Medieval armor helmet

The large helmet, also called the cube or barrel helmet, is a type of helmet from the High Middle Ages that was created in the late twelfth century in the context of the Crusades and was in use until the fourteenth century. It was used by knights and heavy infantry in most European armies (1220 and 1540 AD).

In its simplest form, the large helmet was a cylinder, the upper part of which was made of flat steel and completely covered the head. It had tiny openings for its eyes and mouth.

Years later, the upper part developed into a conical shape and the "Sugar Loaf" was created. In Spanish it was called the helmet of Zaragoza, based on the city where they were first introduced on the Iberian Peninsula. It was later used in the reconquest and it is recorded in the conquest of Mallorca.

Although the large helmet provided superior protection to other earlier helmets, such as the nose helmet and spangle helmet, the knight's peripheral vision was limited, it was heavier, and its shape with a flat roof and no ventilation holes provided little ventilation. and they warmed up quickly in hot climates.

The knights wore the large helmet on one touch (hood), sometimes combined with a tight-fitting iron cap known as a cervelliere.

The large helmet was often blackened, varnished or painted and decorated with the following:
• Crosses and symbols (ventilation zones)
• Horizontal and vertical crosses (viewfinder)
• Crowns, feathers, feathers (as in the helmets of the military order).