![O'Donovan's Shield](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/O%27Donovan%27s_Shield.png)
A buckler (French ''bouclier'' 'shield', from Old French ''bocle, boucle'' '
boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, a ...
') is a small
shield
A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of a ...
, up to 45 cm (up to 18 in) in diameter, gripped in the fist with a central handle behind the boss. While being used in Europe since antiquity, it became more common as a
companion weapon
The term companion weapon is used in historical European martial arts to refer to an item used in conjunction with the larger weapon in the non-sword hand while fencing with a rapier or sword. The popular companion weapon forms include:
*sword and ...
in hand-to-hand combat during the
Medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...
and
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
periods. Its size made it poor protection against missile weapons (e.g.,
arrow
An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...
s) but useful in deflecting the blow of an opponent's weapons, binding his arms, hindering his movements, or punching him.
MS I.33
Royal Armouries Ms. I.33 is the earliest known surviving European ''fechtbuch'' (combat manual), and one of the oldest surviving martial arts manuals dealing with armed combat worldwide. I.33 is also known as the Walpurgis manuscript, after a fig ...
, considered the earliest extant armed-combat manual, (around 1300) contains an early description of a system of combat with buckler and
sword
A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...
.
Typology
According to the typology of Schmidt, there are three main types of buckler regarding their shape:
*Type I: round
*Type II: rectangular or trapezoid
*Type III: oval or teardrop-shaped
These types are combined with the cross sections:
*Type a: flat
*Type b: concave
*Type c: convex
*Type d: wavelike
These apply also if the cross section is only apparent on one axis.
The typology consists of the combination of these two characteristics. A Type Ia would be a round, flat buckler, whereas a Type IId would be a rectangular, wavelike buckler typical of Italy in the 16th century.
Uses
The buckler was more widely used than is commonly known. It was a simple yet effective weapon, often combined with an arming sword,
falchion
A falchion (; Old French: ''fauchon''; Latin: ''falx'', "sickle") is a one-handed, single-edged sword of European origin. Falchions are found in different forms from around the 13th century up to and including the 16th century. In some version ...
, or
rapier
A rapier () or is a type of sword with a slender and sharply-pointed two-edged blade that was popular in Western Europe, both for civilian use (dueling and self-defense) and as a military side arm, throughout the 16th and 17th centuries.
Impor ...
. It was popular circa 1100 to 1600. The buckler had a variety of roles when it came to swordplay, but five principal means come to the fore as described in
MS I.33
Royal Armouries Ms. I.33 is the earliest known surviving European ''fechtbuch'' (combat manual), and one of the oldest surviving martial arts manuals dealing with armed combat worldwide. I.33 is also known as the Walpurgis manuscript, after a fig ...
. Each use recognizes the shield's small size and maneuverability when dealing with light blades.
*Hand protection: The primary use of the buckler was to protect the sword hand.
*"Floating armor": Another significant use of the buckler was to hold it facing the opponent with the arm outstretched, when not actively using it for something else. This restricts the areas open to attack by the opponent by closing the line of attack between the opponent's sword and most of wielder's torso and sword arm.
*Deflector: The buckler's lightness and curved center made it excellent for deflecting attacking blades.
*Blinder: The light blades used in conjunction with the buckler depended on rapid movements, which meant that a single second was an important advantage. The wielder of the buckler could use the buckler to shield his sword-hand's position from view, keeping his opponent from guessing his next strike.
*"Metal fist": A buckler could be used to directly attack an opponent by punching with either its flat face or its rim.
*Binder: The buckler could be used to bind an opponent's sword hand and weapon as well as their buckler against their body. The buckler was also very useful in grappling, where it allowed an opponent's arms to be easily wrapped up and controlled.
Decoration
In
classical antiquity
Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ...
, bucklers on
medal
A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...
s were either used to signify public vows rendered to the gods for the safety of a prince, or that he was esteemed the defender and protector of his people: these were called ''votive bucklers'', and were hung at altars, etc.
See also
*
Adarga
The adarga was a hard leather shield created by the North African Berbers, its name derived from the Arabic "al-daraqa" ("shield"). An important center of manufacture of the adarga was the city of Fes, Morocco. The adarga was typically made from t ...
*
Lantern shield
The lantern shield is a small shield combined with a lantern used during the Italian Renaissance (15th and 16th century Italy) especially for night time duels. A number of specimens survive. Their defining feature is a small circular shield – a ...
* ''
Rodeleros
''Rodeleros'' ("shield bearers"), also called ''espadachines'' ("swordsmen") and colloquially known as "Sword and Buckler Men", were Spanish troops in the early 16th (and again briefly in the 17th) century, equipped with steel shields known as ''ro ...
'' (lit., "shield bearers", also known as "sword and buckler men")
*
Swashbuckler
A swashbuckler is a genre of European adventure literature that focuses on a heroic protagonist stock character who is skilled in swordsmanship, acrobatics, guile and possesses chivalrous ideals. A "swashbuckler" protagonist is heroic, daring, ...
*
Targe
Targe (from Old Franconian ' 'shield', Proto-Germanic ' 'border') was a general word for shield in late Old English. Its diminutive, ''target'', came to mean an object to be aimed at in the 18th century.
The term refers to various types of shie ...
*
Buckler (surname) Buckler is an English and German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Charles Alban Buckler (1824–1905), English author, architect and officer of arms
* Ernest Buckler (1908–1984), Canadian novelist and short story author
*John Bu ...
* Parikaoba (
:ru:Парикаоба) — traditional
Caucasian
Caucasian may refer to:
Anthropology
*Anything from the Caucasus region
**
**
** ''Caucasian Exarchate'' (1917–1920), an ecclesiastical exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Caucasus region
*
*
*
Languages
* Northwest Caucasian l ...
fencing with
shashka
The shashka ( ady, сэшхуэ, – ''long-knife'') (russian: шашка) or shasqua, is a kind of sabre; a single-edged, single-handed, and guardless backsword. In appearance, the ''shashka'' is midway between a typically curved sabre and a s ...
and buckler
References
Bibliography
*
External links
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Bucklersmall version, 15th Century Style)
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Bucklers in training
Medieval shields