Bucklers and their material can impact certain aspects of the modern HEMA fight. For example, plastic bucklers make similar sounds to hard plastic gear when struck, resulting in fencers sometimes thinking that they have hit their opponent when they have not. In addition, metal bucklers result in the blade bouncing off of them as opposed to wood bucklers which sponge the impact more. But are there more factors that can come from medieval bucklers that we do not see with modern constructions? In this series of projects, I and one of my students will be creating bucklers loosely based on examples found in The Book of the Buckler by Herbert Schmidt. The primary requirements we have for the bucklers is the following:
Rationale for the Initial Durability TestThe durability test was designed to test immediate failures in the buckler design before continuing to the longevity testing. Based on experience, messers in modern HEMA sword and buckler tournaments appear to deliver the hardest hits so being able to withstand blows from those swords seems pertinent to testing the design. Furthermore, two other sparring matches will be conducted to add a variety of hits to the buckler to try and create an early failure. Rationale for the Longevity TestingAs a cleric who may study I.33 and expect to use their skills for defense in duels or self-defense, it seems reasonable to assume that their buckler should be able to be trained with as well as assist in their defense to get them from one town to the other and then home again. After all, bucklers were considered military equipment in the Saxon Mirror so it was a bit of an investment. It likely would not have been acceptable for their bucklers to be replaced once a month just due to use during training. Because of this, we set the success criteria for our bucklers to be able to last for at least a month in our regular HEMA practice routines, 12 practices including drilling and sparring. If our bucklers can last for the full month, they will be deemed acceptable from a longevity perspective. To assist in this success criteria, we are allowed to do minor repairs to our bucklers including re-tacking the lining, adding wood glue, re-hammering nails, and other simple repairs we feel we (or a professional) could have done for us in the early 14th century. Unfortunately, success criteria of 12 practices is a bit of a shot in the dark. I would love to find better historical examples of expectations of the life of a buckler to better refine this requirement we laid out for this project. Summary of the Project So FarP.0 Buckler: Failed Durability Testing J.1 Buckler: Completed all testing successfully D.1 Buckler: Completed all testing successfully J.2 Buckler: Completed all testing successfully D.2 Buckler: Completed all testing successfully D.3 Buckler: Completed all testing successfully Total Weight of the BucklersWhile the weight of the buckler is not a primary requirement, the bucklers must be usable for drilling and sparring. Because of this, the weight must be taken into consideration. Below is the current weight of our created bucklers compared to purchased bucklers:
Project Wrap-up and ConclusionsThis project has been enlightening for me on the ruggedness of historical bucklers. The primary hypothesis that bucklers were not throw-away shields only intended for a few exchanges seems plausible. After the first buckler, all the project bucklers (and the ones Jerod and I made for fun for ourselves and others) have proven durable and long-lasting. In the context of I.33, it would seem that the contemporary practitioners of the system likely used the same buckler for an extended period of time. One exception to the longevity of bucklers and the testing we did is regarding sharp blades and different types of weapons, like axes, that are more designed to split wood than a sword. Several examples in The Book of the Buckler show re-used boards and ad-hoc buckle repairs. While the liner and planks may be split, these sections could be patched and replaced, allowing for more use out of the original buckler. More importantly, as long as the buckler allows you to survive until your subsequent encounter, it has done its job. Even if we do not spar and practice with sharps, the high volume of impacts and hard hits the bucklers have withstood has convinced me that with disciplined Medieval craftsmanship, the buckler could be a lifelong investment for medieval fencers of the 14th century. More Information on Each Buckler
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This is the first iteration of the historical buckler project. The objective of this buckler is to make a historically accurate buckler with a raw-hide wrap that can meet all the requirements documented in the main post of this project. Disclaimer: This is not a “how-to” post for buckler creation. I am not a professional craftsman and I will be learning along the way with these buckler iterations. I thought it would be worth documenting my progress to help motivate others to try this experiment out for themselves. Design PhaseI started with a simple design. I wanted to make a planked buckler, given how common wooden ones are in the Book of the Buckler. This would create the main design challenge to overcome for this process because multiple planks will be less structurally sound than 1 large board. I also wanted to try using a rawhide wrap for this project. I have done linen wraps for shields in the past and thought rawhide would be a neat challenge that was historically accurate. This buckler was loosely-inspired by the images in I.33 as well as the c954 buckler found in The Book of the Buckler. This design features the first mistake I made when creating the buckler. 4”x1” planks are actually 3.75”x0.75” in dimension which resulted in me cutting two of the blanks down to meet the 12” diameter buckler design. Creation PhaseThe buckler was made using the following items:
After the planks were cut, I marked the boss on the center of the boards to get an idea of where I will need to cut the planks next. This is where I realized the boards were not 4” and were shorter. I cut the two inside boards to create the 12” diameter I wanted for the buckler. I quickly realized that I did not want the outside diameter of the boss. Instead, I wanted the inside area where my hand would go. This was when I decided to cut a square instead of a circle (a decision I would later regret when testing the buckler). The cuts I made ended up being sloppy since I was using a jigsaw and saw horses. The planks were cut in a jagged shape, resulting in the buckler having areas where the planks were convex instead of flat. Ultimately, I do not believe this compromised the structural integrity of the buckler. Finally, it was time to cut the buckler into a round-shape. This was easier than expected but resulted in a more oval shape due to the misunderstanding in plank sizing. This ultimately did not matter once the rawhide liner was applied. After sanding, gluing the planks together, and staining the wood, it was time to add the rawhide. I soaked a rawhide bone for about an hour to soften it up and unravel it. Then I used a box cutter to cut a strip for the buckler. I also applied two patches of rawhide over the handle to add more structure. In hindsight, I think scissors may have been better to create a more uniform cut. Rawhide did not adhere to the buckler the way I expected. In my mind, the rawhide would apply similarly to Paper Mache, holding its shape. This was not the case. I ended up using zip ties and a rope to hold the rawhide in place while it dried. After letting the rawhide dry a few days, it was time to untie it and see the results. I was pleasantly surprised with how well it held its shape without applying adhesive. Next, I drilled holes to prepare for the rivets. The end result was a fairly well-balanced buckler that felt nice in the hand. It was now time to battle-test the buckler. Buckler ComparisonThe planked rawhide buckler ended up being one of the heaviest 12” bucklers in my collection. However, because most of the weight was from the boss, the buckler felt easy to maneuver in the hand.
Durability TestUltimately, the buckler failed in the 4th round of sparring. It was hit directly near the rivets with the crossguard of the sword resulting in the wood splitting near the rivets. This was likely because I used rivets that did not completely go through the wood and also because the rivets were placed near the edge of the planks (a design flaw created by the square cut out for the boss). A full discussion from the team, including the buckler-breaking shot, and the post sparring inspections of the buckler can be found in the following video: ObservationsUltimately, this iteration of the buckler was a failure. If I were a cleric studying from I.33 in the 14th century, I would not want a buckler that could not survive 4 sparring sessions. I suspect bucklers were designed to last far more my buckler did. While not a catastrophic failure, the handle did become loose after the 4 sparring sessions. If the face of the buckler had not failed, then the handle was likely the next failure point. There were also complaints about the feel of the square handle. However, the advantages the rawhide and wood material created in sparring were noticeable. The material sponged blows and resulted in the buckler binding against the opponent’s sword. It helped me set up some shield-strikes as well. Overall, I prefer this type of buckler over a steel buckler when it comes to executing I.33 techniques. While this is circumstantial evidence, it does highlight that bucklers are not just round discs held in the hand. They are tools that can add their own flavor to the fight. Notes for the Next Version To avoid the design decisions that resulted in this buckler’s failure, I will need to do the following:
Another feature I will need to consider is the handle. I plan to round of the handle and possibly wrap it with a twine rope to add comfort for the user. The rawhide used to secure the buckler ultimately did nothing. I will need to explore better ways to keep the handle from becoming loose. I also plan to use wood glue to secure the rawhide to the buckler. This will be done to add more structure to the buckler overall. Funky Buckler and Vier Blossen Historical Fencing paired up to see how shields compare to bucklers. This blog will explore the data from the workshop and what can be learned from this experiment. Experiment Setup Fencers were broken up into two groups. The groups were captained by someone with single-handed sword experience and were given 30 minutes to train their team on the use of sword and buckler and sword and shield. Then, each fencer would fight two fights with both the shield and the buckler. As a control, the groups would only fight opponents using sword and buckler. Fencers would fight to 5 points. Points were determined by the following hits:
The shields used had only one single grip and were selected based on the following research on how shields were held before the time of I.33: https://www.degueulesetdargent.fr/2017/03/02/shield-straps-and-holding-of-the-shield-in-the-early-13th-century The Fencers and their Categories Donny and Lane – Control group of practiced sword and buckler fencers who will face all the other fencers with their shields and bucklers. Ryan and Joe – Captains of their group and tasked with training the fencers who had less experience with single-handed sword systems. Ryan has more experience with sidesword while Joe has more experience with messers. Burhan, Tony, Erik – Members of the group with experience in swordsmanship. Tony has had some training with sidesword while Burhan has studied some of sword and buckler through I.33. Erik has studied some sabre but is primarily a longsword fencer. The DataThe Outlier – Ryan and Lane with Sword and Buckler There was one fight that was excluded from the overall data analysis. Lane and Ryan both had a long fight that resulted in 7 doubles which dramatically skewed their data. This double rate for both fencers was unusually high and both Ryan and Lane assumed this occurred because it was one of the first fights of the day and they were both still warming up. Groups 1 and 2’s Potency As expected, all of the fencers except for Ryan were more effective with the shield than they were with the buckler. Given that each fencer was only given 30 minutes to prepare, it is expected that the fencers found the shield more intuitive to use than the buckler as the shield offered more protection in the fight. Ryan lost potency with the shield over the buckler. Given that Ryan has trained with sidesword and off-hands like the targa and daggers, it seems that with dedicated practice the buckler can become more effective than the shield when fighting in a duel. However, in the post-fight discussion Ryan believed that he would prefer a shield over a buckler if he were in a skirmish setting or if he had to fight multiple opponent. Another interesting observation is Erik’s performance. While his data supports the hypothesis that shields are more intuitive than bucklers, he saw dramatic improvements over others in the two groups. It is possible that Erik is a natural with sword and shield. It is also possible that this is an indication of 1 on 1 instruction over group instruction. Joe captained group 1 which only included Erik which allowed for Joe to focus all 30 minutes on Erik as opposed to Ryan who had to split his attention on training his group. Groups 1 and 2’s Ability to Avoid Doubles Interestingly, the amount of doubles and afterblows in a fight was relatively the same with the buckler and the shield. One possible reason for this is that doubling is more of a mindset. If a fencer is prone to doubles or afterblows then it is likely to occur regardless of the circumstances. Another possible reason is that the shield and the buckler create relatively similar opportunities for both fencers to hit each other. Groups 1 and 2’s’ Survivability All fencers saw an increase in the total time of their fights. This may indicate that fencers are more likely to extend their fights when they use a shield over when they use a buckler. However, the shield fights were conducted after the buckler fights so the longer fights may be due to fatigue rather than the weapons. Lane and Donny’s Potency The average points scored per engagement was not impacted for Lane who averaged 5 points scored per fight (excluding the fight against Ryan with a buckler). Donny performed slightly worse against the shield as opposed to the buckler which could indicate that the shield was more difficult to beat for Donny. Overall, the average points scored does not appear to indicate a difference between shield and bucklers in the hands of the opponent until we analyze the points allowed trend. The average points allowed indicates that Donny struggled with adapting to the sword and shield fight. Lane on the other hand, gave up more points against the buckler than the shield. This seems to indicate that when fencers are armed with a sword and buckler, it is up to them to adapt to their opponent. If this is the case, then Lane was far better at adapting to the shield than Donny was. Lane and Donny’s Ability to Avoid Doubles Donny’s data indicates that you are equally as likely to double against a buckler as you are against a shield. However, Lane’s data tells a different story. Lane was far more likely to double against the shield than he was against the buckler. Given that the shield fights were after the buckler fights and that Lane and Donny had more fights than groups 1 and 2, it is likely that the increase in doubles and afterblows by Lane had more to do with fatigue than the weapon sets themselves. Lane and Donny’s Survivability As discussed earlier, fight lengths were longer against the shield than they were the buckler for both Donny and Lane. Closing Remarks
While the data is what excites me the most when conducting these experiments, it is also exciting to make fencers fight with weapons they are less familiar with. Both groups had their own take on how to use the shield with the sword and with just 30 minutes to train, all the fencers became effective with the shield. For me, if I was in a duel, I would still prefer my buckler. However, it is impossible to deny the effectiveness of the shield in all forms of combat. If I could not control how many opponent’s I would be fighting, I would certainly take a shield over the buckler. |
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