The dagger was a medieval weapon that was usually reserved as a last resort weapon in very close combat situations. The medieval dagger was used as a stabbing weapon and usually had sharp edges and a sharp point at the end, however, the medieval dagger could also be a single-edged weapon.
Medieval daggers were useful for piercing gaps in Medieval armor and also in grappling situations where the fight had gone to the ground.
A common term used for the medieval dagger in medieval times was “misericorde” this term probably came from the fact that the dagger was used on people that were commonly begging for mercy.
“The Latin name for the dagger was cultellum qui dicitur – dagger”
The early Medieval daggers were much longer than the ones used in later medieval times, sometimes they were described as long knives and they descended from the daggers that we used by the Anglo-Saxons, Franks, Vikings, and Visigoths.
The Anglo Saxons used a shield formation as a tactic on the battlefield
There were many different designs of Medieval daggers and from around the 14th century, the kidney dagger which was also known as the ballock dagger was introduced.
Ballock Dagger
The Baselard Dagger also appeared on the scene around this time, this medieval dagger had a broad blade at the hilt and was commonly used by the medieval military in Italy.
The ox-tongue dagger or cinquedea was a much thicker dagger than earlier medieval daggers and was broader at the hilt around 4 to 5 fingers wide.
Rondel Dagger *Late Medieval Period
The rondel dagger was another dagger that was introduced towards the end of the medieval period around the 15th century, this was a much thinner dagger with a needle-like blade and discs at either side of the hilt that was fashionable at the time.
Medieval Rondel Dagger from 15th Century
