The Kolbenturnier (or mace tournament) was a type of tournament in the fifteenth century in which competitors would try to batter each other and knock crests off of the helmets of their opponents. They were fought between small groups in limited fenced-in areas using only Kolbens, or maces.
The Kolben was a type of polygonally-cut mace made of hard wood, about 80 centimeters in length. They swelled along the shaft to end in an obtuse point, and had a rounded iron pommel as well as a short grip. [1]
The helmets used, known as Kolbenturnierhelms, were huge, rounded forms of the bascinet, attached to the cuirass in both the back and front. The face was covered in metal bars, and the interior was heavily padded to avoid blunt-force injury. [1] The helmet bars formed an iron framework covered in canvas and gesso impressed with floral and heraldic designs. [2]
The crests used were fancifully designed, and were made of light and fragile materials. They were fixed in position on the helmets using an iron bar or brooch. [1]
In the fifteenth century in central Europe, the Kolbenturnier was a carefully-orchestrated sociopolitical event as well as a martial competition, and it had distinct phases.
First was the Helmschau, or the helmet inspection phase, in which helmets were placed on display, their crests were tested for accuracy, and the ancestry and chivalric history of the competitors was evaluated.
After the Helmschau, the Kolbenturnier proper took place, in which competitors wore their heavily padded helmets to protect from the blunt-force trauma of the competition. During the Kolbenturnier, any competitor deemed to have committed chivalric misconduct in the Helmschau phase could be punished by being attacked by all other competitors simultaneously.
When the Kolbenturnier phase was over, there was sometimes a third phase called the Schrankensetzen. This was a punishment reserved for competitors who had been found to have lied about their lineage in order to participate in the Kolbenturnier. Their saddle was mounted on the fence surrounding the combat enclosure, and they were made to sit on it without a helmet for the rest of the tournament. Both competitors and spectators were expected to insult and berate the liar.
Finally, the Nachturnier, or end tournament phase, took place in which competitors attempted to destroy their opponents' crests with their weapons, sometimes while on horseback. This was a literal and symbolic deconstruction of the opening Helmschau phase, and put the tournament to an end. [3]
A war hammer is a weapon that was used by both foot soldiers and cavalry. It is a very old weapon and gave its name, owing to its constant use, to Judah Maccabee, a 2nd-century BC Jewish rebel, and to Charles Martel, one of the rulers of France. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the war hammer became an elaborately decorated and handsome weapon.
Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows are limited exclusively to jumpers. Sometimes jumper classes are offered in conjunction with other English-style events. Sometimes, show jumping is but one division of a very large, all-breed competition that includes a very wide variety of disciplines. Jumping classes may be governed by various national horse show sanctioning organizations, such as the United States Equestrian Federation or the British Showjumping Association. International competitions are governed by the rules of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports.
A mace is a blunt weapon, a type of club or virge that uses a heavy head on the end of a handle to deliver powerful strikes. A mace typically consists of a strong, heavy, wooden or metal shaft, often reinforced with metal, featuring a head made of stone, bone, copper, bronze, iron, or steel.
Jousting is a medieval and renaissance martial game or hastilude between two combatants either on horse or on foot. The joust became an iconic characteristic of the knight in Romantic medievalism.
A morning star is any of several medieval club-like weapons consisting of a shaft with an attached ball adorned with one or more spikes. Each used, to varying degrees, a combination of blunt-force and puncture attack to kill or wound the enemy.
A tournament, or tourney, was a chivalrous competition or mock fight in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and is one type of hastilude. Tournaments included mêlée, hand-to-hand combat, contests of strength, accuracy, and sometimes jousts. Some thought that the tournaments were a threat to public order. The shows were often held to celebrate coronations, marriages of notable figures, births, recent conquests, peace treatises, etc. They were held to welcome those considered of great importance, such as ambassadors and lords. Finally, some tournaments were held simply for pure entertainment. Certain tournaments are depicted throughout the Codex Manesse.
Plate armour is a historical type of personal body armour made from bronze, iron, or steel plates, culminating in the iconic suit of armour entirely encasing the wearer. Full plate steel armour developed in Europe during the Late Middle Ages, especially in the context of the Hundred Years' War, from the coat of plates worn over mail suits during the 14th century.
A crest is a component of a heraldic display, consisting of the device borne on top of the helm. Originating in the decorative sculptures worn by knights in tournaments and, to a lesser extent, battles, crests became solely pictorial after the 16th century.
Knowledge about military technology of the Viking Age is based on relatively sparse archaeological finds, pictorial representation, and to some extent on the accounts in the Norse sagas and laws recorded in the 14th century.
The murmillo was a type of gladiator during the Roman Imperial age. The murmillo-class gladiator was adopted in the early Imperial period to replace the earlier Gallus, named after the warriors of Gaul. As the Gauls inhabiting Italy had become well integrated with the Romans by the time of the reign of Augustus, it became undesirable to portray them as enemy outsiders; the Gallus-class gladiator thus had to be retired.
The term macana, of Taíno origin, refers to various wooden weapons used by the various native cultures of Central and South America. These weapons were referred to as a hadzab or hats'ab in Yucatecan Mayan.
The great helm or heaume, also called pot helm, bucket helm and barrel helm, is a helmet of the High Middle Ages which arose in the late twelfth century in the context of the Crusades and remained in use until the fourteenth century. The barreled style was used by knights in most West European armies between about 1220 to 1350 AD and evolved into the frog-mouth helm to be primarily used during jousting contests.
The burgonet helmet was a Renaissance-era and early modern combat helmet. It was the successor of the sallet.
The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) is a medieval reenactment group with an international membership, founded in California in 1966. Members of the group participate, to a greater or lesser extent, in a wide variety of activities based on those found in pre-1601 CE cultures. The vast majority of interests in the SCA are either combat-focused, or focused on the day-to-day crafts of the period, known within the Society as A&S. Gatherings of the SCA are events, at which attempts at pre-17th century costume must be worn, and practices or meetings, at which costuming is largely up to each member's discretion—although sufficient safety equipment must always be worn for practicing combat skills.
The Imperial helmet-type was a type of helmet worn by Roman legionaries. Prior to the Empire, Roman Republican soldiers often provided their own equipment, which was passed down from father to son. Thus, a variety of equipment, from different eras was present in the ranks. Even as the professional Imperial army emerged, and short-term service citizen soldiers became rare, useful equipment was never discarded. So when the improved Imperial helmet appeared, it replaced what remained of the very old Coolus type, which was largely superseded at the time by improved versions of the Montefortino helmet type, which continued to serve alongside it for a time. This constituted the final evolutionary stage of the legionary helmet (galea).
The close helmet or close helm is a type of combat helmet that was worn by knights and other men-at-arms in the Late Medieval and Renaissance eras. It was also used by some heavily armoured, pistol-armed cuirassiers into the mid-17th century. It is a fully enclosing helmet with a pivoting visor and integral bevor.
In heraldic achievements, the helmet or helm is situated above the shield and bears the torse and crest. The style of helmet displayed varies according to rank and social status, and these styles developed over time, in step with the development of actual military helmets. In some traditions, especially German and Nordic heraldry, two or three helmets may be used in a single achievement of arms, each representing a fief to which the bearer has a right. For this reason, the helmets and crests in German and Nordic arms are considered essential to the coat of arms and are never separated from it.
The Veksø helmets are a pair of Bronze Age ceremonial horned helmets found near Veksø in Zealand, Denmark.
Kulah Khuds were used in ancient western Asia for battle and as decorative head pieces.
The M34 is a steel combat helmet used by the Netherlands from its introduction in 1934 replacing the previous M23/27, to the invasion by Nazi Germany in 1940. From which it was replaced by the M53 helmet, a local copy of the American M1 helmet. A tropical variant of this helmet was produced for use by the Dutch East India Army in present-day Indonesia known as the KNIL model.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)