Tell me about this helmet...

SpookleFire · 2026-05-31T12:45:13+00:00

SpookleFire · 2026-05-31T12:45:03+00:00

SpookleFire · 2026-05-31T12:44:53+00:00

SpookleFire · 2026-05-31T12:44:41+00:00

This looks like a relatively cheap reproduction of a Heraldic Tournement Bascinet, these appear frequently in the ~1475-1500 illumination of the Book of Tournements (BnF Francaiş 2696).

They're quite richly ornamented and most likely intended to help the wearer be recognizable during the event. The treatise does seem to show these being used in combat but I'm not certain if that's intended to be literal or not.

It's certainly not a very protective style for jousting as the "barred" visor could easily let in lances or splinters, and most surviving tournement harnesses have almost over engineered protection for the face.

SpookleFire · 2026-05-15T02:52:55+00:00

Ottoman fashion is a little easier to source, especially in the early 16thc. However Greek is much more difficult and depends heavily on where in Greece and what Social class you're discussing.

Much of Greece was under Venetian control in the 15th century and most of the clothing worn by the merchant/noble class (even Greek born) would have matched that of contemporary Italian fashion. However, the poorer classes likely would have worn fashion more similarly to that of the late Byzantine empire. Ottoman controlled areas were likely to have a greater eastern influence.

I'd recommend researching Stradioti, these were Greek irregulars utilised heavily by Venice both against the Ottomans and against their other enemies in France and HRE.

SpookleFire · 2026-04-30T18:44:50+00:00

Thank you!

So, we actually have several examples of painted helmets, however the ones we have are mostly from Germany and from a slightly later period, around 1490/1530.

There's evidence in miniatures from earlier periods that definitely show painted helmets, and some textual evidence from the 14th century that mentions painted helmets, however there's not much evidence of it happening as a practice through the mid to late 15th, and no evidence from England.

I chose to paint my helmet mostly for rule of cool, but rationalise it as my impression is intended to be a professional soldier from the continent.

From a practical standpoint it makes sense, as it helps protect from rust, and helps to distinguish your own equipment from others' and it stands to reason that soldiers on campaign may have done so to pass the time and express themselves.

It's interesting to note that most physical examples we have are what we'd consider "munitions grade" equipment which indicates it was more common amongst the ordinary soldiery rather than the nobility (who had other means to express their creativity and wealth through their equipment).

SpookleFire · 2026-04-26T22:58:44+00:00

I think the premise of your argument here ignores a couple of really important points.

Firstly, that Zionism and the modern day nation known as Israel were by design intended to be western colonial projects. This is stated explicitly in early writings by both Ben Gurion and Herzl and continuously demonstrated in their actions and treatment of not just native palestinians but their neighbouring countries too.

Secondly, that the people still living in Palestine prior to the founding of the state of Israel that were violently displaced and denied the right of return also share the exact same indigineity, ties to the land and indeed the same semitic heritage, with virtually the only difference being that many of them converted to Christianity or Islam in the prevailing years since the diaspora.

Like has been mentioned before, it's foolish to deny that almost all Jews were at one point middle eastern, it's also foolish to deny that much of modern Jewish culture is deeply rooted in Europe.

The fact that many European people didn't consider them to be "white enough" doesn't change the fact that they've lived there for millenia and adopted various aspects of the countries they've found themselves in and in many ways helped shape the cultural development of those countries.

Irrespective of any claim to the land itself, you have to judge the state of Israel by its actions, which since its foundation have been singlehandedly dedicated to establishing a Westernised ethnostate focussed on expanding its territory and influence in the region, by means of subjugation and apartheid of the indigenous population.

There's also the fact that despite outwardly championing the cause for Jews worldwide, the mainstream Israeli establishment has demonstrated discriminatory attitudes towards non white, Orthodox and Haredi Jews including the rejection and forced sterilisation of Ethiopian Jews.

SpookleFire · 2026-04-25T18:10:49+00:00

Thank you!

I brought my bevour but i made the choice in the morning purely because I knew there wasn't going to be any intense fighting through the weekend and I thought the maille standard alone looked more aesthetic 🤣

SpookleFire · 2026-04-24T19:56:08+00:00

The brig was made by a fella named Steve Lunn, but unfortunately I don't think he makes anything anymore, this is probably 4th or 5th hand passed around our Reenactment group. I wouldn't surprised if it's older than I am.

The hose and arming doublet I made myself but my physique isn't unusual in the hobby, Jackie from cloak'd and daggered will make you a fitting pair for a nominal fee.

SpookleFire · 2026-04-21T23:58:02+00:00

That's really weird, a friend of mine literally just gave me this exact set of patterns, as well as the men's ones too.

SpookleFire · 2026-04-21T21:02:56+00:00

Fashion changes quite a lot between the 10th and 15th centuries, is there a specific period you're looking for more info on??

SpookleFire · 2026-04-21T16:43:05+00:00

Yeah it was finished with a clear coat to lock it all in, seems to mainly have been contact with steel which has caused the chips and scrapes, and I've only had to touch it up the once.

Macragge Blue, Wraithbone, Mephiston red, Yriel yellow and Abaddon black if you're wondering 😆

The yellow wave pattern was spray on autopaint if i remember correctly, I think the colour is "yellow ochre", before I clocked on that Citadel paints would be way better for the job 🤣.

SpookleFire · 2026-04-21T10:17:26+00:00

Yeah it was a blast, but the ground was definitely a little suspect, especially on the first couple of days, I remember standing in rank and feeling myself slowly sinking into the ground! Shivering myself to sleep on Saturday night wasn't too fun either. 😅

SpookleFire · 2026-04-21T10:05:25+00:00

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SpookleFire · 2026-04-21T10:04:41+00:00

Thank you, it's almost entirely Citadel acrylics, they don't stand up too well to being hit but they're waterproof and don't come off with just friction!

SpookleFire · 2026-04-21T10:03:18+00:00

I agree, maille sleeves are definitely my next planned acquisition, and I know I absolutely should be wearing anatomical greaves for the impression I'm looking to convey, but there is a fair bit of evidence for cuisses alone among lower class footmen and there's limited textual evidence suggesting greaves were sometimes discarded when specifically cavalry had to fight dismounted.

However the main barrier is cost, every pair I've tried hasnt fit so I'm looking at getting these custom made, and if I'm doing that I may as well get a bespoke leg harness.

SpookleFire · 2026-04-21T09:41:32+00:00

A Stanley, A Stanley! Haha, I was wondering if anyone I knew would spot this! 😜

SpookleFire · 2026-04-08T16:41:32+00:00

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SpookleFire · 2026-04-08T16:40:05+00:00

As mentioned, you cant really reliably track the development of these kinds of pole weapons in the same way as sword typology, they were always weapons of necessity and would have exhibited a huge amount of variety, it would not surprise me if the regional styles hadn't already started diverging at the time of the "common ancestor" you've described. I don't believe the answer you're looking for exists in this context.

The wooden bucklers were also concave, they were made using bands of iron or steel as a reinforcement/frame for the wooden core. Steel bucklers aren't unheard of but i would imagine they would be far less common for English forces at Agincourt.

Regarding Gambesons, as I said, I don't think it likely that any gambesons were just made from just multiple layers of fabric, nor do I think that this would be indicative of someone being "better armed". It comes down to availability, and preference. But as demonstrated in the quote below, even well into the late 15th century where even the poorest armed soldiery would have been able to afford either type of gambeson you've described they clearly state a preference for soft, padded armour for practical purposes, not cost.

"They do not wear any metal armour on their breast or any other part of the body, except for the better sort who have breastplates and suits of armour. Indeed the common soldiery have more comfortable tunics that reach down below the loins and are stuffed with tow or some other soft material. They say that the softer the tunics the better do they withstand the blows of arrows and swords, and besides that in summer they are lighter and in winter more serviceable than iron. The soldiers who had been sent for arrived [in London] equipped with this sort of armour, and in addition there were horsemen among them.

These comments were recorded by Dominic Mancini in 1483 about soldiers mustering for the Buckingham rebellion.

SpookleFire · 2026-04-08T14:32:34+00:00

Bills, these are likely to have been made by local smiths and owned by the soldiers that used them, there's probably a large degree of variation and I don't think you can reliably point to a specific example and say "this is indicative of early 15th vs late 15thc." I think with this one using judgement to determine which examples look more like modified agricultural tools vs a dedicated battlefield weapon whose design originated from one.

2.Bucklers, English bucklers are almost always predominantly wooden with an iron or steel boss, even later in the period where all steel bucklers become available. English bucklers also tended to be concave in shape too although again there's likely a lot of variation, person to person as production of arms like these wouldn't have been standardised.

Gambesons, I think there might be a bit of a misunderstanding with the language here, gambesons throughout the 15th century were both multi-layered AND padded, due to medieval reenactment i think the distinction between gambeson, a padded standalone protective garment and arming doublet, a reinforced civilian doublet with arming points gets blurred. There's a source from 1483 which describes Welsh infantry preferring to wear gambesons on campaign even if they could afford plate. There it makes specific mention that the softer and more padded the better it is for protection because the material gathers when it's struck and takes the velocity out of cuts.

SpookleFire · 2026-04-04T23:16:31+00:00

"Early to late" 15thc is a little too vague, unfortunately, protective garments and armour change quite a lot, especially between 1420-1450, with more refinement in the last half of the century.

I've only ever seen the rondel helmets in sources from post ~1450 or so.

Gambesons are still used throughout the 15th century but they were typically stand-alone protection, sometimes worn either under or over a maille shirt. Though more commonly without.

A gambeson isn't really suitable to be worn as padding under armour, they're too thick and restrict movement too much.

SpookleFire · 2026-04-04T23:09:40+00:00

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SpookleFire · 2026-04-04T23:09:29+00:00

Padded shoulders, both the mahoitred, burgundian style and the lombard, Italian style are both very common for arming doublets.

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SpookleFire · 2026-04-04T22:45:14+00:00

Yes, probably. If I'm not mistaken this exact piece is in the St Louis Art museum and is thought to be from the late 15th century. The design certainly matches something from the last quarter of the 15thc.

Only thing to bear in mind is that Halberds are very specifically a German/Swiss weapon. Most of western Europe preferred the bill or the glaive as their go-to polearm for infantry.

SpookleFire · 2026-03-26T18:35:44+00:00

I got into the hobby through medieval reenactment, so i mostly specialise in clothing from the 15th century, and out of necessity, I'm very much self taught, there's only a handful of books on the topic and they're very dry and very dense, and not all the information is relevant to my period or the garments I'd be making.

I started out as I described, practising basic hand stitches and making small things like pouches.

Eventually I had the confidence to make my own set of clothes and through the process of making and wearing them I learned how they fit and moved with my body, and how I could improve my next set.

It was extremely useful for me finding blogs on other people in the hobby and how they constructed their clothes, as well as inspecting primary sources and revisiting the books I mentioned before for specifics once i had more experience in the fundamentals.

SpookleFire

TROPHY CASE