Nasal Helmet: The West European Helm with Metal Nose Protection

September 23, 2026

The nasal helmet, also known as the nasal helm, was a combat helmet distinctly recognizable by a protruding metal strip running down the nose. This strip protected the center of the face. The helmet originated in Western Europe and was used from the end of the ninth century to at least around the year twelve hundred fifty.

The key feature of the nasal helmet was the nose guard. This was a narrow metal strip that ran from the forehead or from a metal band down over the nose.

The nasal helmet appeared throughout Western Europe toward the end of the ninth century and quickly became the most common helmet type. It replaced older helmets that based their design on late-Roman models, such as the comb helmet and helmets of the spangenhelm type.

Construction

The earliest nasal helmets had a distinctive conical shape and were built up from multiple bands until the 11th century. Like other spangen helmets, metal strips connected three to six steel or bronze plates into a sturdy helmet bowl. The frame followed the shape of the head and often ended in a small point. A nose guard was regularly attached to the front, which provided extra protection during combat.

Although nose guards existed earlier, for example in Byzantium, Eastern Europe, and parts of the Middle East, the nose guards of the Western European nasal helmet were usually larger and sturdier. They were also fully integrated into the helmet bowl rather than riveted on separately as in older helmet designs. The helmet owes its name to this feature.

From the 11th century onward, the shape of the helmet changed. Helmets were now made from a single piece of steel, making them considerably sturdier. The helmet retained its typical conical shape, but another type also emerged.

The Phrygian Nasal Helmet

Toward the end of the 11th century, a new type of nasal helmet developed. It still had the typical conical shape, but featured a thickening at the front of the helmet bowl that likely served for extra forehead protection. The model was used throughout Europe and owes its name because it resembles the Phrygian cap from classical antiquity. This shape probably arose naturally during forging, because the front of the helmet was made thicker for extra protection.

In the second half of the 12th century, the conical shape became less popular. Instead, helmets with a rounded top came into fashion. King English Richard the First is depicted with such a rounded nasal helmet on his first great seal from the year 1189.

Toward the end of the eleventh century, a new type of nasal helmet emerged with a flat top and angular shape. This helmet was the predecessor of later, deeper, and cylindrical helmets with more face coverage.

Early Great Helm

Out of this development ultimately came closed helmets and later the great helm. The nose strip formed the basis for more face coverage, and around 1200, helmets appeared with an almost complete face plate with holes for sight and breathing.

Late Nasal Helmet

Toward the end of the 11th century, the nasal helmet became less popular with heavily armed knights because helmets with more protection became available. Yet nasal helmets remained in use among archers, for whom good visibility was very important.

Rounded nasal helmets with nose guards even appear among knights in the Maciejowski Bible, a French manuscript from 1250. Probably some knights preferred the better sight and hearing that this more open helmet provided.

The nasal helmet was usually worn over a mail coif, a cap of mail rings that protected the lower head, throat, and neck. This cap could be worn separately or attached to the mail hauberk.

At the bottom of many helmets, rivets and holes have been found, indicating they had a lining, but no linings have survived. Probably the lining could be adjusted to make the helmet fit properly.

The nose guards were often so large that the wearer became unrecognizable. A famous example of this appears on the Bayeux Tapestry. In the Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror had to lift his helmet to show his soldiers that he was still alive. This shows how much a nasal helmet covers the face.