 A Spanishconquistador comb morion (c. 16th century) | |
| Type | Combat helmet |
|---|---|
| Material | Steel |
| Place of origin | Spain |
| Introduced | early 16th century |
Amorion (Spanish:morrión) (Catalan:morrió) is a type of open-facedcombat helmet originally fromSpain, used from the beginning of the 16th century to the early-17th century. The morion usually had a flat brim and a crest running from front to back. Its introduction was contemporaneous with European exploration of the Americas - explorers such asHernando de Soto andCoronado may have supplied morions to their foot-soldiers in the 1540s.
The morion, though popularly identified with earlyCastilian explorers andconquistadors, was not in use until after theconquest of Mexico byHernán Cortés orFrancisco Pizarro'sconquest of the Incas in South America. It was widely used by the Spanish, and thirty to forty years later was also common among foot soldiers of other European nationalities. Low production costs aided its popularity and dissemination, although officers and elite guards[1] would have theirs elaborately engraved to display their wealth and status.[2][3]
The crest or comb on the top of the helmet was designed to strengthen it. Later versions also had cheek guards and even removable faceplates to protect the soldier from sword cuts.[4]
The morion's shape is derived from that of an older helmet, the Spanishkettle hat in 15th century calledcabasset.[5] TheNew Oxford American Dictionary, claims the word derives from the Spanishmorrión andmorro (round object).[6] TheDictionary of the Spanish Language, published by the Royal Spanish Academy, indicates that the Spanish term for the helmet,morrión, derives from the nounmorra, which means "the upper part of the head".[7] It could also derive from morrió in Catalan, which not only designates this type of helmet, but also, among other things, a feedbag, the shape of which resembles a morion when inverted.
In England, this helmet (also known as thepikeman's pot) is associated with theNew Model Army, one of the first professional militaries.[8] It was worn bypikemen, together with abreastplate andbuff coat as they stood inphalanx-likepike and shot formations, protecting the flanks of the unarmoredmusketeers.[9]
The similarities in design of some English morions to Italian designs can be attributed to Italian armorers being contracted to produce helmets for the English army.[citation needed]
The helmet provided protection during thepush of pike maneuvers known for their high casualty rates.[10] Although mostly issued toOliver Cromwell'sParliamentarian troops, manyCavaliers wore the morion as well, leading to confusion in battles; soldiers risked being shot by their own allies. It was for this reason that uniforms were introduced to identify armies. First, these were simple colored sashes, but soon theRoundheads introducedred coats, which were retained by the army after the1660 Restoration ofCharles II.[11]
Surviving morions from the1648 Siege of Colchester have been unearthed and preserved atColchester Castle[12] along with alobster tail pot, a helmet associated with Cromwell's heavily armoredIronside cavalry.
Some captured Spanish armor was worn byNative Americans as late as the 19th century as protection from bullets and a sign of their status.[13] The most famous of these was theComanche chiefIron Jacket who lived in Texas and wore armor that originally belonged to a conquistador.[14]
In thePhilippines, the nativeMoro people adopted the morion andburgonet design for helmets (as well aschainmail and horn coats) during theSpanish–Moro Wars and theMoro Rebellion. The indigenously produced helmets were usually made of iron or brass and elaborately decorated with floralarabesque designs, usually in silver. They had a large visor and neck guard, movable cheek guards, a high crest and three very tall feathered plumes reaching 60 cm (24 in) inserted on the front.[15][16] These Moro designed versions of the morion can be considered closer in design to the burgonet.
A similar helmet, the cabasset (Catalan:cabasset) (Spanish:capacete) was also worn during the 16th century and also originated in Spain, but it is unclear if it predated the morion or was an adaptation of it, with some sources saying it was a more modern helmet.[17][18][19][20] The word has been derived from the Spanish wordcabeza (head),[21][22][23][24] while some sources point towards the word "pear" in an Italian dialect, making reference to the stalk-like projection of the helmet, which resembles the fruit.[25][26] A more likely origin could be the wordcabasset in Catalan, meaning a helmet since the early 15th century, originally being a diminutive ofcabàs, meaning a sort of basquet, though it could as well have derived fromcabeça (for head) and its diminutivecabeceta. They were produced mainly inCalatayud, a town inAragon. Like morions, it was worn by infantry in thepike and shot formations.[26] It was popular in 16th-century England and was used during theCivil War. Several of these helmets were taken to the New World by thePilgrim fathers, and one of these has been found onJamestown Island.[27]
| Head |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Face | ||
| Neck | ||
| Torso | ||
| Arms | ||
| Legs | ||
| Pieces | ||
