[M. Eversberg II]

I am currently working on a early 14th century man-at-arms set. I plan to use maille, an armoured surcoat, my sword (for now my Windlass "Classic Medieval Sword" until I can get something more elite), and a helm of some form (unsure as of yet). I was wondering what sort of daggers where the norm in Western Europe at the time, and what role did they serve on and off of the battlefield?

M.

[Richard Fay]

Hello all!

M.,

You picked a good time to depict daggers, since they were becoming more common among the men-at-arms. The baselard seems to be around by the early 14th century, as well as "antennae" daggers and quillon daggers. I'll list a few examples and period depictions for you:

From Ewart Oakeshott's The Archaeology of Weapons:

-two daggers from the second half of the thirteenth century, once in Oakeshott's collection. Short, double-edged blades with a flattened diamond section. The hilts have curved guards at each end, each of the same size and made like a flat ribbon about 1/2 inch wide. The ends of the guards are rolled over into a curve.

-a dagger with a bronze pommel, circa 1300, again once in Oakeshott's collection. The blade is long, slender, and acutely tapered. The pommel is lozenge-shaped with little lugs sticking out of each side. The guard is rather short.

-the English knightly monument of Sir Robert Shurland, circa 1325, has one of the earliest representations of a ballock dagger.

From Arms and Armour of the Medieval Knight by David Edge and John Miles Paddock:

-the carved relief of a mounted knight on the tomb of Gugliemo Beradi of circa 1289 shows one of the earliest depictions of a dagger at a knight's belt. The dagger is similar to a baselard; it's hilt is roughly an "H" shape. The guard is straight, while the pommel, almost as long as the guard, is crescent-shaped.

-the warrior from a detail from the fourteenth century illuminated address of the town of Prato to Robert of Anjou wears a definite baselard on his hip. The hilt is of an "H" shape, and the grip material is rivetted onto the tang. This illustration is perhaps closer to mid-14th century than early-14th century.

I hope this helped! I tried to find some a bit before and a bit after the time period you're looking at, to give you an idea of what may have been in use.

Stay safe!

[Felix Wang]

There seem to have been several dagger types which came into use in the first half of the 14th century, including early rondel daggers and ballock daggers. Antenna hilt "quillon" daggers were gradually going out of use. The baselard seems to have been quite popular, particularly in Germanic countries.

[Richard Fay]

[Richard Fay]

Hello again!

Here's a few more depictions in art from the late 13th-early 14th century that may help you decide what kind of dagger to wear.

From Ancient Armour & Weapons by John Hewitt:

-Combat of knights from Roy. MS. 20 D. i. Late 13th century(?). One warrior with a fan-shaped crest on his sugar-loaf great helm wears a dagger at his side. It is roughly like a baselard, the hilt is in the shape of a capital "I". The ends of the guards look either bulbous or "curled".

From Arms & Armour of the Crusading Ear 1050-1350 Western Europe and the Crusader States by David Nicolle:

-the effigy of Sir William Baggily, circa 1320-30, in the church in Bowdon, England shows a dagger shaped like a small sword. It appears to be suspended from the knight's belt by a tassel and knot which stops the thong from slipping out from beneath the belt.

-carved relief of an Elector of Bavaria from Kaufhaus, Mainz, 1318. The warrior wears a baselard dagger on his side, with a chain running from it to his chest.

-wall paintings from Tuscany, circa 1280-92. One of the mounted knights has a large baselard dagger at his hip. It's hilt is of a capital "I" shape, slightly curved top and bottom, and clearly shows rivets.

-tomb slab of Filippo dei Desideri, Romagna, circa 1315. A baselard hangs suspended, probably from his sword belt.

-many of the early 14th century knightly effigies of southern Italy and Sicily show daggers on the right hip. Some are baselard-type daggers, while others are ballock-type daggers.

From Medieval Arms and Armor: a Pictorial Archive by J. H. Hefner-Alteneck:

-the effigy of Albrecht of Hohenlohe, died 1319. The knight wears a baselard-type dagger suspended just right of centre. A chain goes from the pommel to his chest. The hilt is not a sharp capital "I" shape, but rather one that's gently curved throughout. The grip swells slightly in the middle, and the guard and equally wide pommel are rounded. The scabbarded blade is rather short and of triangular shape.

Based on what I found, I would say that a baselard (or variations of a baselard) might be the most common type of dagger in the very early 14th century, but others were seen at the time.

I hope this helped!

Stay safe!

[M. Eversberg II]

Thanks for the info. I was wondering if I would find daggers from designs in the previous century in later centuries? For instance, would I find on a man at arms this dagger: http://www.arms-n-armor.com/dagg130.html from the 13th century if he's from the 14th? Or was weapon "fashion" like clothing "fashion", always changing and subject to change?

M.

[Kel Rekuta]

All of it changes just like modern fashion. Not completely new stuff every decade of the 14thC but accessories change more frequently. Wear older patterned accessories within the first decades of the early 14th? Maybe. Early 14thC armour is more similar to late 13thC than to post 1330's transitional styles.

Daggers might have been considered accessories to swords in terms of fashion. They frequently match on mid 14thC effigies in Italy and Germany. The rondel hilt design served a particular purpose when you consider the types of gauntlets used at the time. Every element of an harness has to work together including weapons. It might be easier to understand what they wore when you consider why they did. Hope that helps.