Hi all. My WMA group will soon be starting an MS I.33 course. My new swords will be arriving tomorrow, so now I'm looking into bucklers. There's one thing that really stood out to me when I pages through a facsimile of I.33; When you see a buckler from the side it's pointy, almost cone-shaped. See the attached image. Also, they appear to be larger when drawn from the side. Virtually all bucklers I see for sale are rounded, resembling a shield boss with a wide brim.

Were 13th century bucklers really that pointy? Are there any pictures of such extant bucklers? I see that Manning Imperial makes one like this but at $450 it's just way too expensive for me. I'm considering getting one custom made if it's not too expensive (Allan perhaps?)

Any ideas, tips and pictures you have will be greatly appreciated!

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Some historic bucklers can be found here:

http://forum.arsgladii.at/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1654

I am very content with this buckler:

http://www.trainingsschwerter.de/shop/catalog...ucts_id=44

I have seen many bucklers with spikes and pointed ends - but they are in no way suited for modern training/sparring in I.33 sword & buckler techniques. If you don't mind getting your hands and belly poked, they will nevertheless serve well ;)

Regards,
Thomas

There are a few preserved 13th c. bucklers from Norway, which are flat, with iron fittings on the front.
Evidently, both types where used.
I would guess that the concave type is a "high performance" version, as it would be less convenient to carry around.

First off, while I know some bucklers historically were pointy, I don't think that thats what I.33 intends to depict by those images. In fact, I don't think it intends to show the buckler side on, crazy as that sounds. They are showing that the buckler is in and important special position.

There are two reasons for this. One is that the position I use for hat image is the only thing I've found that makes the fiddlebow disarm work as illustrated. The position also has tremendous application for other things, but fiddlebow is where it is crucial, and where I figured it out.

The other thing is, while the buckler is frequently used to pin the opponent's weapons, The manuscript never shows the buckler being used to strike with the face of it. So even if there is a spike, they never use it. The system does call for actions that require you to slip the buckler under your sword arm. A spike would be counterproductive for that.

I recommend the following bucklers:
http://www.merctailor.com/catalog/product_inf...ucts_id=57
http://www.alcheminc.com/bucklers.html

They are the correct size (I really prefer 11" for I.33 over any other option), and well made and both are good value at their price points. Both are American-made, which may increase your cost for shipping.

This guy is local to me and makes a decent cheap buckler:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/Buckler-Shield-Medieval-Ar...dZViewItem

Personally, I don't think they are as good value at the 'buy it now price,' but at the starting price, for sure they are.

I'm going to start filming and posting my interpretation of I.33 this weekend. The videos will not be particularly well edited initially, but they will be up on youtube. I'll mention it here when I do.

You could try Talerwin Forge .
That's where Stephen got his from.

Thanks for the suggestions all.

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. In fact, I don't think it intends to show the buckler side on, crazy as that sounds. They are showing that the buckler is in and important special position

What special position do you mean? Perhaps you could post a photo of you holding a buckler that way?

At the moment I am contemplating commissioning a custom buckler based on this buckler at the Museum of London. It depends a bit on how expensive it will become. It's a buckler with an iron dome with saw-teeth edge and separate a steel rim, riveted to a wooden back. Image courtesy of the Museum of London. Note that only half the buckler has been conserved in this picture. The other half was left corroded.

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Poor picture bud here is a side view of the buckler above showing that its made of 3 layers of materials.



Cheers,

J

Nils Andersen has a replica of one of the Norwegian bucklers.
The vikverir resource site also has pictures of the largest of the surviving specimens; http://www.vikverir.no/ressurser/hist_mus_osl...amp;page=3

I've responded to your excellent comments here: http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?p=216080#216080

So, I still haven't find a single 13 century buckler beside the one in the I:33 manual.

They are rare aren't it?

Not rare in depictions.
http://manuscriptminiatures.com/search/?year=...anuscript=

Something interesting I have noticed is that a fair number of 13th century bucklers seem to have a floral pattern on their face.