Anatomy of a Sallet

A look inside the sallet, illustrated and animated by Ian LaSpina (Knyght Errant)
Support the Channel - / knyghterrant
Facebook - / knyghterrant
Pinterest - / knyghterrant
Website - knyghterrant.com
Music - Public Domain
Saltarello
Performed by Jon Sayles

[@TheOneAndOnlyLewis]

Great for artists trying to understand armour. Thanks!

[@hugobrito5679]

I agree! finally i can understan the proportions of the helmet way better

[@arpioisme]

my favourite type of helmet...

[@shrekas2966]

rahadian panji oki late 15th century fuckboi starter gear: sallet

[@MsFrostitute]

Shrekas 2 you again. Why don't you leave people alone

[@Nomadsword]

This wasn't about salads at all...

[@paweandonisgawralidisdobrz2522]

In polish this helmet is called Salada

[@porygonyt8014]

@@paweandonisgawralidisdobrz2522 In Japanese, that's exactly how you say 'salad'. ’サラダ’ lol

[@Tullio238]

I like it, clear and concise, not condescending

[@louiswilliamson2191]

As someone who loves to draw armour, this video is very useful - more like this please!

[@JafuetTheSame]

yeah. saltarello for the sallets! you took my note about the music in the previous video seriously :) would like to do another thumb up for the music!

[@KnyghtErrant]

It was one of the few performances of real medieval music I could find that wouldn't get me into copyright problems :)

[@cerocero2817]

I can't thank you enough for your work. This will help me so much. I´m working to become a 3d designer and animator, and as an armour lover (in fact i´m a blacksmith apprentice and i spect to become an armourer) i will try to represent armour in a completely realistic and coherent way in my art.

[@christopheresquire947]

can you give me a discount when you make my armour? ;)

[@nathangehman7018]

I started this video and walked away expecting to be audibly educated on the anatomy of the sallet while I hung up my clothes to dry. Little did I know I was about to listen to best medieval performance I would ever hear!

[@MRKapcer13]

I was in London about a week ago, so I visited the Wallace collection, and had the opportunity to see the few munitions grade sallets that they have there, including the rather famous painted sallet. It was awesome!

[@comradecracker447]

Thank you

[@TheSeanoops]

Ian. I just wanted to let you know that I used the resources you posted on your website such as the databases of medieval effigies and manuscripts for a project in my history class this semester, thank you; they really helped.

[@KnyghtErrant]

Awesome! Glad to hear they were useful for you!

[@marcodatreviso9619]

Sallets and Saltarello...what more can a man ask for, great video thanks for the remarkable information!

[@neilwilson5785]

Another minimalist classic! Thanks.

[@Thatsme849]

Loved the music

[@nicholoscaudillo]

Bravo!!! The animations and the captioning is outstanding. You should make a digital treatise like this!! I would buy such a book.

[@Ranlac_the_Black]

Thank you! It was a pleasure to watch this!

[@PhillipPSee]

The internet needs more of this!

[@Riceball01]

Great video, as always. The sallet has always been one of my favorite types of helmets, I like the look of the close sallet but I would want it with an articulated tail and full visor.

[@baddgerpaw]

For me I I'd have to say the same lmao. Plus a normal bevor. That's mainly a vanity tho.

[@Riceball01]

I kind of like the ones with the breaths, I not only like it because of the way they look but it seems very practical as well.

[@baddgerpaw]

Riceball01 I don't like the look. But I would have it for the practicality.

[@MikeKnell2884]

Absolutely wonderful. Your channel is a treasure to behold and cherish for armor enthusiasts.

[@KnyghtErrant]

Thank you sir.

[@MikeKnell2884]

@Knyght Errant No good sir, thank you for the content you make.

[@74Grimlin]

Very nice illustrations and animations. You continue to impress, Ian.

[@elenna_alexia]

Fantastic video, thanks for putting all this work into your content.

[@KnyghtErrant]

Thank you very much, it's my pleasure!

[@IlkkaVuoristo]

A really great video! Seeing actual helmets (or other parts of armour) is great, but sometimes the intricate details of how they move can't be shown easily, because steel. An animation like this is an excellent alternative. Thank you!

[@namelessgoon146]

Being an artist, I don't think I could thank you enough, Ian. This is incredibly helpful and furthers the accuracy in my works.

[@namelessgoon146]

Also, at the moment I wrote this, the video had 420 views.

[@beegum1]

I appreciate your willingness to make or purchase original artwork and share it for these historical depictions.

[@KnyghtErrant]

Thanks, I've found that some things I want to explain are more easily shown if I just draw what's going on rather than simply trying to say it. This is especially the case when even photographs or an actual object still make it difficult for me to show you.

[@TheDragorin]

couldve done with contrasting italian/swiss/german/and german black sallets. and w/e other major styles may have existed.

[@lakewooded]

Damn! Brilliantly done . . . More, sir. Please.

[@kaj9245]

Thank you for the video. I really have always liked the sallet helmet and it is really nice to see someone else appreciate it. Thank you again for well made video.

[@shrekas2966]

ah saltarello, my favourite medieval music.

[@jacksonguillory8114]

It's salterello Il

[@TheMiggel80]

Your videos are some of the best on youtube, always impressed.

[@garethlamb6923]

Beautiful work

[@231170maxo]

Thansk for sharing....is great...

[@gabrielolmedo6155]

damn, I love Saltarello II.

[@jacksonguillory8114]

Ah, yes a man of Q U A L I T Y

[@AidanBlake]

Excellent break down of this helmet!

[@alexandarvoncarsteinzarovi3723]

My second favorite helmet following the Armet & Barbute, my thanks for posting this

[@Warden_Vtel]

Gotta love that music

[@Chroma710]

Very good video. Also a very good background song.Can't get it out of my head now.

[@jacksonguillory8114]

Salterello Il

[@TheDuster75]

Nice videos, Knyght Errant. I really enjoy them and look forward to more in the future. Very educational and informative.

[@TheSillyPiglet]

This is very good. That's all I can say about this. It's very good. Well done sir.

[@KimmoKM]

All I can say is "this".

[@Tymdek]

As always, excellent video.

[@TheLordArion]

That was a really nice format for a video

[@archangelrsr1326]

Thanks for this awesome video! For my personal "re-enactment-set" of a late medieval german mercernary (sort of a protolandsknecht) I'm plannig to acquire a sallet and this video will help me on picking a "historical" one

[@Sadeyr]

Very detailed and informative video, I really enjoyed it.

[@helgedergesegnete3395]

Wonderfull ! Thank you for your hard work ! A question i wanted to ask , what do you think about maximilian armor ( german Riefelharnisch ) do you like this type ? Would you do a video about it ?

[@KnyghtErrant]

I personally don't find it very appealing, but that doesn't mean I don't want to cover it. It's just a little bit later than the main focus of my channel, but still something I'd like to talk about in the future.

[@helgedergesegnete3395]

Knyght Errant Thank you for the answer looking forward to your content (every content not just my question ) .

[@xinfinity8532]

+Knight Errant may you pls do an analyzis of the Norman mask helmet

[@nodosa994]

An excellent video about an excellent helmet. What more can you ask for!? Perhaps one on Barbute like the one i am wearing??

[@Scifi_Centaur]

This is awesome thank you!! Really helpful artistic reference!

[@MsFrostitute]

Thank you very much for this video my friend. It's absolutely perfect, along with the music! I plan to purchase a XV Century German Sallet with Bevor, and now I know the variations thanks to you

[@starwolf2125]

that's some useful detail right there! thanks for this!

[@KryllKiller]

This is really helping me plan my hard kit. Thanks.

[@kevinlobos5519]

This was excellent, just wonderfull, i hope you make more of these in the future featuring other armor pieces. Your channel is awesome, keep it up!

[@concibar4267]

My favourite style of helmets :) And now YOU made me unsure which type of Sallet I like^^ Damn Knyght teaching me stuff :P

[@DRGTLSSNDR]

Gorgeous!

[@CarnelianUK]

Lovely artwork, and very appropriate music. I think if I was going to buy a sallet, it would be an italian style full-visored one, but with an articulated bevor, because that seems like a good combination protectively, but it's also aesthetically pleasing and isn't too restrictive.

[@CreativeUsernameHere-r1k]

Huh, I always tought that ww2 helmets seemed a lot too similar to Sallets witouth bevors and visors... and lo ajd behold they are indeed just the most recent german sallets Xd

[@Jonas27755]

very good please more

[@cyrilgigee4630]

This has style.

[@paulandsueroberts4121]

Look forward to more interesting content in 2017........best wishes for the new year.

[@verfugbarkite]

That was excellent.

[@klyanadkmorr]

NICE WORK. Informative.

[@TheCrusader1099]

wow! this was amazing and put together very Well! loved it! i saw a couple original Schaller helmets here in Germany a while ago! greets from Solingen ,Sir!

[@KnyghtErrant]

Thank you!

[@jusdandav]

fantastic!

[@charlieb4604]

Wow, this is fantastic! Your videos are absolutely essential viewing for someone trying to understand armour and how it works. This animation just makes things better! A question about bevors - Did all bevors come down to cover the top of the breastplate? Were there smaller ones that allowed move movement? I'm thinking if they were strapped to the neck, how you move your head sideways must be somewhat limited if they come down over the breastplate, and I know they were often strapped to the breastplate (or plackart?). Would they prevent you from say, looking over your shoulder, and would the smaller ones I am envisaging allow you to do this more easily?

[@KnyghtErrant]

I can't think of any examples that didn't overlap with the breastplate (that was one of their primary functions), but you still get a little movement inside of it. It doesn't necessarily lock your chin straight ahead, even being strapped around the back of the neck.

[@andrewsuryali8540]

Hi Ian, this is an awesome overview of the sallet and its variations. Thank you very much for this presentation. A few questions though: 1. In your sallet videos and this overview, the bevor is detached from the breastplate, unlike in later examples where they are attached by staple. In the case of a detached bevor, what is actually preventing the bevor from being shoved against the chin and neck by a lance thrust? I'm asking this because I thought the bevor here serves the same function as that used with the great bascinet, but in the GB the visor serves as a structural barrier. Nothing seems to be holding back the bevor in the case of the sallet. 2. In your sallet videos, when you try to turn your head with bevor attached and visor down, the bevor prevents head rotation, which I interpret as meaning that it locks in your chin, preventing it from moving through its full normal range. However, I've also seen reenactments where the sallet can turn sideways with the bevor staying put, suggesting that there is sufficient room inside the bevor for the chin to move through its normal range of motion. Which is the correct reproduction or are both versions correct? 3. Er, how do you put on the 15th c. closed sallet? Your animation shows that there is a stage in closing the bevor piece where the chin protrudes outside the bevor. Looking at the real example, it appears that the shape of its bevor would also cause this kind of problem. Thanks beforehand for any explanation you can give to help me understand the sallet mechanism. Oh, BTW, question 3 reminds me... what do you think about Ugo Serrano's sallet-armets? Are they Frankenarmor?

[@exploatores]

My gues on the first is that, with the lineing of the bevor, the force of the Lance blow is spread over the area the bevor covers and wont hurt you that mutch. with out a bevor the same Lance hit will kill you.

[@KnyghtErrant]

1. I suppose it would prevent the bevor from being shoved into the throat. There would still in many cases be an additional mail standard worn under the bevor as well, but not in all cases, but that may only provide a light layer of additional protection from a well-intentioned lance strike. I don't think this makes the bevor ineffective without rigid coupling to the breastplate though, but it is a possible vulnerability and may be a contributing factor to why the strap or staple was developed. 2. I'm afraid I don't have enough personal experience with wearing sallets to give you an informed opinion. The small amount of time I've spent in one gave me a little motion within the bevor that it definitely was not locking my chin into a forward position. Strapping or stapling the bevor to the breastplate would in my opinion put a greater limitation on rotation of the head with the bevor in an uncollapsed position or with the sallet lowered into position, or both. 3. The real helmet would not be static as you put it on. Simply tilting it to the rear a little bit would allow you to clear your chin as you lowered the bevor into position. That being said, when you superimpose the surviving Helmschmied close sallet designed for Max I over any human form that has a 'normal' sized chin, the bevor doesn't fit well. Max I must have had a very small chin. My friend, who had this helmet reproduced for himself had to have the bevor extended a little bit to accommodate his jaw.

[@andrewsuryali8540]

Thank you! EDIT: Hey, wait, so Max I didn't have the infamous Habsburg jaw? Kinda ironic if he had the opposite given what we see only 2 generations later in Charlie V.

[@KnyghtErrant]

Not if he wanted to fit into that sallet... :) (images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/aa/web-large/29.156.45_004AA2015.jpg)

[@martshearer498]

You forgot the various crests and banners on top, or plume holders to really add bling.

[@stealth4health304]

This is great! Thanks!

[@Slava22222]

Thanks for the information. Now much easier to understand the differences. What is your preferable and why? What is the advantage in close sallet compared to Italian style full visor?

[@KnyghtErrant]

A close sallet cannot open a gap between the bevor and visor like a standard sallet and separate bevor can.

[@moretar]

Excellent

[@DaJaVueUltra]

Amazing video

[@richardfry5991]

Love it

[@zuupcat]

Awesome overview Ian! Are you planning more videos of this kind?

[@KnyghtErrant]

I enjoy making on them, so if people enjoy watching them I will continue. They are a lot of work, so their future is somewhat dictated by the success of the current ones.

[@Tybrarian]

Very cool!

[@nikgaukroger5288]

Very nice even if you did leave out my personal favourite style - half visor with a brow plate :-)

[@baddgerpaw]

Is that what your profile pic is?

[@nikgaukroger5288]

It is. I have 2 of that style.

[@CIA-M]

awesome!

[@hedgetwentyfour2708]

Lovely, this has me wondering though: the English had both sallets and armets for the same person. Do any invertories show a knight having both a harness and a brigandine, the brigandine being for situations where manoeuvrability was perhaps prefereable.

[@Chaosism]

Exquisite presentation. :)

[@TheOhgodineedaname]

Beautifully done Ian! But why did the Germans prefer half visors instead of whole ones?

[@KnyghtErrant]

There are plenty of German sallets with full visors as well, it's not an absolute by any means, but I don't know why one would prefer a half visor to the full visor. I have very little practical experience with sallets.

[@foxknapp2199]

Ironically enough in ww1 the germans had a large plate that fitted in front of the m16 stalhelm and it look like the top of the full visor

[@TheKingOfJordan1]

Probably just cheaper to produce

[@rangerroy641]

That's an awesome video, though I find it strange that the bevor would only be secured by a single strap around the neck. Is it possible or do you know of any examples of bevors with a more substantial system of straps to secure it to the neck and lower face? thank you for the videos they're awesome.

[@KnyghtErrant]

Some later bevors strapped down to the breastplate, and some even used a mechanical staple, locking it to the breastplate (kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqTWoKWii72mrJYm5s) . Some bevors also included mail around the back of the neck. There was simply no way I could fit all the variation in a decent sized video, but I do have about 35 minutes of information on sallets in 2 other videos on the channel that cover much more detail.

[@rangerroy641]

I saw those videos they're great also, thanks for the reply.

[@Miralis-ml7ig]

Armet next? Loved this one :)

[@racerx600rr]

Very well executed sir. Now for the Armet? Or close helm?

[@Griede26]

came for content, stayed for the music lol

[@michaelcurl9200]

more anatomy videos please

[@roccoautelitano7330]

I hope you are going to do the same for close helmets

[@willek1335]

Hey. I hope you're doing well. A small fantasy theory related to the sallet. I recently rewatched the Lord of the Rings. The helmet of the Uruk-Hai have a uncanny resemblance to the sallet. Additionally. The NazGuhls plate, especially their sabatons look very much like a particular gothic armour in the Wallace Collection, of Sigismund. A Germanic flavour here? Historically, the way Germanic tribes in antiquity, as well as the viking Norsemen, were both described as almost like savaged and brutish. Seeing as the big bad guy, Melkor/Morgoth, originated from Angband, the furthest north is also poignant. The Germanic hordes descended upon the civilisations in the south. The norsemen descended upon the anglo-saxons in hordes from the north. Tolkien was never a fan of allegory, but to me, I believe there's a connection to my ancestors. It's awesome. xD Fare thy well.

[@hray2281]

Would an articulated bevor, not the neck plates but the part that would come up higher in the face have had a lining on the bottom chin part that has the pin on it? I am trying to make a model for a video game and want to be as accurate as possible on this detail? I would also assume that a bevor with breaths would not have a liner, haha.

[@kmpw]

Hey love the videos! Can u do a video on blued armor??

[@klavakkhazga3996]

Awesome video! How easy would it be to replace the liner back in the day? Can you remove the rivets? How?

[@KnyghtErrant]

Rivet replacement is pretty simple if you need to get the entire thing out.. They can be punched or drilled out and quickly replaced. Any smith, not even a specialized armorsmith, should be capable of that kind of task. It would be more difficult because of the cramped working area, but the liner can still be sewn to the leather strip without removing the leather strip from the helmet as well.

[@TrollDragomir]

You would cut and remove the thread that the liner is sewn to the leather strap with ;) you would then sew in a new liner, with no need to remove the leather strap.

[@maelstrrom2824]

I know the video says that the half-visor was the most prevalent configuration in the German style; does this mean that they also had full visors? There's a somewhat famous example of a 1480-90 German sallet from the (now-defunct) Higgins Armory Museum that features a full visor, but I'm not sure if it's frankenarmor or not. It seems to fit, going by the picture.

[@KnyghtErrant]

German style sallets used both full and half visors. They just seemed to prefer the half visor, but it's not a universal.

[@maelstrrom2824]

Knyght Errant Thanks for the reply! I thought that was the case, just wasn't sure if it was implied by the video or not.

[@danielmartin4596]

Love this, I must show some friends! Just occurred to me, would German WW2 era helmets be a version or evolution of a Sallet?

[@hjorturerlend]

Evolution? No, but likely inspired by it.

[@KnyghtErrant]

Yes, for all intents and purposes, the stahlhelm (and a lot of other modern era military helmets) are just modern incarnations of the sallet.

[@tummywubs5071]

I love this! I have always loved looking at armour and you definitely do a great job. Are you a professor in this by any chance?

[@KnyghtErrant]

Thank you. No, I am just an enthusiast.

[@tummywubs5071]

Well I can say you definitely can beat some of the historians out there at their game. Its always great to see one of your videos

[@Sabortooftigar]

music got slightly repetitive but I liked this new style of video. good work man

[@KnyghtErrant]

Finding authentic medieval music that's not a copyright protected performance is very difficult unfortunately. Finding such a performance that's even remotely close to the arbitrary length of a video... near impossible. :)

[@samwil0_9]

Thats nice and very instructive. Will you do it for other helmet like the armet for example ?

[@KnyghtErrant]

I've done it for the bascinet. If these videos do well I will continue to do them, but they take an incredible amount of work, so their future is predicated on their present success :)

[@samwil0_9]

Yes it's sure it take a lot of time.I respect you for that, you are doing great work.

[@aqui1ifer]

Very interesting; the german style (esspecially with the articulated tail) seems to harkon back to the old Roman Gallic type helms with the extended tail.

[@mattbrown5511]

Incredible choice of music. Is it yours, or where can I buy it?

[@pawenowicki5898]

Question: Wouldn't this style of helmet be especially vulnerable to a lucky lance or pike strike from below, following a bevor and underneath a visor considering how far the visor overlaps the bevor?

[@KnyghtErrant]

That's a possibility, and one reason the armet with wrapper may be a superior helmet specifically for cavalry use.

[@pawenowicki5898]

Thanks for an answer and for great content!

[@michaelwills1926]

Sallet is the coolest helmet in the inventory.

[@gabrielolmedo6155]

damn I love saltarello II?

[@tombird337]

Hi is it just me that would like a video on painted armour in medieval times ?

[@livonian]

Saltarello = very nice :)

[@melchaios]

nice video!! just for curiosity's sake Knyght, in a real battle what helmet would you prefer to wear? a sallet or an armet?

[@KnyghtErrant]

Armet. I don't particularly like sallets.

[@MrHusang23]

What's the point of the "close sallet"? As far as I see, the bevor can't move past the visor, so what do you gain by opening it and leaving it in front of your face? Or you've showed the movement that it can do in order to show that it's on the same pivet like the visor?

[@KnyghtErrant]

By placing the bevor on the same pivot as the visor, you eliminate the primary weakness of the sallet/bevor combination which is the giant gap that can form between the lower edge of the visor and the top of the bevor any time you move your head, exposing your face. The close sallet may have been primarily an invention for the joust, where that gap is especially dangerous.

[@MrHusang23]

Thank you:)

[@KnyghtErrant]

You're welcome. The other part is that if the bevor couldn't pivot forward, you wouldn't be able to put the helmet on since the bevor undercuts your chin. You'd never leave it in the forward position, it's just to aid getting it on and off.

[@drk5orp-655]

Nice job¡