Although it is typically associated with the Prussian Army , which adopted it in β43, [ 1 ] the helmet was widely imitated by other armies during that period. During the s, Tsar Nicholas I of Russia decided to replace the shako infantry caps.
The new headwear was inspired by the leather helmet worn by the Russian cuirassiers , with the plumed crest being replaced by a pointed ornament in the shape of a flaming grenade. The origins of the Prussian helmet began with a visit to Russia by Prince Charles of Prussia in During the visit, the Tsar presented Charles with the new helmet, which was still in its project stage.
The King, however, did not approve of the helmet, which he considered expensive and unnecessary. After his death in , the new king, Frederick William IV , approved his younger brother's idea, and the Prussian army officially adopted the spiked helmet in , ahead of the Russian project, which was still being worked on; [ 3 ] Russia finally adopted the helmet in Frederick William IV introduced the Pickelhaube for use by the majority of Prussian infantry on 23 October by a royal cabinet order.
Oldenburg adopted it by , Baden by , and in , the Kingdom of Bavaria was the last German state to adopt the Pickelhaube since the Napoleonic Wars , they had had their own design of helmet called the Raupenhelm , a Tarleton helmet. Amongst other European armies, that of Sweden adopted the Prussian version of the spiked helmet in , [ 6 ] in Wallachia it was decided to adopt the helmet on 15 August , possibly being influenced by the visit of Prince Albert of Prussia.
However, its introduction to the troops took longer, while Moldavia adopted the Russian version of the spiked helmet in the same year, possibly under the influence of the Tsarist Army.
