Many of you are likely familiar with the WWI trench knife.

[ Linked Image ]

While many swords and a few daggers had D-guards to protect the hand, this is different. Since this kind of guard is designed to work as a 'knuckle duster' it must be far stronger to take the force of a full-power straight punch to an unyielding target without collapsing the guard on the hand of the user. It also is usually studded or 'toothed' on the outside radius to enhance the effect of the blow.

So my question is, are there any examples of Medieval or Renniasance swords or daggers with this 'brass knuckle'-style handguard?

The only example that comes to mind is the Chinese hook sword, and I don't know if that's as old as Renaissance. Perhaps as early Ming, comfortably Medieval, but hard to say for sure.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hook_sword

I know early metallurgy would make constructing such a guard more difficult, but it should be well within the capabilities of a master weaponsmith even earlier on. I am surprised nobody seems to have done it.

Firstly the trench knife is a close-quarter weapon that doesn't significantly increase your reach, whereas to use the sword in an unarmoured context, you will probably want to stay at around what renaissance fencing instructors referred to as wide or large measure - unless your opponent rushes in, perhaps to grapple, and you can't otherwise counter in time. In short, you shouldn't need to use your sword guard as a knuckleduster all that often.

Further, the guard of the trench knife (and the weapon as a whole) is a relatively light affair, so it might have been considered worth adding the ridges to increase its offensive potential. A basket hilt or even knuckleguard on a military sword is usually quite a bit larger and consequently heavier, so if you punch someone in the face with it, they're going to know they've been punched.
There are some 17th century schiavonas which have decorative rivets on the baskets, but these are ornamental; silver or silver-plated if I recall (i.e. soft) and any enhancement to the basket's effectiveness as a knuckleduster is almost certainly unintended.

In a similar fashion in the early renaissance, there is a technique of striking armoured opponents with the pommel (mordschlag), and there are a few German fencing manuals which advocate using longswords with spiked pommels for this (during judicial duels) but most others show the technique as working just as well with ordinary pommels of the sorts found on virtually all surviving swords from the period. Clearly it was thought about, but wasn't generally considered worth the effort.

Certainly, there are a number of varieties of hilts suited to this. Basket and half basket examples, figure of eight and other cutlasses, briquet etc. While they may not have spikes, certainly strong enough to deliver blows and damage to period examples shows just that,. Punching and pounding with a hilt not always a point ;)

My heavy brass hilted spadroon a good example in beef of form. More fragile though are a lot of simpler and fancy hilts. My spadroon could be considered both a beak breaker and skull crusher type that would leave an impression :)

[ Linked Image ]

Cheers

GC

---

 Attachment: 63.03 KB



 Attachment: 62.66 KB



 Attachment: 47.92 KB

If you're not limiting your inquiry to just European/Western weapons, then you've got the Hawai'ian, Micronesian & Polynesian "knuckle duster."

The Pacific cultures did not have iron before Western contact, so generally these lei-o-mano (shark's lei) weapons were made with hardwoods like kauila, milo or koa; swordfish spikes; coconut cord; and tiger shark teeth.

Cook had first contact with these people in the 1700s (and they killed him because of his Euro-centric ignorance and arrogance) but there is no reason not to believe that these weapons were present during the pre-contact era as well.

---

 Attachment: 93.9 KB

There are also hilts for swords as shown in Vadi illustrations and numerous blow techniqes with simple and compound hilts with side rings, what have you..

Cheers

GC

---

 Attachment: 20.02 KB

One real consideration of extra points or protrusions on a guard is snagging on ones own clothing. I have never seen a pointed and or fingered guard on a smallsword aside from some of the vaquero saddle swords with a single ring guard,

Some of the lighter officer swords of the 19th century have some elements that could be considered hurtful. I have one such, on a later eagle pommel.

[ Linked Image ]

While I have that folder open, here is an even more ouchy example (likely for the user as well).

[ Linked Image ]

Cheers

GC

Remember that the guard is stronger when it deflects the force of the blow, which also decreases the shock to the hand. A longer weapon hitting that spiked guard would probably redirect your hand in a disadvantageous manner.

I admit that I can't back this up with any sparring experience of my own, but it fits with what I've been reading about 19th C sword design.

Necromancy time:

It comes down to combat style. the idea of pommel strikes or punches in sword combat is mostly a hollywoodism . If your opponent is so open you can deck him with your basket hilt you can probably just stab him or at least give him a harrying cut to the face or neck.

Especially with small swords and rapiers. If you're close enough to be able to punch the guy then it's devolving into ground combat or both parties breaking away to proper distance.

Things like BOTN hand pavises people corner bash with is due to the rules of the combat sport (3 limbs on the ground=out). In reality if you aren't using a 2h poleaxe. cut down lance, or 2hand sword you probably have a thrust oriented dagger on your hip or in your off hand as seen in most woodcuts from surviving combat manuscripts and you'd be aiming for armpits, groins, and necks.

First you have a sword, so why'd you need to punch a guy?

A second item note is that people had more armour, try to punch a man wearing Bevor or Hounskull in in the face, even an open helm like a Barbute or a Late Roman ridge helmet, all you get is dents and anger.

The blunt impact of a fist is not all that well able to stop people, look at any boxing match or MMA fight, men take dozens of blunt blows to the head to little effect.