Weapons of HEMA: Dagger
Daggers and knives were universal tools in Europe; they were cheap to make and easy to use, especially in the close quarters of historical cities. Broadly speaking, three popular styles…
Introduction
Daggers and knives were universal tools in Europe; they were cheap to make and easy to use, especially in the close quarters of historical cities. Broadly speaking, three popular styles of dagger in medieval Europe were the baselard, the bollock, and the rondel. [1]
Types of Daggers
The baselard was so called after its city of origin, Basel Switzerland. It reached its apex in the 1300s for use by both the average civilian and officers and wealthy burghers in the militia. Considered a national arm of the Swiss, it was wielded in either icepick grip (point down) or handshake grip (point up). [2]
The bollock dagger, so called for the characteristic spheres on its crossguard, was very popular in the mid-1400s. It offers an ergonomic grip for use in both a handshake and an icepick grip. It was carried either at the waist or in front of the crotch. [3]
The rondel dagger was designed to thrust between gaps in armor and to pierce cloth and mail defenses. The disk guard and pommel facilitate an effective grip for stabbing, generally in an icepick grip. The disk on the end of the hilt could be pressed with the offhand to add penetrative force to strikes. These daggers were made specifically for war and were generally limited to the wealthy and well-armed strata of society. They are featured prominently in fighting manuals and were likely the dagger of choice for armored knights. Rondels were popular from the 1400s all the way up to the 1800s.[4] Arms & Armor wrote an excellent article that explores the rondel’s use and place in European society.
Matt Easton gives a summary of three types of daggers popular in the Middle Ages.
Sources
Italian
Fiore de'i Liberi (early 1400s): The foundation of the Italian fencing tradition is the Flower of Battle by Fiore de’i Liberi. The book describes Fiore’s life fighting and teaching and describes how to wrestle and fight with a dagger, sword, polearms, on a horse, and in armor. This is a complete martial system and is foundational to Italian martial arts. His dagger section is extensive and practical.
German
The Gladiatoria Group (1430): The Gladiatoria Group is a series of several 15th-century German manuscripts that share the same art style and cover the same material—various types of armored combat. They seem to be contemporary with the tradition of Johannes Liechtenauer but are not directly influenced by it; thus, Gladiatoria is one of very few available glimpses into the characteristics of a potentially independent German martial tradition. It’s dagger section, exclusively dedicated to fighting in armor, is comprehensive and detailed in both illustration and descriptions.
Hans Talhoffer Manuscripts (1448-1467): Talhoffer lived a long and interesting life, as evidenced by his manuscripts which cover both armored and unarmored combat with a wide assortment of weapons, including the buckler, crossbow, dagger, flail, Messer, longshield, mace, poleaxe, spear, and sword, as well as unarmed grappling. His work covers fighting on horse and on foot in scenarios including tournaments, formal duels, and unequal encounters implying urban self-defense. Across his manuals, his dagger section is extensive and clearly illustrated with concise captions.
The Nuremberg Group (1470-1510): The Nuremberg Group is a series of 15th- and 16th-century German manuscripts that describe a common set of techniques and seem to have originated in the area of Nuremberg, Germany. It has been suggested that these treatises define a local martial arts tradition native to that city, which would be a subset of the mainstream German style. In addition to illustrating dozens of dagger techniques, it also depicts how to use a dagger to fight an opponent who is using a messer.
Joachim Meyer (1560-1570): Meyer was a German Freifechter (a member of a fencing guild) and fencing master. He was the last major figure in the tradition of the German grandmaster Johannes Liechtenauer. His writings incorporate traditional Germanic teachings with those of contemporary systems that he encountered in his travels; they depict how to fight with several weapons, including dagger used alone and alongside a primary weapon.
Demonstrations
This video gives an introduction to how to fight with a dagger.
This video shows how athletic and lethal dagger fighting can be.
Equipment
HEMA gear on TOTA has an extensive list of recommended dagger equipment for beginners in HEMA.
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Written by Nicholas Allen, founder and former head instructor of the VCU HEMA club.
Edited by Kiana Shurkin, xKDF
Historical sources fact-checked by Michael Chidester, Editor-in-Chief of Wiktenauer
Works Cited
Footnotes
[1] scholagladiatoria, Three Types Of Popular Medieval Dagger, video, 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71GQRVob6KY.
[2] “Swiss Dagger with Sheath, Bodkin, and By-Knife | Swiss | The Met.”
[3] scholagladiatoria, Three Types Of Popular Medieval Dagger, video, 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71GQRVob6KY.
[4] “Rondel Daggers.”
Citations
Arms & Armor. “Rondel Daggers.” Accessed June 15, 2020. https://www.arms-n-armor.com/blogs/news/rondel-dagger.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Swiss Dagger with Sheath, Bodkin, and By-Knife | Swiss | The Met.” Accessed June 15, 2020. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/25139..
scholagladiatoria. Three Types Of Popular Medieval Dagger. Video, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71GQRVob6KY.
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