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I love how you can illustrate most of the helmet types from 1170 onwards just by using pictures of Thomas Beckett getting murdered. Medieval folk loved themselves a good picture of Tommy B getting the chop in Canterbury.

I love those face plates with mustaches. I can so easily imagine he conversation between the customer and the armorer. - This will protect your face, my lord! - It'll hide my marvelous mustache! - Yes, but it'll keep safe your beautiful visage, my lord! - But it'll cover my fabulous mustache! - Yes, but it'll save your precious life, my lord! - But it'll conceal my majestic mustache! - Yes, but... /*groan*/ What if I decorate it with an image of your marvelous, fabulous, majestic mustache, my lord? - Perfect! Then there's just the issue of my marvelous eyebrows and majestic nose. Suggestions?

am I blind? Where is part 2?

Can you make a similar video about renaissance helmets?? There's already ALMOST Too much medieval content out there lol and comparatively little attention given to the post 1500s Edit: I was literally asking myself about those strange classical looking Frankish helmets Yesterday!!

I'm watching this 2 years after the release and can't find part II anywhere 😢

Fascinating and excellent video. It is interesting to me that the early Middle Ages see a little more facial protection, which disappears a little in the Viking/Norman era and then facial protection gets reintroduced gradually again by the later part of the High Middle Ages. Is there a link to Part 2, or has it not been made yet?

I have so many of your videos on my watchlist that I could be watching them every day for the next year.

How would weapon sets compare to different helms? Would a spearman tend towards ocular slots over a cavalry man or axeman? As Matt has said before, weapons and armor are a set and work together.

17:53 i think helmets with viking-like face protection still existed in east europe, since there finds deated to the 12th-13th century

what a great series, waiting for part 2 matt, thank you

I would love to see a video about Carolingian armor and how it differs from artistic depictions to what was actually worn.

Absolutely love this series

Cant wait for part 2!

Really hooked on your show lol. You have now gifted me hours and hours of knowledge and entertainment! (more than I would like to admit to myself at the moment lol) I felt suddenly motivated to express my gratitude for your effort, my recognition and appreciation of your talent, and to just let you know I’m a fan. That’s all 😄. Good day. 🙏👍🏻👏🏻

Dude! Absolutely loved this video. Looking forward to part 2. Cant wait to here your take on the kettle helm sallet

i like this video can't wait for part 2. helmets have always been interesting to look at for me as it's one of the first things you naturally look at (at least for me) when looking at a suit of armour and the diversity even within a short period is interesting. I also came across a video on IGN's channel with you looking at some star wars fights, good to see you helping other channels out and showing how films can make their fights better while also showing what they do right.

Excellent overview. I look forward to part II. WELL DONE!

Can't wait for the second part. This first part already was enlightening and entertaining, so I'm thrilled to see what comes next.

could one reason for less helmets being discovered during the migration period be the use of soft/cloth headwear?

Ah! Make room for me on your pole arm and thrust me through a journey of history, Matt!

Excellent. Part 2 please.

Awesome video!!

Thanks! Great video and I enjoyed it

A unique pictorial collection first time I’ve ever seen. Then again I don’t know Much... very cool explanations and Evolutions

Thanks for sharing 👍

Finally, a sponsor actually relevant to the subject matter of the videos!

24:02 That mule sure is angry...

Top notch work as usual, Matt. Has Part 2 ever been made? I have searched for, but never found it.

So good i had to watch it again

Great work Matt. I and many others I think would love to see you talk about the arms and armour of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Great topic ..Well Done..thank you...

Great one! Thanks!

I love these video's. Thanks for making them Matt, they are super interesting. Regards from Malta.

Looking forward to part 2

The greathelm is my go-to helmet for reenactment, I built my first one too big and so it actually fit entirely over the later one which then became my party piece, I would remove my helmet when commanded to only to reveal another one under it. I also have a WW2 Kettle Hat which I have converted into a brimmed 'Iron Hat' and I have plans to make myself a version of a Spangenhelm which I plan to wear under the great helm. Admittedly this limits me to the 1300's but I don't mind that as there is lots of advancments around that time and gives us plenty of scope for personalisation of our kit. Looking forward to part two :D

Love this videos🤠👍🏿

PART 2!!!! Go to 1600 as well and cover burgonets and morions!!!

The Dargen Great Helm and the German Sallet Are my absolute favorites. Great video, really enjoyed it 👌🏻

Your videos influenced a 6 hour conversation at work last night, thanks for keeping us occupied between customers

great video!

24:46 when you in a battle but the enemy horse is telling great joke.

I saw the title and thought another one of Matt's ambitious projects.

uuuuh nice. This is going to be good. Loved the polearm video that you did a while back

Cool stuff, and interesting stuff

Superb. Now similar about shields. Maybe with Tod - something practical?

Is there no part two? What a f-ing jip, Matt

BRING ON PART II!

Happy to hear that nazels with cheek plates were around in the 9 century. Also for the sugerloof style great helm were skull caps still used underneat them?

That was just Part I?! I'm looking forward to Part II then.

Could you talk about the equipment of the Lewis Chessmen? I am interested in the variety of helmets and shields in the different sets.

Mate could you do something on the Irish Kerns my ancestors cheers.Love your work.

I know I'm very late to this video and propably nobody will read this. However, I'm researching (as a hobby, although I've studied several semesters of archaeology too) the Merovingian era with a focus on the Alamannic area of southern Germany, specifically around the turn of the 7th century (600 +/- 50 years mostly, although I also look at before and after that focus time). There are very few helmets in that time and area archaeologically. Before 600, those were "Baldenheim" Spangenhelms, which were always at least partially gilded. Some have suggested that they weren't used for fighting, however at least one has clearly identifiable battle marks, so that's not true. Around and after 600, there were lamellar helmets which were apparently influenced (or imported, or looted) from the Avars of southeastern Europe, along with lamellar armor and Avar composite bows. We know that the Byzantine army employed Frankish (and propably also Alamannic, Baiuvar and Langobard, Saxon and others) mercenaries, which is one reason these pieces got to central Europe, the other being direct confrontation. All in all, it's estimated that only about 1% of all burials (at least of high status) have been found. Additionally, there's at least one Baldenheim helmet which was made by the same craftsman as another one, but there were 75 years between the two burials - so clearly, those helmets weren't always buried with their owners. All in all, if we extrapolate, there's an estimated 3000 helmets that were around in the 6th century, with only about 40 that have been found. I think there's a pretty good argument to be made for more simple helmets (pure iron versions of Baldenheim helmets, more lamellar helmets, and possibly also nordic/late roman crested helmets) that either corroded beyond recognition, or weren't buried at all: Iron may have been reused rather than buried, especially if the deceased's family wasn't too rich. There is little evidence to prove this, but I find it quite illogical that apart from the highest of lords and some other rich folk, nobody thought to put some metal caps on. And I find it even more illogical that those men that travelled to Byzantium, or Scandinavia, or Britain (which we know from both archaeological as well as written evidence they did), didn't think to bring back some armor pieces they earned or looted there.

2:09 always liked that helmet

It makes sense to me that the simple, bowl helmet was one of the commonest helmets people worn. From the obvious point of affordability, if provided good protection and could (in the case of the spangenhelm) be potentially modular with the cheek flaps and neck protection potentially added on at a later point when the wearer was able to afford it. Additionally, protection is often a trade-off against other elements; with the various additional pieces likely to impede hearing, vision, etc. Meaning, people might actively choose against having those pieces on their chosen helmet. Taken together, this creates a selection pressure that make it likelier that a given soldier/person would choose a simple, bowl helmet over a more complex one with all the bells and whistles.

Is there a part 2 to this video?

When you talking about Viking age helmets are you including the Rus/Varangian/Norman/Frisian/Arab(emirate of Sicily) etc styles likely used by Vikings settled or operating out of those areas in the 9th century?

As a compliment.. You’re a Fighting Professor...

Hi Matt, I'm curious is there any treatise written on fighting in confined spaces or buildings ? The modern army has FIBUA maybe there was some equivalent. Many thanks for your vids.

what about the apparently transitional “faceplate helms” that are somewhere between nasal helms and great helms? Like the ones famously associated with sicilian norman knights and in the third crusade?

Can you do a study and presentation on First Crusade swords like the one just found in Israel…? I always wondered about how ponderous they look for one-handed designs and theorize that they must be a sort of evolution of Viking swordsmanship with the large kite-shaped body shield - either used like an axe with a revolving cut and rested on the shoulder, or locked with the shield and/or boss for angled thrusts or ramming attacks. The arming sword and kite shield seemed to shrink with heavier armour.

The common wealth used the Brodie helm well into the 70s in mk3 variant, sallet still in influence, it was used for the American M1 Stalhelm of the Germans, and in the 80s the Kevlar PASGT and now the MICH helmets all use the sallet influence

10:22 I like these helmets a lot. They look a lot like Zunari Kabuto. I wonder where these specimens were found.

Where is part 2?

Part 2? Please?

Let us not forget the noble cooking pot. Truly a wonderful helmet in its own right, and also one of the only ones I can afford right now.

Awesome! These types of videos are extremely interesting indeed.

Whatever happened to part two? I’m I just missing it?

I suspect that few surviving helms exist because they were reused so often. In combat I'm only gonna take what is harder for me to obtain. In the US today, rifles and body armor are available everywhere, but helmets are expensive and less common. I suspect this was the case back then too. If civil war broke out today, machine guns and helmets would be high on my list to pick up from the dead.

Did you ever make a part 2?

I've gotta say, aesthetically nothing beats flat top great helmets and korinthian helmets if we look outside the middle ages!

Completely Brilliant! Well done you!

awesome, i really enjoyed this video!

Hi Matt, may I suggest a topic for another of your great vids: the evolution and fading away of the body armour in 17-18 centuries. I was suprised to find paintings with nobles still in armour in the mid-18th century. I wonder if it remained purely as an art-cum-PR gimmick or was actually used in combat.

you ever going to get on to part 2?

Hell yea, now this is the type of content I'm subscribed for.

I wonder if Matt could mention something about the 'Phrygian' style of 'Norman' spangenhelm that is depicted in many 12th Century sculptures and images? Rarely seen in movies or reenactment (though I recall Charlton Heston wore one in Schaffner's 'The War Lord')!? I think this feature was resurrected in the Renaissance with the 'pear-stalk cabasset' helmet? Was it purely ornamental/pseudo-Classical, or functional? A good look. PS: I see some sites are referring to this as an 'Italo-Norman' helmet.

"The art is untrustworthy". Agreed, Matt.

part two?

Is there a part 2? can't seem to find it...

I just watched Hogfather and noticed two members of the Guard ("police" of Ankh-Morpork) wearing oddly familiar helmets- iron hats! Not that places, people and events on the Discworld in any way resemble those on the real Earth...

Still no part 2?

Damn, I love helmets!

Did helmets usually have chin straps to secure them to the head? Some artwork depicts them with straps, but some art does not show them. If they did use them, was it standard or uncommon?

Where is second part?

Hi Matt good video but I have been noticing that your videos often exclude Iberia. For example your video on polearms and this one on helmets. While not necessarily apart from the rest of western europe it did have interesting variation on designs, for example use more conical great helms.

Unrelated comment but anyone know anything about the norman/crusader sword replica featured in the replica vs antiques video? Thanks in advance.

I don't know if I've seen a Medieval battlle axe with a haft that short, that has to for sure be under 16". I say that knowing the francisca was generally quite short hafted, but that's certainly a migration period weapon.

Can you talk about hydration on the battlefield throughout history? Did it happen? I've never seen a film portray it. I image the Romans would have regularized it.

Carolingians comes from one of the names of Charlemagne, Carolus Magmus, he was also known as Charles Martel

My favourite is the Mamluk Mighfar helm

This Matt guy really has a head for helmets

Just today i got into reading about medieval equipement, this video came as a nice surprise

Wheres part 2 ?

Were there any armourers especially known for their helmets?

To protect the cheek or not to protect the cheek that is the question....... Seriously though, why did cheek protection repeatedly fall in and out of favor?

Great video, but I am not sure if the Helmet is the most important pice of armour. Especially at that time, I think shields were more common than helmets in the first centuries after the fall of the western roman empire.

What happened to part 2??

but how close to the head did they fit?

Why wear a good helm, when you can wear a Great Helm!!