The sallet (also called celata, salade and schaller ) was a combat helmet that replaced the bascinet in Italy, western and northern Europe and Hungary during the mid-15th century. In Italy, France and England the armet helmet was also popular, but in Germany the sallet became almost universal.
29-563: The origin of the sallet seems to have been in Italy (though the French were likely responsible for popularizing it), where the term celata is first recorded in an inventory of the arms and armour of the Gonzaga family dated to 1407. In essence, the earliest sallets were a variant of the bascinet, intended to be worn without an aventail or visor . To protect the face and neck, left exposed by abandonment of
58-606: A captaincy-general, then margraviate , and finally duchy ). They also ruled Monferrato in Piedmont and Nevers in France , as well as many other lesser fiefs throughout Europe. The family includes a saint , twelve cardinals and fourteen bishops . Two Gonzaga descendants became empresses of the Holy Roman Empire ( Eleonora Gonzaga and Eleonora Gonzaga-Nevers ), and one became Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania in
87-425: A greater level of protection could be afforded by the attachment of a plate reinforcer for the brow of the helmet and a deep visor, usually of the 'bellows' form which incorporated many ventilation slits. Such helmets would have been worn with a stiffened mail collar, termed a " standard ," which protected the throat and neck. Some Italian-style sallets were provided with a covering of rich cloth, usually velvet , which
116-401: A long tail, sometimes consisting of a number of lames. One characteristic that distinguishes early German sallets from later German sallets up to c.1495, is the length of the helmet tail, which became more pronounced over time. The front of these helmets sometimes extended down to cover the upper face, with eye-slits provided for vision. Other versions retained the same outline, but the upper face
145-650: A minor Gonzaga-Vescovato branch, which is the only remaining existing branch. The House of Gonzaga was an important patron of the arts. This began when Gianfrancesco Gonzaga funded a school led by Vittorino da Feltre where music and art were core subjects along with mathematics, history, Greek and Latin, religion, and philosophy. The music theorist and composer Franchinus Gaffurius was trained at this school. Isabella d'Este , wife of Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua , used her influence to financially support native composers at court (such as Bartolomeo Tromboncino and Marchetto Cara ) which contributed to popularizing
174-615: A regional variety of sallet had evolved in England and the Netherlands, termed the 'English-Burgundian style' (the Netherlands were at that time ruled by the Duke of Burgundy ). It was usually worn with a bevor by more completely armoured soldiers and had very similar facial protection to, and frontal appearance as, the German sallet. It was, however, more curvilinear, and possessed a less extreme projection to
203-781: The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth ( Marie Louise Gonzaga ). The first members of the family of historical importance are known to have collaborated with the Guelph faction alongside the monks of the Polirone Abbey . Starting from the 12th century they became a dominant family in Mantua, growing in wealth when their allies, the Bonacolsi , defeated the traditional familiar enemy, the Casalodi. In 1328, however, Ludovico I Gonzaga overthrew
232-612: The War of the Mantuan Succession . A further cadet branch was that of Sabbioneta , founded by Gianfrancesco , son of Ludovico III . Marie Louise Gonzaga , daughter of Prince Charles Gonzaga-Nevers , was a queen consort of Poland and grand duchess consort of Lithuania from 1645 to her death in 1667. Two daughters of the house, both named Eleanor Gonzaga, became Holy Roman Empresses , by marrying emperors Ferdinand II of Germany and Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor , respectively. From
261-494: The frottola . Cardinal Ercole Gonzaga founded an ecclesiastical chapel which employed musicians and further advance the musical live of the region through sacred music composition and performance. Guglielmo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua , himself a gifted composer, founded the Basilica palatina di Santa Barbara (construction began 1562) which became a cultural center for sacred art and music. He also brought several notable composers to
290-597: The morion in Elizabethan times, and as a result reivers were often called steil (steel) bonnets . Burgonets were also a popular helmet type among the Polish winged hussars , where they merged with types of lobster-tailed pot helmets (Zischägge), often featuring a nasal bar or facial guard. The burgonet was common among the mercenary Swiss infantry who were pikemen who could defend themselves against cavalry (perhaps taking helmets of this form as trophies). Following
319-661: The Bonacolsi lordship over the city with the help of the Scaliger , and entered the Ghibelline party as capitano del popolo ("people's captain") of Mantua and imperial vicar of Emperor Louis IV . Ludovico was succeeded by Guido (1360–1369) and Ludovico II (1369–1382), while Feltrino , lord of Reggio until 1371, formed the cadet branch of the Gonzaga of Novellara, whose state existed until 1728. Francesco I (1382–1407) abandoned
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#1732859386167348-472: The Italian sallet and the deep-skulled "German war-hat," a type of brimmed chapel de fer helmet. Later Italian sallets (by c. 1460) lost their integral face protection and became open-faced helmets with gracefully curved surfaces. In this simple state they were favoured by more lightly armed troops, especially archers and crossbowmen, whose uninterrupted vision was at a premium. For more heavily armoured troops,
377-676: The Mantua court, including Alessandro Striggio , Giovanni Giacomo Gastoldi , Giaches de Wert , Benedetto Pallavicino and Claudio Monteverdi . Through Monteverdi, the court witnessed some of the first operas ever staged, including L'Orfeo (1607) and L'Arianna (1608). Marco da Gagliano 's La Dafne was staged in 1608. The Gonzaga House also sponsored theatre. The Mantua court staged Giovanni Battista Guarini 's plays Il pastor fido and L'idropica . These plays included incidental music by several different composers, including Monteverdi, Gastoldi, Gagliano, Paolo Birt, and Salamone Rossi . Ferdinando Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua also supported
406-459: The arts, but financial problems for the court led to a decline in support during his reign. Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat employed Antonio Caldara as maestro di cappella from 1701-1707. government. The branches of the Gonzaga family, showing marquises and (subsequently) dukes of Mantua in bold , dukes of Nevers and Rethel in italics and the Guastalla line to
435-754: The family acquired the Marquisate of Montferrat through marriage. Through maternal ancestors, the Gonzagas inherited also the Imperial Byzantine ancestry of the Paleologus , an earlier ruling family of Montferrat . A cadet branch of the Mantua Gonzagas became dukes of Nevers and Rethel in France when Luigi (Louis) Gonzaga, a younger son of Federico II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua , and Margherita Paleologa , married
464-407: The heiress. The Gonzaga-Nevers later came to rule Mantua again when Louis's son Charles (Carlo) inherited Mantua and Montferrat, triggering the War of the Mantuan Succession . Another cadet branch were first sovereign counts, later dukes of Guastalla . They descended from Ferrante , a younger son of Duke Francesco II of Mantua (1484–1519). Ferrante's grandson, Ferrante II , also played a role in
493-572: The latter Empress Eleonora , the current heirs of the Gonzaga descend. Saint Aloysius Gonzaga was a member of a junior branch of this family. The House of Gonzaga is the inspiration for the play-within-the-play in Shakespeare's Hamlet . In Act 3 scene 2, they act out a play called The Murder of Gonzago (or The Mousetrap ). Gonzaga rule continued in Mantua until 1708 and in Guastalla until 1746. Both ruling lines going extinct until passing on to
522-514: The peak, crest and falling buffe, of the burgonet and combined them with the hinged bevor of the close helmet . Commonplace throughout Europe , it first came into use early in the 16th century and had attained its classic form by c. 1550. Accompanied by plate armour , burgonets were mostly worn by cavalry, such as demi-lancers and cuirassiers . The Border Reivers , of the English-Scottish borderlands, were very fond of burgonets and
551-460: The rear. In many ways, it was intermediate between the German and Italian forms. French sallets were very similar to the English-Burgundian type and all have been classed as "short-tailed sallets." In the last generations of German sallets, the bevor was articulated from the same pivot as the visor. Initially the bevor was attached inside the skull. When the long tail at the rear of the helmet
580-406: The right. Burgonet The burgonet helmet (sometimes called a burgundian sallet ) was a Renaissance -era and early modern combat helmet . It was the successor of the sallet . The burgonet helmet is characterised by a skull with a large fixed or hinged peak projecting above the face-opening, and usually an integral, keel-like, crest or comb running from front to rear. Attached to
609-455: The skull are substantial hinged cheekpieces which usually do not meet at the chin or throat. A flange projects from the lower parts of the skull and cheekpieces to protect the back and sides of the neck. Though typically a relatively light helmet and open faced, a falling buffe , a sort of visor that was closed by being drawn up rather than down, was sometimes used. Some helmets, often termed "close burgonets", were made which took elements, such as
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#1732859386167638-516: The title of Duke of Mantua. Also the two brothers of Federico II are historical characters of a certain importance: Ercole Gonzaga became a cardinal, presided over the Council of Trent and was almost elected Pope; Ferrante was a faithful ally of the Emperor Charles V who covered him with honors and positions, Ferrante was also the progenitor of the cadet branch of the Gonzaga of Guastalla. In 1531,
667-530: The traditional alliance with the Visconti of Milan , in order to align their rising power with the Republic of Venice . In 1433, Gianfrancesco I assumed the title of Marquis of Mantua with the recognition of Emperor Sigismund , while obtaining recognition from the local nobility through the marriage of his daughter Margherita to Leonello d'Este, Marquis of Ferrara in 1435. In 1530 Federico II (1500–1540) received
696-501: The visor and aventail, the rear was curved out into a flange to protect the neck, and the sides of the helmet were drawn forward below the level of the eyes to protect the cheeks. The latter development was most pronounced in the barbute or barbuta, a variation of the sallet that adopted elements of Classical Corinthian helmets . The sallet became popular in France, England and the Netherlands through contact with Italy and eventually
725-463: Was adopted in Germany. Regional styles developed, which were catered for by the great armour manufacturing centres of northern Italy (especially Milan ) and southern Germany ( Augsburg and Nuremberg ). However, though a sallet, or complete armour, might be German in style, it could have been of Italian manufacture, or vice versa. The German sallet may have been the product of the melding of influences from
754-402: Was edged in silver-gilt, gilded brass or copper; ornamental decoration in the same metals could be added to the surface of the helmet, allowing areas of cloth to show through. In the period 1450–1460, a distinctive German style of sallet appeared. It was round-skulled but was less smoothly curving than the Italian sallet; its most obvious feature was that the rear of the helmet was drawn out into
783-466: Was eventually shortened, from c. 1495, these later sallets became virtually indistinguishable from close helmets , and the articulation of the bevor moved to the outside of the skull. The sallet was gradually abandoned for field use in the first quarter of the 16th century, being largely replaced by the close helm and burgonet ; however, it was retained into the mid century, in a heavily reinforced form, for some types of jousting . The German-style sallet
812-419: Was protected by a movable half-visor. German sallets were often worn with a separate scoop-shaped plate gorget , called a bevor , that extended from the upper chest to just below the nose and protected the wearer's lower face and throat. Most needed no added ventilation holes, as there was a natural gap where the visor or front of the helmet overlapped the bevor near the wearer's mouth. By the mid 15th century,
841-511: Was the model for the World War I German Stahlhelm , whereas the kettle hat inspired the contemporary British and French helmets. House of Gonzaga The House of Gonzaga ( US : / ɡ ə n ˈ z ɑː ɡ ə , ɡ ɒ n -, - ˈ z æ ɡ -/ , Italian: [ɡonˈdzaːɡa] ) is an Italian princely family that ruled Mantua in Lombardy , northern Italy from 1328 to 1708 (first as
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