Why Knights Stopped Wearing Bucket Helmets

The great helm is the most iconic helmet of the Middle Ages – a steel bucket that stopped lances and swords. So why did knights leave it at home? You couldn't see, you couldn't hear, and you could barely breathe. Here's how the bucket was replaced by the pig-faced bascinet, the armet and the sallet – and where it still lives on today. Museum photos: The Metropolitan Museum of Art (CC0), German Historical Museum Berlin and Helmet of St. Wenceslas (public domain). ⏱ CHAPTERS 0:00 The Bucket on Your Head 0:36 Before the Bucket: Hastings, 1066 1:03 How the Helmet Grew 1:28 Putting On a Great Helm 2:05 Problem 1: You Can't See 2:33 Problem 2: You Can't Hear 2:59 Problem 3: You Can't Breathe 3:36 Problem 4: The Flat Top 4:09 The Two-Helmet Trick 4:50 The Bascinet 5:04 The Pig-Faced Visor 5:54 Why the Bucket Lost 6:31 The Armet & the Sallet 7:00 Second Life: Tournaments 7:33 Second Life: Coats of Arms 7:54 Why the Bucket Disappeared #history #knights #medievalhistory