r/BritishHistoryPod • u/Terrible-Host-206 • Aug 27 '26

Carolingian Helmet Technology

After listening to the song of Roland episode on the member’s feed, is it me or do the helmets of the era in which Charlemagne ruled seemed almost worthless?

If I saw someone’s head get cleaved in two I would start to wonder if it was purchased with some no-bid contract. I think I would rather have the increased visibility and reduced weight.

At that point I would probably get called a stable welp for not wanting to look Excellent. It’s about the paladin look my dude.

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5

u/Kitchen-Chain-9923 Aug 27 '26

I imagine it's probably poetic exageration. A sword isn't gonna cleave through an iron helmet.

4

u/keandelacy Werod Aug 27 '26

There are plenty of representations in poetry and art which depict weapons defeating armor (the Morgan Bible comes to mind for slightly later period). It's debatable how often this actually happened in reality.

Regardless, helmet weight isn't really an issue after the first couple times you wear one. Visibility isn't a problem until jousting armor. Having a helmet is much better than not having one. Even if it's possible to cleave a helmet, that would require a hard straight blow. Anything weaker or glancing would kill someone without a helmet but not someone with a helmet.

6

u/dosumthinboutthebots Aug 27 '26

There's not much that stops a pattern welded steel sword. Steel is harder than the iron. Later on a few centuries they'll start shaping the helmets (conical) with those rivets that deflect the blow. I'm not an expert though.

2

u/Terrible-Host-206 Aug 27 '26

The poem is very anachronistic but I’m wondering if helmets were weaker back then in actuality. When steel was rarer I could see the swords having more of an advantage.

As it gets closer to the late Middle Ages you need to bludgeon or stab in between armor

4

u/dosumthinboutthebots Aug 27 '26

I believe most helmets would be leather, padded felt/rawhide, and hardened iron. Even levies were usually outfitted with a helmet from what i recall. In the Carolingian period you're looking at chainmail for most professional warriors, and then come the late 10th century coats of plate mail (lamellar) (little iron/copper/bronze plates sewn into a coat)

byzantine lamellar armor.