Few helmets say "late Middle Ages" as clearly as the sallet. Its rounded skull and long tail over the neck appear in countless paintings of 15th-century soldiers, knights, and mercenaries. In Germany it became almost the only helmet a man-at-arms would wear. Today, it is one of the most practical and versatile helmets you can choose for LARP.
In this article, we look at where the sallet came from, how its main regional styles differ, what pieces were worn with it, and what its strengths and weaknesses are for a LARP player. For an overview of all medieval helmet types, see our guide to Types of Medieval Helmets.
What Is a Sallet?
A sallet is a combat helmet of the 15th century. It replaced the bascinet in Italy, western and northern Europe, and Hungary during the mid-15th century, and in Germany it became almost universal. The sallet is also known as celata in Italian, salade in French, and Schaller in German.
The English word came through French salade from Italian celata or Spanish celada. Most dictionaries trace it back to the Latin caelata, meaning an engraved helmet.
Typical features of a sallet are:
- a rounded skull, often with a low ridge on top;
- a tail at the back that protects the neck, short on some styles and very long on others;
- a face opening that ranges from fully open to a narrow eye slit or a movable visor;
- a separate bevor that protects the chin and throat, especially on German sallets.
Where the Sallet Came From
The sallet most likely originated in Italy. The term celata is first recorded in an inventory of the Gonzaga family armory dated 1407, and the earliest sallets were essentially a version of the bascinet worn without an aventail or visor. From Italy, the sallet spread to France, England, and the Netherlands, and was then adopted in Germany.
The great armor centers of northern Italy, especially Milan, and of southern Germany, such as Augsburg and Nuremberg, produced sallets in their regional styles. A sallet could be German in style but made in Italy, or the other way around.
Main Types of Sallets
| Style | Period | Shape | Face | Typical look |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italian sallet | Early to late 15th century | Deep, smoothly curved skull, sides drawn forward over the cheeks, short tail | From c. 1460 mostly open; heavier versions with a bellows visor | Elegant, often polished or covered in fabric |
| German sallet | From c. 1450 to 1460 | Round skull with a long, sometimes jointed tail | Eye slit in the skull or a movable half visor, worn with a bevor | The classic "Gothic" soldier and knight |
| English-Burgundian sallet | Mid 15th century | More curved, with a shorter rear projection | Often with a visor | Between the German and Italian forms |
Italian Sallet
Italian sallets have a deep skull that extends at the back into a flange for the neck and at the sides forward over the cheeks. By about 1460, they lost their built-in face protection and became open-faced helmets with gracefully curved surfaces. These open sallets were favored by archers and crossbowmen, while heavier troops wore versions with a brow plate and a deep, ventilated "bellows" visor. Some Italian sallets were covered in velvet and decorated with gilt fittings. The barbute is a related Italian helmet that took the idea of covering the cheeks even further.
German Sallet
A distinctive German style appeared around 1450 to 1460. It has a round skull and a long tail, sometimes made of several articulated plates. The front either covered the upper face and had an eye slit cut into the skull, or it had a movable half visor. The German sallet was almost always worn with a bevor. Over the following decades, its tail grew longer, until it was shortened again around 1495. This is the sallet most people picture: the helmet of the late medieval German knight and soldier.
English-Burgundian Sallet
In England and the Netherlands, a regional style developed in the mid-15th century, often called the English-Burgundian sallet. It is more rounded, with a less extreme tail, and sits between the German and Italian forms. French sallets are often grouped with it as "short-tailed" sallets. A famous English example is the Coventry Sallet, made around 1460 during the Wars of the Roses.
The Bevor: The Sallet's Partner
Many sallets left the lower face open, so they were worn with a bevor: a scoop-shaped plate that covered the upper chest, throat, and chin up to just below the nose. On late German examples the bevor pivoted together with the visor. Together, the sallet and bevor gave the wearer full head protection while still allowing them to lift the visor or lower the bevor to breathe and talk.
For LARP, this combination is very practical. You get a closed look in battle and an open face for roleplay, simply by moving one piece.
How Heavy Was a Sallet?
Surviving originals show that sallets were not especially heavy. Two mid-15th-century "Venetian" sallets in the Fitzwilliam Museum weigh 2.08 kg and 2.82 kg. Modern steel reproductions are usually sold at about 2 to 3 kg, depending on the steel thickness. A bevor adds more weight.
Our sallets are cast from polyurethane reinforced with fiberglass and weigh about 1.43 kg each, including the inner padding or helmet cap.
The End of the Sallet
When the long German tail was shortened from about 1495, later sallets became almost indistinguishable from close helmets. During the first quarter of the 16th century, the sallet was gradually abandoned for field use and replaced by the close helmet and the burgonet. Heavily reinforced sallets stayed in use for some forms of jousting until the middle of the century.
The silhouette never fully disappeared. The German sallet is often named as a model for the German steel helmet of the First World War.
Pros and Cons of a Sallet for LARP
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Recognizable late medieval silhouette | A closed version with a narrow eye slit limits vision, especially upward and to the sides |
| Fits many characters: soldier, mercenary, knight, guard | Without a bevor, the lower face and throat stay open |
| Combines with simple and highly decorated armor | A long tail can touch a high collar or backplate when you look up |
| Open versions keep the face free for roleplay | A steel sallet with bevor is noticeably heavier than an open helmet |
| Good ventilation compared with fully closed helmets | Hearing is reduced in closed versions |
Which Characters Fit a Sallet?
- Soldiers and men-at-arms: a plain sallet with an eye slit is the classic late medieval infantry look.
- Mercenaries and landsknechts: pair a sallet with a breastplate and a leather harness. See our Landsknecht collection.
- Knights: a sallet with a bevor and full plate gives a Gothic knight. See our Knight collection.
- Guards and watchmen: an open sallet keeps the face visible for roleplay at the gate.
- Fantasy knights and elven guards: a decorated sallet with ornament turns the historical shape into a noble fantasy helmet.
Our Sallet Helmets
We make two helmets based on the sallet. Both are original designs of our team, cast from polyurethane reinforced with fiberglass, painted by hand, and fit a head circumference of up to 60 cm.
- Infantry Armor Sallet Helmet: a smooth dome, a narrow horizontal eye opening, and an extended rear section in clean silver. It comes with a helmet cap and suits soldiers, men-at-arms, mercenaries, royal guards, and knights. Its plain shape pairs easily with any armor.
- Flower Knight Sallet Helmet: the sallet silhouette covered with raised vines, leaves, and flowers in dark metal with antique silver. It comes with padding and belongs to the Flower Knight line, with matching breastplates, pauldrons, bracers, tassets, and greaves.
Color changes are free, so you can order either helmet in the colors of your faction. To compare them with our other helmets, visit the LARP Helmets collection.
Want a Different Sallet?
If you are looking for a specific style, such as an Italian sallet with a bellows visor, a long-tailed German sallet with a matching bevor, or a sallet with your own ornament, we can make it to order. A polyurethane sallet is much lighter than a steel one, and you can play with the design: change the visor, the tail, or the decoration. We usually start with a 2D concept, then a 3D sculpt, and then make the mold and the helmet. Tell us your idea on our Custom LARP Armor page. Equipping a whole unit? See our Group Orders.
Further Reading
- The Fitzwilliam Museum: Venetian sallet, c. 1450 to 1460
- The Fitzwilliam Museum: Venetian sallet for field use
- The Coventry Sallet
- Book and Sword: Sallets in 1406
