Dark Ages

With the fall of the Roman Empire, Europe returned to reliance on the tried and tested maille armour. From the sleeveless byrnie grew the haubergeon and eventually the hauberk that became the mainstay of the professional soldier at the end of the period. Also at the end of this period we see the integral maille hood becoming a separate coif that would become the accepted style for the coming centuries. Helmets seem to have developed from Roman auxiliary cavalry helmet designs such as the ridge helm, eventually evolving through a variety of styles such as the spangenhelm, spectacle helm and ubiquitous conical nasal helm.