effective against arrows (provided you see them coming) as if you bend your head forward it will provide wide protection to your head, neck and shoulders.
Based on the Iron Caps referred to in the Assize of Arms of 1181 & the time period of circa 1150-1500AD (i.e Middle English period 12th to 16th Century). I'm thinking 1150-1340AD (so it's pre-Black Death). I'm thinking the best options are: Nasal Helm Enclosed Helmet Spangenhelm Pioneer Helmet Norman Casque Cervelliere Kettle Helm - possibly too new Which would be the best option for a Freeman, Villager or Lord.
Can you comment on the liner and how much space there is between the top of your head and the top of the helm? It appears as if there is some unused space there and I can think of several reasons why that would be a good thing. First it makes the helmet more versatile if is large enough to fit bigger headed people and the liner can be made to fit the user. And second it would be more comfortable if the helm didn't rest against the head. And third it would seems like it would be better to have some space for when the helm is struck.
+Krashlandon This particular liner is a single piece of fabric. You're right in that it doesn't go all the way to the top of the helmet, so it does suspend it on your head, which is preferable in my opinion. One thing I would consider doing (which I have done to my bascinet) is to cut lobes into the liner and add a small cord to make it slightly more adjustable.
Fantastic video once again. There are so many more helmet styles, can we expect more videos about them? I don't expect you to own any more helmets but I really would love a video about the sallet or armet.
+3027085 I don't have access to a sallet or armet at this time, but I may be able to get my hands on a great bascinet and an early armet in the very near future.
IIRC one of the big reasons for the similarity in the design from the kettle helm to the English WW1 helm is that both are designed to deflect airborn weapons from hitting the user Arrows, rocks, javelins and spears in the case of the kettle helm and shrapnel in the case of the WW1 one. Is that correct
+Aspie Sean Also, when formations get close/tight enough, it limits attack angles for hand weapons to mostly the same ones due to other people being in the way of strikes that don't use a downward motion.
I notice the earlier ones appear to be painted to actually highlight the multi-part construction, whereas the later ones seem to be more commonly just polished metal. Are there any depictions of painted kettle helmets from the latter half of the 14th-early 15th century?
There are some illustrations of a peculiar type of "Carolingian" helmet and I wonder if it could be an early form of the kettle helm or if the design is older. I know the sources are scarce and it is perhaps not in your era of expertise; I just thought it would be something interesting to look into. s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/91/23/4b/91234be0d5295b1ad2fb551ca085771a.jpg www.tf.uni-kiel.de/matwis/amat/iss/kap_b/advanced/tb_4_2.html
A coif would be a very likely supplemental armor to wear with a kettle hat. With a mail collar, or no supplemental armor are also common ways these are depicted.
Amazing content! Matt Easton send me here and he was totally right, your channel is great! I have two question, I have already seen your entire playlist (in one day, you are that awesome), are you going to continue with a video on the armet helmet? And another one, is there any evidence of people wearing plate armor directly on padded armor without mail? Keep up the great work, cheers from your new Czech fan and sorry for my english. :-)
+Tomáš Gestinger Thank you! I don't own an armet, nor do I have the ability to get my hands on a nice one near me, but I really want to do a video on the armet because next to the bascinet it's my favorite type of helmet. Eventually I hope to do one though. From my studies it seems that the more plate you have on, the less thick the padding becomes over time. You do see some padded armor being worn with plate during transitional periods, like on things like gamboised cuisses, but it seems like it's pretty rare.
I have always liked kettle helmets, if only for the fact that if I were a medieval soldier It would probably be all I could afford.
Hey, it's better than nothing
@rockn roll arrow fire came mainly at short range straight at you, so no, an uncovered face isn't great for defense against arrows
@@nahuelmat It is, if you have a shield
@@kalil2669 If
A kettle helm, a coat of plates or more probably a brigantine - some form of leg protection and hand protection. That's all you'd probably need. A big ole' armored cod piece would be a nice thought for confidence more than anything else but I think we're getting into fantasy at that point.
A little side note on affordability and use among lower/higher classes: I read an essay about Prussian castle findings and some period documentation told for example how many and what kind of armour a castle had in storage, and it specifically separated eisenhut schwartz (kettle helmet black iron) and eisenhut stahl (kettle helmet steel). It also said that knights might often wear kettle helmets apparently because they were so comfortable, but they demanded higher quality steel.
Yes, this was actually found out because they were a couple of drawings from medieval art showing knights with kettle helmets and also a full suit of armor, these were really useful and were extremely comfortable, the Stalhelm german helmet series from world war 2 was partly based off of it.
Any chance you could link that essay?
@Loklar yes
@@scootch4224 what @Loklar said, plus it was during WWI, not WWII. The American PAS-GT (Fritz) kevlar helmet in turn was based off the German Stahlhelm, who's derivatives are in use today. So arguably the sallet basically is longest used combat helmet in the world today.
The British WWI helmet was based off kettle hat by the way.
*edit: typo
As a reenactor I absolutely love kettle hats. You get unrestricted vision and breathing, it's super easy to take off and put back on as needed, and I feel much safer having the brim protect my face (since in reenactment most of the blows come from above), neck and partially shoulders than, for example, an open-face bascinet.
I heard the kettle hat was also a favorite pick for siege warfare as it protects so well from projectiles coming down.
My thoughts exactly as I was watching this. As a modern fencer though, the brim would give me problems facing an edged weapon like the sabre, so in it's time it would be a problem spotting and parrying a downward sword strike. Also makes it easy to bang your head in low ceilings/ branches like I sometimes do when wearing a ball cap. Then again it wouldn't hurt like it does for me with just a cap. ;-)
I know I'm super late, but anyway: That's interesting, because the British WW1 (and also WW2) Brodie helmet, which is basically a modern kettle hat, had the same logic behind it. Back in WW1 trench warfare, the Brodie helmet was thought to be practical against shrapnel coming from above. Kinda ironic how certain kinds of armor become relevant again through the ages. Another example is the Soviet WW2 steel breastplate and today's ceramic body armor. Think of 18th and 19th century warfare, when no soldier would wear body armor or helmets because they were considered obsolete due to firearms. Nowadays, they're relevant again.
Edit: Also, I read that the iconic German Stahlhelm was inspiried by medieval sallets. If that's the case, this means that today's PASGT derived helmets are also descendants of sallets, since the PASGT helmet itself was inspired by German Stahlhelms.
The kettle helmet is one of my favorite designs, mostly because it is simple and not overly expensive to produce.
Given the state of its wearer, I'm not sure the kettle hat was all that effective...
He caught an arrow in his left cheek. You can see the hole.
Nick Dzink He also took an arrow to the knee
I can imagine the brim also adding a positive affect during combat in that it keeps the sun's glare out of your vision.
You can also make tea with it! :D
Turn it over, fill it with water, and put it in the fire!
Tastes like knighty spirit.
What if you had a detachable handle, it could be a helmet and a buckler.
Meanwhile 200IQ Chinese/Japanese footmen wore helmets on their heads that could be (and was) just as a stir fry wok.
@Führer des Benutzers Only if you like being chewed out first by your captain and then the quartermaster. Troopers where expressly forbidden to use the M1 in such a manner because the heating and cooling involved could alter the material properties of the steel and destroy it's protective properties.
That zombie head is fantastic. I can think of no better way to display a helmet.
+Jared McClelland Thanks!
+Vesrox looks like a helmet displayed in a museum in stockholm still with the owners head in situ......oops...
He doesn't look like he was too well protected though since he ended up like that...
You can tell that he is mindless, not because he is a zombie, but because he didn’t bother to buckle the strap.
Poor, poor fool.
A zombie with a helmet is a fearsome opponent
That low brimmed visored kettle hat is probably my second favorite helmet, behind the almighty sallet, of course.
Same
Some Modern hardhats for construction work still use that design. What I like is it can keep the sun and rain off you while you’re marching or entrenching or performing camp chores. But still need to be in gear.
It’s a working man’s helmet.
I think it's also nice that it covers the neck and defect stones and stuff from above off your body by a siege for exaple.
And it allows good air circulation for the head to prevent overheating.
I love the kettle helm both for design and it's universal appearance. The Yuan, and Ming dynasties both used them, and the Tran of Dai Viet also had their own "acorn" style kettle helm.
Amazing channel. Matt Easton sent me here, and I don't regret coming. About the kettle helmet, it seems to be very usefull against falling debris (the main use of the similar WW1 helmets). Do you think the popularity of the kettle helmet may suggest that anti-personel falling projectiles (like, you know, stones) could have been more present in the medieval battlefield than we tend to think?
+Thiago Monteiro Thank you, and welcome to the channel! The brim is really effective a lot of things I think. It's not only great at keeping weapons out of your face, but like you say it can be very effective at keeping you safe from falling debris. I tend to think that it's so good at keeping blades from hitting you that it's effectiveness against falling debris may be more of a wonderful side benefit of its design (that may have been exploited more and more over time), but I think primarily it was intended for defense against melee weapons and arrows (although, the latter is definitely 'falling debris' to an extent). In a 'siege' situation though, I'm willing to be the air was filled with all kinds of horrible flying dangerous objects and a lot of people were happy to have that brim on their helmets.
Can I assume that hearing is completely unhindered? I'm not sure if you mentioned this and didn't realize.
+Battam Ah yes... I did forget to mention that. You're absolutely right, you can certainly hear a lot better in a kettle helm than you can in any helm that covers the ears. Especially as compared to a bascinet with great helm worn over it!
I would assume that the brim was bent down to protect from downward strikes and falling rocks. If the rim was broad and horizontal, then it could transfer some serious impact on your neck.
PS: I like the Morion and the Witcher 2 style spiral kettle hat most (its apparently based on real finds)
Matt from scholagladiatoria sent me. He's right, your videos are excellent!
+Blake Christo Thank you! I'm glad you like them!
I've got a pic of Maximillian I in a gold and black armour with a kettle helmet. If it's good enough for him...
Maybe a little silly of me commenting on a 9 month old comment but do you have a link to the picture?
I think he is referring to the Peter Paul Reubens portrait of Maximilian I. It is on wikipedia: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Peter_Paul_Rubens_120b.jpg
Oisin Lee Ah, thanks man, greatly appriciated.
Good god that’s some truly splendid armour...
Matt Easton/Scholagladiatoria recommended your channel. I'm happy to say you didn't disappoint:)
+Dorrain Welcome to the channel!
Great vid, really liked the way you talked about how it developed over time. As a 15c fangirl, I am hoping the sallet is up next!
When I saw you put on the kettle helmet and rotate it, it gave me an idea. I think another benefit of the kettle hats design is similar to the back rim on Roman helmets. When someone strikes at your face, the instinctual reaction is to turn your face down and away from the strike. In the case of a kettle hat, this means that the side rim will now be covering most or all of where your face was, thus protecting your face, head, and neck when a different open helm would not.
10 out of 10! Very well done. I love that you follow the historical thread of the helm from when we first see depictions of it all the way to wear it begins to meld and blur into other forms and other styles of helm. To often we focus to much on what classifies a specific piece of armor and we forget to touch on or acknowledge the grey areas. Like you said with the kettle helm, were it starts to blur into the sallet, especially when used injunction with a bevor. Great presentation.
scholagladatoria sent me and I am already in love with this channel.
+Kyle Toelle Welcome!
hands down this has to be my favorite helmet in all of history, not to mention that some early winged hussar helmets had brims reminiscent of kettle hats
Hi! I like helmets! They're comfy and easy to wear!
KNYGHT ERRANT wants to battle!
Ah, I got the reference.
Can I have a cookie now?
I would've liked to see you fasten the chin straps, but loving the content as always.
That's what a fireman/policeman's hat is based off of isn't it?
Even modern hard hats. The kettle hat design is pretty ubiquitous throughout times, cultures, and applications.
Knyght Errant the helmet honestly reminds me of a Boeotian helmet from the Ancient and Classical eras. It was used as the main helmet of choice by Alexander the Great's cavalry. I think the Hetairoi, or the Companions. I mean I can see how effective it is without compromising much of sight and hearing. But the protection for the face leaves much to be desired...
Its a pretty good design if you are primarily worried about debris falling down on you.
Matt Easton sent me here... Love your content so far.
The zombie head was a perfect display head for that helmet. You can see why they were popular, especially given they were cheap and quickly manufactured.
I can imagine there would be two generations of hand me downs among the common soldiers.
One thing I have gotten a better understanding of, from you, is how expensive it was to equip yourself for warfare. A mounted man at arms must have put a lot of effort into obtaining and up grading his equipment. That could put some serious pressure on a noble young fellow, with no gold in the family coffers.
Thank you so much for putting so much into your research. I wear a Chapel de Fer in combat. It is an amazing helm. I can't begin to tell you how much I've had to hear how it is a "peasants' helm". I found documentation for days proving exactly the opposite before I finally decided to have mine made for my early 14th kit. Your videos are very informative and your knowledge of armor is extensive. Again, thank you.
Another sub from Scholagladitoria. :)
+demos113 yep
+demos113 Thanks guys and welcome!
+demos113 Me too
+demos113 Same here!
+demos113 Same here
Also looks like it takes very little movement of the head to protect the face with the front of that brim should it be needed.
Think I'd rather have this than a visored helm for everything but jousting (be it tournament or battlefield).
Would you use the version with eye-slits?
This was my favorite kind of helmet when I was just getting into the study. Glad to see it getting attention!
Just did a google image search for 'kettle helm.' Wow! You weren't kidding when you mentioned the varying designs.
Great videos! stumbled on to you while searching for Medieval Armor on RUclips. Been watching as I work on an original 16th century mail standard. Keep up the wonderful content and discussion.
Thank you!
Ian, I have been watching you videos recently and I really appreciate your content. I find you videos great quality and educational. keep it up Ian.
Thank you very much, that's very kind of you to say!
it's easily one of the best helmet designs ever. not the most pretty, but in functonality and usage on the battlefield, its pretty much top tier
Thanks for the video. It was very entertaining and informative.
One point I think you missed out on when talking about the advantages of the kettle helm is that it also doesn't limit your hearing to any substantial degree.
In situations where you can't see your enemy, such as assaulting the insides of a castle, being able to hear well would be vital to success.
For all the sallets and greathelms, the kettle helm will always be my favorite. You sacrifice the coolness of being faceless with the coolness of having a wide brim 😎
Love the channel love the videos thank you for all the hard work and effort I've learned more from your channel than any other
Imagine sound of the rain falling.
thank you mu friend for the prompt reply!...... I look forward to the weigh ins!
I really appreciate all the work you do for these videos. Great history lesson and great presentation. Glad I subbed and thanks!
+Druetty Thank you, welcome to the channel!
This broad kettle helmet reminds me of the Portuguese Conquistadores while their Spanish rivals wore the Curved Morion Helmet.
I mean it kinda is the precursor to it.
The helmet with this wide brim and straps provide exelent leverage in a wrestling situation.
My favorite is the 15th century variant with eye slits. However, I think it makes the eyes very vulnerable to stabs because like you mentioned, attacks tended to be directed towards the top of the brim.
If you were an archer, would the brim of the helmet interfere with you drawing your bow to your cheek? (Would it get in the way of the bowstring?)
A kettle hat with an large brim might interfere with a longbow string. A shorter brimmed hat may not pose as much of a problem. An open-faced bascinet would be even more conducive to a close draw.
You know this is probably the most underated helmet of the times. Which is sad because i really like this helmet. It gives you good vision and protection and if worn with say some mail or a bevor to protect the neck and face you're even better off protection wise. Lots of people love the basenet or the armet, and i do to, but i would much rather be able to see and breath when fighting in halberd formation or in very close quarter combat wit a sword. Then again it is possible they just lifted, or removed their visors when in that for of combat, but still I would prefer the kettle helm or perhaps a y faced barbute.
Thanks for giving us a look at your fine collection. Good video and very informative. Besides the advantages you describe, it seems like a little care given to an easily removable liner would also make this helmet a useful cooking pot around the campfire. I remember reading something long ago about GI WWII helmets being used in this manner and thus being superior to the German models because their liners could not be easily removed. They were also better as a digging implement although enferior to the German in terms of coverage, draftiness, and rain deflection. Fascinating stuff for history buffs. Thanks again for your time and effort.
Hey, I recognized the commemoration of the Battle of Cressey there, cool.
This is a really great series! Is there a video about vision while wearing a helmet planned? I'm still not sure how well the vision was with only the eye-slits. A camerashot through the bascinet-visors to demonstrate this would be great, if it's possible ...
+KLRGOFFIRE Thank you! I do plan on doing a video comparing the different visors when I have the opportunity.
Your co-host needs a doctor, dude.
Hi there. Matt suggested I check out your channel and I wasn't disappointed. Any chance for a Morion review in the future?
I really enjoy the commentary of how the kettle helmet is an influence to WW1 helmet. Armor evolutionary trees are unquantifiable entertainment from a historical and, to a lesser extent, biological perspective. :D
Judging by what I could see when you tipped your head forward, your face is somewhat more protected, and the length of the rear brim still covers your neck so on the battlefield when the arrows are flying you can get a little more protection for your face?
+Ben Kirkby Yes, I imagine during an arrow volley, tilting your head forward to protect your face with a brim like that would be a very good idea :) The rear brim would still provide very good coverage for anything coming from above or forward of your position.
Scholagladitoria sent me! Gotta say you got really interesting videos. Another sub right there!
+Håkon Bergseth Wonderful! Thank you for coming!
I really enjoyed this video, though I would have liked to see how the kettle helm worked with your maille throat protection :)
I like how you say sallet... like salad numnumnumnum
Who's the handsome model you got there doing the vid with you?
Also I've always loved the design of the kettle helmets. Different variations but the one you're showing is off one of the funnier looking ones, yet there's something great about it too.. and it's huge.
Kettle hats, the solution to "my actor is expensive no helmet"
You was talking about Halloween coming up in this. Witch is tomorrow. Made me think this is a new vid, but it’s 4 years old. lol
You forgot a pair of important features.
An excellent sunblock, for those sunny days, or even the rainy ones, it's nice with some screening for the eyes and the head.
And in a pinch, you can put it on a fire, fill it with water and use it as a kettle. Or more of a pot but you get my drift.
Also it looks stylish. Yours have a robin hood-esque vibe to it. I like it.
+Klomster We did exactly that at a living history show (used a kettle hot as a cook pot). They work great!
Knyght Errant Hehe, the satire is proven correct.
Kettle helm, doesn't get more infantry than that :P
Scholagladitoria says hi :D
+wanadeena Thank you!
+Knyght Errant the kettle helmet to me seems like it would be a worse version of the ancient Greek botacian helmet(i think that's how it's called) if they changed the design just a little bit .
the botacian helmet is like the kettle helmet, but in the face area the helmet curves up so you get good vision and good protection.
I don't know how to exactly explain it, but you can find a video talking about Greek helmets if you want to see what it looks like.
+Just a talking taco If you only think of attacks coming straight at you or downward. The kettle is excellent design to protect the skull from falling rumble and debris, like what you would encounter during a siege. Hence the design was used again in WWI british army helmet and construction crew still use plastic kettle hats today.
Philip Dyer if they made the botacian helmet with medieval smiting it would be in many ways better. Yes it would be just a little small bit easier to stab The face, but you would have unhindered vision.
It's all a matter of preference. I like the great helm more because the big cone sticking out of the pig faced(hound skull) helmet hinders the vision very much.
the Maximilian helmet is one of the best ones but it was in the reneasons period so it doesn't count.
The best one in medieval times was the Italian helmet that I don't know the name of. :p
Christopher Jackson I seen this many times. They say that the vision is great ,but in fact what they mean is that it's good enough .You probably can't see up without tilting your head up, witch ecsposes your head to arows and swords ,and your forward vision does seem to be a bit obsessed when wearing the kettle helmet.
Yes there were different warrants, but in games and movies, they mostly used this design or a similar one. I'm not saying that movies are always accurate ,far from it ,but even if there was a variation like the boeotian helmet ,there probably wouldn't be many of them .Also on other reviews and videos, it's the same or similar design as this one in the video.
Find a picture in total war Rome 2 of the Greeks wearing this helmet.(you probably already know what it looks like since you know the name of it but whatever) It is to much curved in the game and to small in my opinion, but you get the idea that if they made the main kettle helmet with the way and style that they used in the medieval times , it would be better in my opinion then this one,but this way it does seem a bit inferior.
It seems to mee that the brim has one big disadvantage: it would lead stabs with swords and spears right to the head. It would also protect you from arrows if you turn your face slightly downwards though.
7:03 the Salet is actually the basis for most modern helmets.
although I'm sure there's no relation, it reminds me a lot of the helmets worn by Thracian gladiators minus the visor.
I love how this design of helmet last right through two world wars in the British/Commonwealth armies
The more I think of this helm, the more I like the idea. It keeps the sun out of your eyes, protects your neck and shoulders, all while leaving your vision, hearing, breathing, and speech unimpaired. With a mail coif and padding, it would actually provide an ideal ratio of protection without encumbering anything important. Compare that to the sallet (less bevor), which provides comparatively worse protection while looking more fashionable.
Great tutorial. Please do more.
I also was recommended to you by Scholagladitoria! ........ my question is this....how much does one of those Kettle Helmets weigh?
+Lar Mayotte Hi! Thank you for coming and welcome to the channel. This particular kettle hat is advertised at 2.9 kilos but I haven't weighed it myself. I intend to do a video dedicated to weighing each piece of kit individually.
Another sub from Germany. This helmet would probably also help with rain a bit.
Absolutely!
Greetings form Scholagladitoria! Subscribed
+Hans Wurscht Thank you and welcome!
Fuck off with your spam.
One of my favorite.
Great video! Keep up the fantastic work!
very interesting and excellent quality! Subscribed :D Mr. Easton never goes wrong! haha
Hi there, yes, He is right (M Easton that is!) you do cover a very interesting period, am interested in late 13c and early 15c myself , am subscribed now, cannot wait for your more of your stuff.
A question? because it has a thick leather chinstrap, would it not be a problem of choking or cause neck pain? if the helmet was knocked back or pushed back in combat? I was thinking of a spear thrust under the broad brim! which would force the helmet back very quickly?
+Bryn Noble Thanks and welcome to the channel! Sure it can be a potential problem, but I think the advantages of keeping the helmet on far outweigh the risk of the chinstrap becoming dangerous in the case of the kettle hat. You can probably find a flaw to exploit in most any piece of armor, but you have to consider whether or not that flaw negates the protective value otherwise offered by the piece of equipment.
I had 2 questions about it.
1. As it was used primarily by the non men at arms portion of the fighting men wouldn't the use of a shield make it fantastic? The shield covers your face and the helmet does not restrict you in any way?
2. How much does it weigh, especially compared to a modern military helmet?
+macharim The kettle hat is probably one of the most useful and versatile helmets in history. My kettle helmet weighs a little over 6 lbs, by comparison when I was a military helicopter pilot, my helmet (an HGU-84) weighed about 3 lbs 5 oz, I still have my helo helmet so I just weighed it :) With the addition of night vision goggles you can add about 1 lb.
So surprisingly light then. Obviously this means that lower rank soldiers had good head protection but how would you rate the rest of their armor? Say around the time of Agincourt? Whatever they could find or refined, effective gear?
Also I was wondering if you have as much knowledge of lighter armour? That plate was almost invulnerable has been pretty clearly shown but my question is how effective was the cheaper gear worn by rank and file?
I'm following all your videos about the helmets. I think they're perfect! Thanks to share your knowledge with us. Anyway, weren't the Crusades led by Louis IX heading to Egypt and Tunisia, and not directly the Holy Land?
+Piergiuseppe Di Michele As I understand it, after negotiating his release from captivity in Egypt he spent several years in the Holy Land with Joinville (the writer of Vie de St Louis), perhaps the account I read was taken from that time. The account I was referring to is described secondhand in European Armor by Claude Blair.
Does it affect the hearing in any way?
Thanks for all your videos, I've just marathoned your armour series! And yes, I am another of Matt's subscribers :D
+Ægir Bladeworks I'm very happy that you're enjoying them! I'm sure there are some minimal effects from the brim, but compared to a helmet that covers the ears, there's no comparison. You can hear, see and breathe considerably better in a kettle helmet than in a bascinet, especially a bascinet with great helm over it. I was remiss to forget to mention the hearing aspect in the video.
I very much am enjoying them, although I've watched all now so you need to make some more :D
Thanks for the extra information, I appreciate you taking the time to answer!
It strikes me that it would be very effective against arrows (provided you see them coming) as if you bend your head forward it will provide wide protection to your head, neck and shoulders.
Based on the Iron Caps referred to in the Assize of Arms of 1181 & the time period of circa 1150-1500AD (i.e Middle English period 12th to 16th Century). I'm thinking 1150-1340AD (so it's pre-Black Death).
I'm thinking the best options are:
Nasal Helm
Enclosed Helmet
Spangenhelm
Pioneer Helmet
Norman Casque
Cervelliere
Kettle Helm - possibly too new
Which would be the best option for a Freeman, Villager or Lord.
Even the popular Boeotian, the early Coolus, and Agen Port variations in the Bronze Age have. Similar design elements.
Can you comment on the liner and how much space there is between the top of your head and the top of the helm?
It appears as if there is some unused space there and I can think of several reasons why that would be a good thing.
First it makes the helmet more versatile if is large enough to fit bigger headed people and the liner can be made to fit the user. And second it would be more comfortable if the helm didn't rest against the head. And third it would seems like it would be better to have some space for when the helm is struck.
+Krashlandon This particular liner is a single piece of fabric. You're right in that it doesn't go all the way to the top of the helmet, so it does suspend it on your head, which is preferable in my opinion. One thing I would consider doing (which I have done to my bascinet) is to cut lobes into the liner and add a small cord to make it slightly more adjustable.
Fantastic video once again. There are so many more helmet styles, can we expect more videos about them? I don't expect you to own any more helmets but I really would love a video about the sallet or armet.
+3027085 I don't have access to a sallet or armet at this time, but I may be able to get my hands on a great bascinet and an early armet in the very near future.
Nice, keep up the good work!
IIRC one of the big reasons for the similarity in the design from the kettle helm to the English WW1 helm is that both are designed to deflect airborn weapons from hitting the user Arrows, rocks, javelins and spears in the case of the kettle helm and shrapnel in the case of the WW1 one. Is that correct
+Aspie Sean Also, when formations get close/tight enough, it limits attack angles for hand weapons to mostly the same ones due to other people being in the way of strikes that don't use a downward motion.
I notice the earlier ones appear to be painted to actually highlight the multi-part construction, whereas the later ones seem to be more commonly just polished metal. Are there any depictions of painted kettle helmets from the latter half of the 14th-early 15th century?
They used to hammer the metal plate directly on your head to make it fit perfectly
lol
Excellent and very informative video
Fantastic, informative videos.
Have you ever considered putting all of these videos together in a book?
+David Tetard I'm not sure anything I've said isn't already available in books :)
One advantage that you missed is that it could be used as a kettle...
There are some illustrations of a peculiar type of "Carolingian" helmet and I wonder if it could be an early form of the kettle helm or if the design is older. I know the sources are scarce and it is perhaps not in your era of expertise; I just thought it would be something interesting to look into.
s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/91/23/4b/91234be0d5295b1ad2fb551ca085771a.jpg
www.tf.uni-kiel.de/matwis/amat/iss/kap_b/advanced/tb_4_2.html
Did these helms have coifs worn with them? Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
A coif would be a very likely supplemental armor to wear with a kettle hat. With a mail collar, or no supplemental armor are also common ways these are depicted.
Thank you responding. I am enjoying learning much more than ever about midevil and renaissance arms and armor..
They great in the rain
I wore cattle helmet as playing medieval soldier in historical movie...I can say in sun that helmet can create heath...
These are awesome, is there any chance you'll be covering the sallet in future videos?
, cool I'm going to give it a try thank you for the reply
I do love a good kettle helmet.
All those artistic depictions you show beg the question, did people ever bend their knees back then?
Amazing content! Matt Easton send me here and he was totally right, your channel is great!
I have two question, I have already seen your entire playlist (in one day, you are that awesome), are you going to continue with a video on the armet helmet? And another one, is there any evidence of people wearing plate armor directly on padded armor without mail?
Keep up the great work, cheers from your new Czech fan and sorry for my english. :-)
+Tomáš Gestinger Thank you! I don't own an armet, nor do I have the ability to get my hands on a nice one near me, but I really want to do a video on the armet because next to the bascinet it's my favorite type of helmet. Eventually I hope to do one though. From my studies it seems that the more plate you have on, the less thick the padding becomes over time. You do see some padded armor being worn with plate during transitional periods, like on things like gamboised cuisses, but it seems like it's pretty rare.
Thank you for a great response! I'll be looking forward for that armet video, it's one of my favorites as well. :-)
Definetely the best helmet ever