Dictionary Definition
buckler n : armor carried on the arm to intercept
blows [syn: shield]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Noun
- (Armor) A kind of shield, of various shapes and sizes, worn on one of the arms (usually the left) for protecting the front of the body. In the sword and buckler play of the Middle Ages in England, the buckler was a small shield, used, not to cover the body, but to stop or parry blows.
- (Armor) A shield resembling the Roman scutum. In modern usage, a
smaller variety of shield is usually implied by this term.
- Quotations
-
- 1786: The target or buckler was carried by the heavy armed foot, it answered to the scutum of the Romans; its form was sometimes that of a rectangular parallelogram, but more commonly had it's bottom rounded off; it was generally convex, being curved in it's breadth. — Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, page 22.
- One of the large, bony, external plates found on many ganoid fishes.
- The anterior segment of the shell of trilobites.
- A block of wood or plate of iron made to fit a hawse hole, or the circular opening in a half-port, to prevent water from entering when the vessel pitches.
Translations
Extensive Definition
A buckler (French bouclier 'shield', from old
French bocle, boucle 'boss') is a small shield gripped in the fist -- it
was generally used as a companion
weapon in hand-to-hand combat during the Middle Ages,
as its size made it poor protection against missile weapons (e.g.,
arrows) but useful in
deflecting the blow of an opponent's sword or mace. There
are two major forms of medievally documented bucklers. The first is
a simple round shield
with the fist positioned directly behind the boss with a variety of
shapes of face and depths of rim. These could also have projections
from the top and bottom as in Hans
Talhoffer's Fechtbücher or
serrated rings around the boss as in one example in the Wallace
Collection. The second major form is a corrugated rectangle as
suggested by Achille
Marozzo in his Opera
Nova.
Uses
The buckler was more widely used than is commonly
known. It was a simple yet effective weapon, often combined with a
short sword, falchion, or rapier. It was popular circa 1100 to
1600. The buckler had a variety of roles when it came to swordplay,
but four principal means come to the fore. Each use recognizes the
shield's small size and maneuverability when dealing with light
blades.
- Hand protection: The primary use of the buckler in I.33 is to protect the sword hand.
- Deflector: The buckler's lightness and curved center made it excellent for deflecting attacking blades. Such a deflection would leave the attacker open for a rapid counter-attack.
- 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 as depicted in I.33.
- "Metal fist": A buckler can be used to directly attack an opponent by punching with either its flat face or its rim. In MS I.33 the buckler is used to strike the opponent's sword hand and weapon.
- Binder: The buckler can be used to bind an opponent's sword hand and weapon as well as their buckler against their body. The buckler is also very useful in grappling where it allows an opponent's arms to be easily wrapped up and controlled.
Decoration
In classical antiquity, bucklers on medals 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
External links
References
buckler in German: Buckler (Faustschild)
buckler in Icelandic: Buklari
buckler in Polish: Puklerz
buckler in Simple English:
Buckler