One of the most interesting helmets of the Middle Ages is the bascinet helmet. How and where did it come from? What kind of ancestors and "relatives" did he have? This material will tell you about this.
Carved sculpture depicting the biblical scene of the massacre of infants. It very clearly shows the servilera helmets - the predecessors of the bascinets. Around 1300 Antwerp, Belgium. (Museum Mayer van den Berg)
One of the most common helmets of the early Middle Ages were the so-called "pot-helmets" or "pill-helmets". They had a very simple cylindrical shape (with or without a nosepiece) or expanded upward. But in any case, their top was flat or completely, in extreme cases, have a slightly conical shape. That is why they got such a name that it was enough to bend their nosepiece and get a bucket with a handle, that is, a typical "saucepan" for that time. Such helmets were very comfortable, and most importantly, they were technologically advanced to manufacture. They only required two parts, meaning a blacksmith could easily make many of these helmets! Do not think that they have completely supplanted hemispherical and conical helmets. No! But they were simple, which is why they were widespread and spread already at the very beginning of the XIII century.
A funny 15th century rope server. Germany. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
The simplest Servilier helmet 1250 - 1300 (Museum of the Army of France, Paris)
And it was here that their improvement led to the fact that on their basis the so-called "great helmet" appeared. First, around 1210, a mask covering the face and with slits for the eyes and holes for breathing began to be attached to the cylindrical crown. Then the head was added and … the "big helmet" was ready! Moreover, a face shield was attached to both conical and hemispherical helmets, but it was more difficult to make them, so they did not receive such widespread distribution as flat-top bucket helmets. In fact, it was an absolute means of protection, because a “big helmet” was put on on the head already covered, firstly, with a quilted cap, and, secondly, with a chain mail hood on a leather lining. For better fixation on the head, a roller stuffed with horsehair was put on over the chain mail hood, and later, around 1230 - 1240, another cap with a quilted roller and a rigid collar.
"Grand Slam" of the XIV century, used in tournaments. Illustration from the book by Emmanuel Viollet-Le-Duc. It is clearly seen that the space between the nose and the front wall of the helmet is very small, that is, a large effort is required on inhalation and exhalation to ensure good ventilation of the pre-personal space.
However, it immediately became clear that in such a helmet it was hard to breathe and had a bad view. That is, it was simply impossible to be in it all the time. Therefore, apparently in the case when the "big helmet" was removed from the head, someone came up with the idea of covering the chainmail hood with a metal hemispherical helmet, tightly fitting to the head. This helmet was named servillers. It turned out to be very convenient in all respects.
Since very few early "great helmets" have survived to this day, this effigy of William de Lanvaley, who died in 1217 and was buried in Volkern, of the Church of St. Mary. Why he was not depicted with an open face and a helmet lying under his head is unknown. It is possible that there was no face there, or rather, nothing remained of it, and it was considered a sin to portray it "from memory". Be that as it may, it is obvious that it was very difficult to be in such a helmet.
Servilier helmet from the "Bible of Matsievsky" 1240 - 1250. (Pierpont Morgan Library, New York)
It is believed that it was he who later gave rise to the bascinet helmet, and at first they were common on the continent: in Germany and France, and in England they were practically not found.
Researcher in the field of heraldry Stefan Slater (Slater, S. Heraldry. Illustrated Encyclopedia. Second edition, revised and enlarged / Translated by I. Zhilinskaya. M.: Eksmo, 2006.), summarizing materials on the "big helmet" and the bascinet helmet, pointed out their close relationship. In his opinion, the bascinet, which fits snugly to the head, was created precisely to be worn under the “big helmet” so that the knights would have two layers of wrought iron for protection instead of one. At the same time, when the knight put on these two helmets one on top of the other, then a special quilted fabric was laid between them, or the lining of the "big helmet" performed its function. Thus, we can talk about another direction of head protection, namely, the development of helmets-comforters, which, in turn, will turn into helmets of "external wear".
The bascinet helmet depicted on the Latrell Psalter page. It depicts Geoffrey Latrell ((1276 - 1345) in full knightly armor and in a helmet (most likely copper or gilded) bascinet, the shape is clearly such that his "big helmet", which he holds in his hands, could well be worn on top of him.
The English historian Claude Blair notes that in the process of their development, three forms of bascinets appeared:
1. First of all, it is a small, rounded helmet with plates on the sides to protect the ears. He was often depicted with a movable visor; its edge dropped below the chin, but sometimes it covered only that part of the face that was not protected by a chain mail hood.
2. High conical helmet, arched covering the face and continuing almost to the shoulders on the sides and back; sometimes it was equipped with a nosepiece, but more often with a movable visor. When the visor was removed, and it was performed removable, such a helmet was often indistinguishable from a "just helmet" of a conical shape.
Here is the above-described bascinet of 1375-1425. Weight 2268 France. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
3. High conical helmet with a flat bottom edge just above the ears. This is the tallest version of the conical helmet used from the 10th to the 13th centuries, although it is not known from which helmet, according to Claude Blair, it originated. The old conical helmet is gradually disappearing (judging by the images, during the second half of the 13th century), but both of these species are so similar that it is difficult to believe that they are somehow unrelated. At the same time, all these helmets also received a chain mail aventail, which could be attached to the lower edge of the bascinet, or could be removed from it.
The above-described bascinet of 1325-1350. Weight 1064 Italy. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
That is, now under the "big helmet", in addition to a cap and a chain mail hood, a servilier helmet was worn. But the fact is that it very quickly transformed into a bascinet helmet, which was no longer possible to wear with the "big helmet".
Chain comforter of the 15th - 16th centuries Weight 0.59 kg. (Wallace Collection)
That is, it is quite possible that the "big helmet" served to protect the head and face during a spear attack, where the knights galloped one beside the other, forming a "palisade". But the bascinet was worn more or less constantly, either by removing the visor from it (when it appeared!), Or by lifting it up. True, when hitting the visor of such a helmet, the tip of the spear could easily slip off its surface and hook the chain mail around the neck. True, now there were already two layers of chain mail: the chain mail of the hood and the chain mail of the aventail. But that was not enough. Therefore, on the knightly armor of the first quarter of the XIV century, an all-metal stand-up collar with a coverlet made of plates also appears - a bevor, which also protects the upper part of the chest.
Bascinet 1375 - 1400 (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
The "grand helmet", crowned with helmet decoration, was now worn over a chain mail hood, servilera or bascinet, as a result of which the knight's head, as well as the body, was covered with multilayer armor.
Another example of multi-layer head armor is the effigy from Neustadt am Main, Germany, depicting the knight von Reineck, who died in 1379. He has a bascinet on his head without a visor, and next to it is his "big helmet", which can also be worn over the bascinet.
Claude Blair, trying in every possible way to avoid terminological confusion, pointed out that at the very beginning the term "servilera" was synonymous with the word "bascinet" and thus often it may well be about the same subject. It was also used to designate a battle cap and helmet liner, with one French document of 1309 requiring each bascinet to be equipped with its own servillera. That is, it turns out that over time they began to put on the servilera already under the bascinet, which has become an independent means of protection!
Classic English bascinet with chain mail mantle 1380 - 1400 from Northern Italy. (Royal Arsenal, Leeds, UK)
The term "bascinet" itself is quite rare in texts written around 1300, but after it it appears more and more often and so on until 1450, after which it is rarely mentioned again until 1550.
German bascinet 1400 g Weight 2.37 kg. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
All three of these types, named by Claude Blair, were used until 1340-1350. During the XIV and early XV centuries. in England a chainmail hood without a top, attached to a bascinet, was usually called aventail, and in France camail, although both of these words were sometimes used in the same sense in both countries.
Another bascinet from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. 1420 - 1430 Germany. Weight 2986 g. Noteworthy is the slit at the level of the mouth and numerous holes in the cone of the visor.
She took the view from the inside. There was obviously enough air to breathe. Rather, thanks to the "dog's face" it was a little easier to breathe in it than in helmets with a visor tightly pressed to the face! (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
The spread of bascinets after 1300 made it fashionable to wear crowns over them, which indicated the rank of a particular knight, and this is in addition to heraldic images on his surcoat, shield and horse blanket. One of these crowns has survived to this day in the Cathedral of St. Stanislaus in Krakow, which was accidentally found under a tree in Sandomierz. It consists of four parts with only four prongs in the form of "fleur-de-lis" - the heraldic lily of the French royal house, each of which was decorated with 65 semiprecious stones.
A very funny "lightweight" bascinet from the Paris Army Museum. 1420 - 1430 Weight 1.78 kg.
The fact that the cost of such jewelry was extremely high is evidenced by the example of the bascinet crown of the king of Castile, made of gold and adorned with precious stones. According to the chronicle of 1385, it had a value of 20,000 francs.
But this is a typical "grand bascinet" or "big bascinet", supplemented by neck protection. 1400 - 1420 (Army Museum, Paris)
At the same time, one and the same type of weapon received its local names, which, multiplying, gave rise to the illusion of a great variety, which in fact did not exist. For example, the English called the same bascinet "the skull of a dog" or "dog's head", while on the continent the German name "Bundhugel" ("dog's helmet"), or "pig's snout" was used, which once again emphasized its unusual appearance.
Interestingly, many early types of bascinets received a somewhat unusual protective addition called bretach. It was a nose-piece in the form of a narrow strip of chain mail with a leather lining, which was a "shoot" of the aventail, but when it was lifted, it was attached to a hook in the forehead part of the helmet. The individual breastplates were all-metal, nose-shaped and provided with breathing holes. Thanks to the Bretash, the "big helmet" could not hit its owner in the nose. That is, he could, of course, but the Bretash significantly softened this blow. This form of protection was especially popular in Europe, where one of its examples is the remarkable tombstone with the figure of the Italian knight Gerarduchio de Gerardini from Tuscany, who died in 1331 and was buried in the church of St. Apolliano Barberino d'Elsa. He has on his head a typical globular bascinet with a chain mail aventail on scalloped lining and a chain mail breast, from the inside out on a leather lining.
Extremely interesting equestrian effigy of Colaccio Becadelli 1340 St. Nicholas and St. Domenica, Imola, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. As you can see, he is depicted on it in a typical bascinet, but his "great helmet", decorated with the coat of arms of a winged eagle's paw, is behind him. Apparently, he really liked his coat of arms, because we see a "paw" both on his head and on the croup of his digging, and two whole paws on his helmet!
Unknown Venetian knight 1375. Also with a bascinet's nosepiece. Victoria and Albert Museum, Britain.
The problem with the early bascinets was that their visor was just a mask suspended on a loop and, in fact, did not rest on anything other than the top edge of the helmet! Bascinet 1380 - 1410 Higgins Arsenal, Worcester, Massachusetts.
A very interesting image on a tombstone (engraved copper or brass plate on a stone tombstone), belonging to Hugh Hastings, d. 1340, buried at Elsing, Norfolk, St. Mary's Church. He wears a globular bascinet with a visor, a chainmail aventail and a lamellar metal collar, with which the helmet itself, however, is not yet connected.
The bascinet turned out to be the most common helmet among French men at arms in the fourteenth century. Among them, in the first place were the conical bascinets, and later - with a rounded visor, which had numerous holes for breathing. A semi-rigid or very rigid chin could be added to the aventail, and later they began to attach it directly to the bascinet on rivets.
Bascinet with a metal mantle. (Army Museum, Barcelona).
"Big bascinet" 1425-1450 Italy. Weight 3.912 kg. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
Thus, the result was a "big bascinet", which differed from the classic bascinet only in the presence of a one-piece forged neck armor and a large volume of space covered by a visor. At the same time, the bascinet helmet, which had a visor in the shape of a "snout" ("dog helmet"), became the most popular means of protection for the head in the period from 1380 to 1420, and its shape, as K. Blair notes, some authors even became call "international". Well, and with the forehead and the bevor riveted to it, the “big bascinet” remained in use, according to Ian Heath, even after 1410.
"Big bascinet" of the 15th century. from a museum in Dijon, France.
By the way, the fact that it was very difficult to be in any helmet with full face cover was clearly shown by Soviet filmmakers in one of our first "knightly" films "Black Arrow" (1985), in which King Richard III now and then removes from his head helmet and hands it over to his squire.
