I think great helms where aniques by 1403, like 213 said basicnets where common.
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You sorta had this inbetween helmet type which would be great for diversity.
http://steel-mastery.com/images/products/full/for%20website-8.jpg
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Hi there!
according to my knowledge great helmet became kind of obsolete during the 14th century. However it remained popular as a tournament headgear. There are several other types of helmets that were worn during 14th/15th century.
Eisenhut / Kettle hat / Galeum / Pilleum / Kapalín
Often worn by infantry, but not exclusively. It was probably much cheaper than other types of helmets due to its relatively simple construction. It came in different shapes from flattops that really looked like contemporary hats to bellshaped ones.
Macejowski bible (1290) - Several eisenhut shapes
http://livinghistory.cz/node/85
*Article about iron hats in czech, but with lot of graphical content 
*
Bekcenhaube / Bascinet / Šlap
Bascinet relativaly follows the shape of human skull. It protects ears and the top is either round or coned shaped.
The protection capability provided by bascinet could be relativaly easily extended by adding chainmail aventail.
Furthermore by adding visor to this helmet created klapvisor bascinet. Again the shapes and ways to attach visor varied.
Hounskull / Hundsgugel / Psí nos
Bascinet with visor of a very specific shape. Resemblance with dog head gave this type its specific name.
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Great helms did exist in this era and for another decade or two (Henry V of England had a beautiful one) but they had no place on the battlefield anymore and were strictly used in sport jousting. In 1403 they 100% would not be worn by soldiers.
The steel mastery helmet above is based on an Italian carving from the 1340’s and so is in armour terms at least 3 of generations of fighting man removed from the era of the game. It’s too old a style and would, like the greathelm, no longer be worn by soldiers on the battle field in 1403.
Bascinets are the major helmet of this era and probably 75% of all helmets worn by professional fighting men in this time frame would have worn one. Within the era that Bascinets were common place (approx 1340 to 1430 as a very rough time frame) the shape and style changed usually and we should be careful which ones are modeled. At the end of the 14th and into the early 15th century the most common European style was the one with the high swept back point rather than the more rounded sort. In eastern Europe the ‘onion top’ style was still being used as an interesting local type. The visor would have almost universally been a variation of the houndskull style and would be mounted to the SIDES of the helm and not in the old fashioned central ‘Klappvisor’ style. A maille aventail would be attached all around and sit up as high as the bottom lip at the front and at this time a neck guard could being to be attached as the bascinet starts to evolve towards the grandbascinet style with it’s solid next protection. The correct style of bascinet was the fighting helm of this era and that should be represented in the game.
Other styles are of helm did exist but were less common and therefor harder to typify. Several styles of wide brimmed ‘kettle helms’ are shown frequently including one which is has the same skull profile as the bascinet above but with a wide brim which sweeps out to a point at the front (there’s a beautiful surviving example in paris). Helmets worn by the lowest ranks were the most varied with everything from disks or square lames attached to a felt or leather cap beneath to simple iron or steel domed caps worn with padding under it.
Fashions were a major part of armour for all but the lowest ranks and armour styles evolved constantly with distinct styles appearing almost decade by decade. If the game can find a way to reflect this accurately it will really help to set it in 1403 and help create the immersion I hope they achieve!
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All these glorious helmets!
It wold be so funny if they add helmets with very limited vision but who would use them regularly in game? There could be visors that the player can open and close like in ‘war of the roses’. I just re-watched a trailer there don’t seem to be great helmets, not even horned ones for the Teutons, (would be silly in combat) but lot’s of kettle hats/eisenhüte, bascinets and mail.
Sorry this is off-topic but you seem to be the right crowd:
I wached vikings s02e09 yesterday and noticed that half the anglosaxons suddenly use this helm design in this episode.
That doesn’t look like any anglosaxon helmet I’ve ever seen is it a roman design, are they out of place?
That looks an awful lot like a Burgonet.
The metal comb and flexible cheek pieces all point to that. While the episode was awesome the helmet seems to me like it’s 700 years early. That said while Vikings is an awesome show it’s not 100% accurate. Ragnar and King Horik are reputed to have been the same person and Ragnars “brother” Rollo lived some 120 years after his death.
I don’t expect a series based on a saga about a legendary ruler (as oppose to historical) to tell me only what is historically proofed/correct but it should at least attempt to make it plausible. I had already trouble look past how all norse are portrait as zealots but at least it serves the narrative. But using random helmets is very in your face and could so easily be avoided (no helmets?). Bad enough that all the anglsaxons wear a ‘uniform’ that is the same even in different kingdoms.
To get back on topic, good thing warhorse won’t face the problem of running out of accurate helmets (they probably won’t use arma combat helm models : - ). And we probably also don’t have to worry about soldiers being in ‘uniforms’ because there clothing system allows for lot’s of variety.
I believe only 4 different helmets from that period of Angelo-Saxon England have been recovered and only 1 viking helmet. I excuse them for taking some liberty with helm design because there are so view historical examples but they could have remained a little more true to those historical ones.
Sure the helmets don’t all need to be replicas of originals. (Edit: Brythonic, Goidelic or Frankish designs of the period would offer lot’s of plausible options) I assume they already had those helmets and used them because it is was convenient and i get that mass producing the same armor is cheaper than making lots of variations. But i think soldiers in ‘uniforms’ represent decentralized feudal states and their production methods very badly. Same thing in Game of Thrones where they make it look like all the Northerners are one united centralized faction by giving them almost all the same armor.
Wouldn’t it be cool if you could put your (mail) hoods on and off (hanging down)? Could be an interesting stealth feature.
nah, guys, that helmet design is way off base and pathetically so. all 4 viking helms looked similar, so it goes without saying their production helms should look like that.
I wish the English had variations of the Sutton Hoo helmet 
It would be a bit to fancy for common soldiers but Ælla and Egbert really shouldn’t
wear crown’s to battle, variations of the Sutton Hoo helmet would be more appropriate. They should have Diadem at court sure but not the kind of crown Ælla is a runing around with all day.
Again sorry for highjacking the thread. We should open up a new one. I’ll edit in a link if i do.
noticed that too. Just more evidence that Vikings have very very little to do with actually history.
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As I was reading Kazak’s post about great helms being obsolete but yet still popular as tournament headgear at the time of the game, it made me think, how cool would such a grand tournament setting be in this game! Imagine dawning lavishly fancy yet impractical armor to entertain the masses and woo maidens. Pump up the masses, boast challenges, and taunt other tournament knights with some fancy swordplay! If such a setting/event/quest is not available upon the game’s release… may I suggest that would make an excellent DLC for later!
you must have forgotten that there’s a civil war going on
quality necro my dude
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Resurrection spell. Burn him!
