salet

Salet, also spelled sallet, is a type of European helmet from the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance. It evolved from the bascinet and became a common form for mounted and foot soldiers from roughly the 14th to the 16th century. A salet is characterized by a rounded skull, a prominent neck guard that extends to the nape, and a movable face protection.

Protection for the face and throat was provided by a bevor and, in many examples, a hinged visor attached at the sides. Some salets used a separate, detachable aventail of mail or a rigid mail hood around the lower edge. The overall design balanced protection with visibility and hearing, making it well suited for the mounted combat of the period.

Geographically, the salet appeared across western Europe, with variants common in French and English armories as well as German and Italian workshops. It gradually fell out of use by the mid-16th century as more articulated visors and different helmet forms, such as burgonets and morions, rose to prominence and firearms altered battlefield demands.

Etymology and terminology: In English the form is read as salet or sallet. The word is thought to derive from Old French salette or salette, though attestations vary by region. In armor catalogs, it is often grouped with bascinet-derived helmets.

Legacy: Today salets are studied by historians and are common in museums and reconstructions, sometimes appearing in historical films and reenactments.