Dagger summary
By Tom Rosborough
The dagger is the shortest of all hand weapons, but is also the most lethal. Dagger size can vary from as small as ten inches to as large as two feet, blurring the area between a dagger and a short sword. In armored combat, the dagger was often used for solely for the death blow, but techniques also exist for dagger against dagger combat and empty handed defense against an armed assailant.
In the Starhemberg manuscript of 1452 it is noted that nearly all single combat ends with wrestling or dagger combat, and that it is advisable to pin and secure one’s opponent before working with the dagger. The dagger is obviously an important part of armored combat, but is often overlooked in movies and other mediums.
Two major manuscripts were studied for this project. The Gladiatoria manuscript of 1400 to 1450 was translated specifically for this project. The “Starhemberg” Fechtbuch techniques were not necessarily conceived for the purpose of armored combat, but the similarities in many of the techniques in the manuscripts reinforce the decision to study the Starhemberg Fechtbuch as a credible armored dagger source.
Armored dagger combat can be broken
down into thrusts, parries, and grappling moves. The techniques that focus
on grappling show the similarity between wrestling and dagger combat, which in
many cases overlap.