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The Burgonet helmet was a late mediæval/early modern helmet. It was the the successor of the Sallet. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... See related article Modernity. ... Pith helmet of Harry S. Truman For information about the band Helmet, see Helmet (band) Pickelhaube of a Swedish Royal Guard soldier A helmet (a 15th century loan from Middle French, a diminutive of Frankish helm, from Proto-Germanic *khelmaz, PIE *kelmo- a cover) is a form of protective clothing... The sallet (also called salade) was a European helmet of streamlined shape which evolved from the kettle helmet during the first half of the 15th century. ...
It came into popularity towards the end of the 16th century. Commonplace throughout Europe the Burgonet was accompanied by plate armour and worn by (light) cavalry. It was a light helmet, open-faced and decorated with a metal fin (ridge of steel starting at the front and running down the center of the helm). Though typically open faced, a falling baffe could be used. A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is the worlds second-smallest continent in terms of area, covering around 10,790,000 km² (4,170,000 sq mi) or 2. ... Plate armour is personal armour made from large metal plates, worn on the chest and sometimes the entire body. ... An army unit consisting of mounted soldiers are commonly known as cavalry. ...
The factors of utility of the Burgonet over perhaps more standard headwear (a closed helm such as the great helm) include:
Cost - The main factor in this decision; Burgonets were signifigantly cheaper than large closed-face helmets
Encumbrance - Great helms were very bulky and heavy. It could be hard to see, breathe or turn your head while wearing one. The burgonet however was light and had an open face this gives an advantage in offense.
Protection - Certainly a helmet is used for protection, the Burgonet would not have been as protective as heavier helms. Having an open face could be remedied with a falling baffe but that was generally not done.
Burgonets typically were raised from a single sheet of steel, though some were made of two plates joined along a central ridge or comb.
Burgonet, flened with gilt mounts, Augsburg, circa 1600
The burgonet, like all infantry helmets, armour and edged weapons faded from use in the mid-to-late 17th century, as firearms came to dominate the battlefield.
In its normal form the burgonet was a large roomy cap with a brim shading the eyes, cheek-pieces or flaps, a comb, and a guard for the back of the neck.
In many cases a vizor, or other face protection, and a chin-piece are found in addition, so that this piece of armour is sometimes mistaken for an armet, but it can always be distinguished by the projecting brim in front.
The typical head-piece of the 17th-century soldier in England and elsewhere is a burgonet skull-cap with a straight brim, neck-guard and often, in addition, a fixed vizor of three thin iron bars which are screwed into, and hang down from, the brim in front of the eyes.
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