The Buckler shield was a small medieval shield that was widely used during medieval times. Its small size made it a suitable medieval shield for hand-to-hand combat since it was easy to handle. Although it was used during the early medieval times, it became particularly popular during the middle and late medieval times.
Early Medieval Fighting Practice Using small Buckler Shields
The buckler is derived from the old French word “Bocle” which means boss. The Buckler shield was a small shield that would be between 15cm to 45cm in diameter. The shield was gripped in a fist and could be easily controlled with a single hand. The Buckler shield was among those medieval shields that came in multiple forms. Thus it could be found in the round as well as rectangular forms.
Small Buckler Shields
The primary purpose of the buckler shield was to protect the sword hand and thus it was an ideal shield for the swordsmen. Since it was lightweight, the swordsman could handle it easily while engaging in a fight with the other hand. Another advantage that the swordsman could have with a buckler was that it could be used in grappling where the opponent’s arm could be wrapped up and bound.
The Buckler shield was among those medieval shields which were ideal for swordsmen. Thus was it a weapon of defense for the common soldiers indulging in hand-to-hand combat with swords It was specifically designed to deflect the attacking blades.
Buckler shield was one of the most common medieval shields and was specifically useful for swordsmen because of its lightweight structure. It was designed to deflect the attacking blades and could be easily controlled. Its primary shape was round although it could also be found in rectangular form.
