Buckler

Uncommon card · No. 194744

A buckler (French bouclier 'shield', from Old French bocle, boucle 'boss') is a small shield, up to 45 cm (18 in) in diameter, gripped in the fist with a central handle behind the boss. It became more common as a companion weapon in hand-to-hand combat during the Medieval and Renaissance periods. Its size made it poor protection against missile weapons (e.g., arrows) but useful in deflecting the blow of an opponent's weapons, binding their arms, hindering their movements, or punching them. Royal Armouries Ms. I.33 (c.1300 A.D.), considered the earliest extant armed-combat manual, describes a system of combat with buckler and sword.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Pearson Scott Foresman, Public domain