 |
 |
|
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||||
|
Daggers Very few weapons hold the mystique and the allure that the dagger has. It has a long history and it predates the sword. Daggers came into being before metal working had evolved and then in the early stages of metal working daggers were made first. As the ability to draw metals into longer shapes daggers were transformed into swords.
The dagger has the reputation for being a weapon of the unscrupulous and the assassin and this is for good reason. During many centuries of the middle ages it was considered dishonorable to use a dagger because it is a weapon that could be hidden and then used without warning. This was considered a violation of the code of conduct of the knight.
The dagger also has the added feature of being useful for things other than combat with an enemy. It is a standard issue item because it has many other uses including cutting, cooking, hunting, and throwing.
The Sword Breaker was a very unusual variation of the dagger. Read more about this unusual dagger - The Sword Breaker
Interested in learning about Dagger Combat? Try this book.
Daggers are mentioned in many modern books about medieval and Renaissance swordplay, but until now none described how daggers were used in combat. Drawing from sources written from 1409–1600 (including the works of Hans Talhoffer, Fiore dei Liberi, Filippo Vadi, Joachim Meyer and more), this book uses step-by-step photos and historic illustrations to demonstrate the deadly and effective techniques of European dagger fighting. Talhoffer and the others were men with real fighting experience, not self-promoted “grand masters” or denizens of the training hall, and they wrote the manuals that form the basis for Medieval and Renaissance Dagger Combat. The dynamics of the knife fight have not changed over the centuries, and the masters' lessons are as useful against an attacker with today's tactical folder as they were against the first dagger.
|
||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
Daggers are a weapon that naturally evolved from the changes in society and the advancement of technologies. They evolved many different styles all over the world. Here is an example of an egyptian style Kriss (Or waved blade) 
Over the centuries the dagger took on many roles and many shapes. When Firearms took the place of the sword the dagger still found use as a close quarter combat weapon. Many military forces still arm their soldiers with daggers and bayonets still adorn the ends of rifles. The commando dagger shown here is a good example of a modern military variation of a dagger. 
Throughout the centuries the dagger has also been a ceremonial weapon and daggers have been designed very ornately and given to members of organizations as a symbol of rank. The knights templar dagger shown at the left is a good example of this. 
Daggers have taken on a tremendous variety of shapes and sizes. This is an example of a very creative dagger that was designed for the movie The Chronicles of Riddick.
Perhaps the Most unusual dagger ever created was the Triple dagger. 
Medieval and Renaissance Dagger Combat
