RONDEL 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.
One popular dagger of this era was the Rondel dagger, taking its name from the distinctive Roundels or discs that made up the guard and pommel plate of the dagger.
The Rondel dagger was a military dagger was a military weapon and was very widespread in its use throughout northern and western Europe.
Blades were typically slender and pointed, either single or double-edged and when thrust into chain-mail created deep penetrating wounds.
The grip of the dagger between the roundel plates was often in either plain, spiral or a bound form. Just how popular the Rondel was is clearly illustrated by the sheer volume of representations there are of them on the effigies of knights over their tombs. The Rondel dagger was to enjoy over two hundred years of continued service on the battlefields of Europe.
