"A buckler (French bouclier ´shield´, from Old French bocle, boucle ´boss´) is a small shield, up to 45 cm (up to 18 in) in diameter, gripped in ...
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the fist with a central handle behind the boss. While being used in Europe since antiquity, 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 his arms or hindering his movements.
MS I.33, considered the earliest extant armed-combat manual, (around 1300) contains an early description of a system of combat with buckler and sword." - (en.wikipedia.org 27.02.2021)
