Cervelliere

A cervelliere is a simple, close-fitting steel or iron skullcap that appeared in the late twelfth century and stayed in use into the Renaissance. Its rounded, hemispherical shape made it cheap and easy to forge compared with more elaborate helmets, so it was popular armor for common soldiers and other fighters who could not afford anything fancier, and it could be worn alone, under a mail coif, or under a great helm, a combination that became standard by the late thirteenth century; a hidden variant called a secret was worn under a felt hat during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Over time its shape grew more pointed and elongated at the back, a change that eventually produced the bascinet helmet.