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vitalis

vitalis

@vitalis@dirtyknight.life remote
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after becoming good friends with someone I had met at the armored tournament event I went to a couple of weeks back, I became inspired to build an armor kit similar to his, which is a late 13thC / early 14thC kit featuring the great helm (or what most people would recognize as the classic “crusader” barrel helm).

I went down the historical rabbit hole of researching the great helm and found that at the peak of its usage by knights, the helm was mostly worn with just chainmail. however, there is a very brief transitionary period during the mid 14thC where people did in fact wear the great helm with plate armor. I think it looks super cool! but the window of time where this happened is so narrow that when I bring up my desire to wear the great helm for historical armored fighting, I have encountered several people who basically scoffed to my face the idea of wearing one in a match against more popular helm styles seen during the Hundred Years War, such as the visored bascinet like a hounskull helm.

anyways, I have decided to ignore the haters. I just bought 2 great helms, one of which I am expecting to receive today. will share some pics of my new great helm after unboxing it :crusade:

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7
Replying to @vitalis@dirtyknight.life
Replying to @vitalis@dirtyknight.life
retvrntoteench

retvrntoteench

@grabenspaten@nicecrew.digital remote
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Kinda want a 13th century set of mail with a coat of plates and great helm myself. I think people forget that armor was expensive af so some people would have worn what they had if they couldn’t buy a man’s entire year of paid labor every time someone comes out with something new. pretty sure people wore bascinets under great helms initially as well?

Replying to @vii@dsmc.space
vitalis

vitalis

@vitalis@dirtyknight.life remote
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the problem is that it was too easy to overheat while wearing the great helm because typically one would also be wearing a chainmail coif and small dome cap helmet underneath. the development of the complex bascinet meant that it was so much easier to just lift the visor to cool off and get fresh air.

usually if someone was rocking the great helm during the 14th century, it was either for tournament competition or because you couldn’t afford a fancy bascinet on the battlefield so you basically wore two helms instead (pic attached shows the helm worn underneath the great helm)
Replying to @grabenspaten@nicecrew.digital
vitalis

vitalis

@vitalis@dirtyknight.life remote
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yep! while early style great helms (you can tell if it has a flat top) was worn with just a maille coif and a steel skull cap, the later 14thC style great helms with the more pronounce dome top was worn over a simple bascinet

vitalis

vitalis

@vitalis@dirtyknight.life remote
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I have visited my local SCA a few times and they are super fun people! though I admit I had a hard time taking their fighting seriously because they don’t have as much of a focus on practicing from historical fighting manuals like HEMA does. The shag carpet armor sounds hilarious 😂 I think that is what I do appreciate about the SCA, that they don’t take it so serious about stuff being anachronistic and not historical as long as people are having fun. I would love to experience Pennsic one day even if the SCA is not really my cup of tea.

Replying to @vitalis@dirtyknight.life
Replying to @vitalis@dirtyknight.life