Hello people.

I have seen some long or bastard swords, dating from the first half of the XVI century with siderings and some weird looking thing between the edge and the hilt like covering some kind of short ricasso. Do you know if those are knuckle guards?
How a bastard sword with knuckle guards looks like?

http://bjorn.foxtail.nu/images/p_1520.jpg

http://bjorn.foxtail.nu/images/1520_hilt.jpg

Thanks.

That's called a finger ring.

Knuckle guards protect the knuckles on the grip.

Oh, thanks, but, Do you know if a longsword with finger rings and siderings too is accurate?

Thanks

Yes, it would be accurate.

http://www.myArmoury.com/albums/photo/1191.html
(the one on the left)
http://www.myArmoury.com/albums/photo/1188.html

http://www.myArmoury.com/albums/photo/1185.html

http://www.myArmoury.com/albums/photo/4137.html

http://www.myArmoury.com/albums/photo/1133.html
(this one's really nice)

A knuckle guard runs from the cross guard down towards the pommel.

http://www.myArmoury.com/albums/photo/1018.html

http://www.myArmoury.com/albums/photo/5580.html

http://www.myArmoury.com/albums/photo/1023.html
(on the left)
http://www.myArmoury.com/albums/photo/1120.html
(also on the left)

Some of these pictures may have bastard swords with knuckle gurads too. Search around in the albums to find beautiful examples of all of the combinations.

Thanks for the magnific photos!
I guess i have mistaken swords (I thought finger rings were knuckle guards :wtf: ), but i´m glad to see such beautiful examples of swords and in some examples, still fullers running through the powerful blade and their long grips. They look awesome in the hands of a fearsome Gendarme.

Do you know if log gripped swords like type XVIIIb (With 25 cm grips) were re hilted too, or if some grips still were so long?
What is the utility, or how do you use finger and siderings in mounted or foot combat?

Thanks.

A finger ring protects the index finger when looped over the cross guard. This is sometimes called "fingering the riccaso" or "fingering the guard." It allows for better tip control. This can be done on most any sword, whether it has a finger ring or not. At the end of the movie, Braveheart, the character of Robert the Bruce fingers the cross guard of his arming sword as he leads the charge.

Side rings protect the hand in general. For example, when cutting a zwerchau against a cut from above, side rings better protect the hand from getting hit than the cross guard alone.

And, what about fully armored men-at-arms, Did they used side and finger rings in their bastard swords too while wearing gauntlets?

Side rings are either there or not. You don't really "use" them. Finger rings might be used with guantlets if the rings were large enough. Of course, sometimes men-at-arms are pictued in full plate withough guantlets, and then there are mitten guantlets and other types that cover the back of the hand but allow the fingers to be free, such as in the following picture.
http://www.myArmoury.com/albums/photo/7981.html
Normally, I think of complex hilts as being latter era and finger rings being more suited to arming swords where tip control might be an issue.

So, if i have a Maximilian gauntlet i would better buy a Bastad rsword with siderings only...
Do you know if maces and axes had those knuckle guards too? Since even with gauntlets mace or sword blows to the own hand can be very painful too...

I don't really know that much about axes or maces, so I looked at the albums here. I found a few picks such as the one in this picture with a bit of a guard but not really enough to protect the hand that well. I do not remember ever seeing anything like you are describing, however that doesn't mean that it couldn't exist. It probably means that it would not be very common. On the other hand, I don't know why not. It seems like it would be a good idea. The guard found on Katzbalgers would work fine.

http://www.myArmoury.com/albums/photo/999.html

http://www.myArmoury.com/review_lut_13001.html
(Katzbalgers)

I would venture a theory that the finger ring and the technique of fingering the ricasso was prevalent for one-handed wielding from horseback, on the simple grace that attempting more than a few of the two-handed longsword techniques taught for combat on foot are difficult, even impossible, when you're fingering the cross.

I am also not a big fan of fingering the ricasso when using a sword with both hands. The use of the finger ring while mounted makes sense to me.

With a sword, edge alignment is crucial and so the hands and fingers must retain their agility. Gauntlets seem to restrict agility and the heavier gauntlet do so even more. Protection mounted on the sword itself might be required to compensate for wearing less hand protection or none at all.

On the other hand, maces do not require edge alignment and so heavy hand protection should not interfere at all with the weapon's use, as long as one can grip the weapon securely.

Can´t finger rings be used too (By a crazy guy wearing a gauntlet) to avoid being hit in your fingers by an enemy weapon sliding down after crashing with his sword´s blade while performing that special grip from horseback?

What do you recomend, wearing a gauntlet with a longswords with siderings, or avoid the gauntlet and use a longsword with finger rings too?

From my own experience with bouting getting hit on the fingers is hard to do except in the bind. That is in a primarily slashing style with few binds, the problem will almost never occur. But once you start binding and winding it happens a bunch.

So sinlge sword use with a shield: no reason not to 'finger the ricasso', especially for the advantage of point control.

Just a hypothesis from my experience.

Ok, i´m a bit confused now, Where Hand and a half swords used with shields too? And about gauntlets, The type of hilt defenses, like siderings, varied depending on the heaviness of the gauntlet, or to the preference of the owner?

Thanks.

P.D.

I have a problem defining ¨Arming Swords¨, a friend told me that those swords were only single handed and not hand and a half swords, and they were used by foot soldiers, i replied him that arming swords were both hand and a half swords and single handed swords carried as side weapons by cavalry and infantry, What do you think?