BASELARD DAGGER
By the mid 13th century much greater protection was being afforded the armoured knight on the battlefield. Better helmets, more chain-mail and even sections of plate armour were being worn.
Dagger designs were developed in order to be more effective against the better armour now in use.
The main emphasis was on the use of still, pointed blades designed to penetrate the weaker areas of the armour through a direct thrust. The use of the dagger increased and by the 14th century there were several types of dagger being carried both by knights and fighting men on the battlefield.
Daggers were especially vital in close packed fighting where they could be thrust between the gaps in armour, through helmet vents or eye-slits or to quickly despatch a wounded opponent.
The Baselard was originally a swiss design of dagger and was carried by civilians of all classes as part of their daily costume. Many of these daggers however were carried by knights and men at arms and it became a popular form of military dagger in the 14th century. The Baselard is quite distinctive as it has a cross piece on both the lower and upper portions of the grip forming a sideways capital “H” shape.
The grip was constructed by riveting strips of wood or horn to the “H” shaped hilt and when grasped tightly in the hand the dagger could be employed to make powerful downward thrusts.
The blade most often encountered on the Baselard is double-edged although single edged variants are known.
This style of dagger enjoyed popularity from the 13th century through to the 15th century.
