Today we take a look at two common dagger varieties from the Late Medieval period, cruciform quilloin daggers and rondel daggers. Quillion daggers are named for the cross guard that, like a miniature European sword, protects the hand from the weapons of opponents, and keeps the hand of the wielder from sliding down onto the blade when performing powerful overhand thrusts.
Arms and Armor 14th century quillion dagger held in a medieval grip
Rondel daggers are named for the round, disc-shaped guard and pommel that lock the hand into the guard, performing a similar function to the above described variety.
Fighting with Rondel Daggers from Peter Falkner's 15th century fight book, picture courtesy of Wiktenauer.
Although quillion daggers are usually double-edged, and rondel daggers have a variety of blade forms including double-edged, single-edged, and even hollow ground triangular sections, these weapons are wielded in a fundamentally similar manner. Worn on the right hip or the back, these daggers were usually drawn with the right hand from the belt in an ice-pick type grip for powerful over-hand stabbing in an attempt to thrust through any cloth or mail armor the opponent/victim might have been wearing.
As always, our swords are entirely made by us, by hand, at our shop in Minneapolis, MN. The blades are hand ground of 6150 carbon steel, hardened and tempered to 50-52 Rockwell. All of our products are made to look, feel, and function just like the historical originals on which they are based. Arms & Armor is dedicated to quality and authenticity. For over four decades we have worked with museums, collectors, and scholars around the world to develop a deep understanding of European weapons; knowledge we use to make products that exemplify the finest qualities of the very best historic pieces. When we select historic items to reproduce, being pretty isn't enough, they have to move with grace and beauty, and beg to be used when in the hand. These are pieces that feel as good as they look, and that work as well as they feel. Our mission is to craft items that recreate the look, feel, and function of the best historic originals.
Nathan Clough, Ph.D. is President of Arms and Armor and a member of the governing board of The Oakeshott Institute. He is a historical martial artist and a former university professor of cultural geography. He has given presentations on historical arms at events including Longpoint and Combatcon, and presented scholarly papers at, among others, The International Congress on Medieval Studies.
Craig Johnson is the Production Manager of Arms and Armor and Secretary of The Oakeshott Institute. He has taught and published on the history of arms, armor and western martial arts for over 30 years. He has lectured at several schools and Universities, WMAW, HEMAC, 4W, and ICMS at Kalamazoo. His experiences include iron smelting, jousting, theatrical combat instruction and choreography, historical research, European martial arts and crafting weapons and armor since 1985