Throughout its history, mankind has created many types of piercing and cutting edged weapons. In European countries, the dagger is considered the most ancient version of combat knives. The craftsmen made several varieties of this short-bladed weapon.
One of the most effective examples of European combat knives is the "Daga" dagger for the left hand. The history and description of this blade are presented in the article.
Introduction
The "Daga" dagger is a type of European short-bladed melee weapon. It was used as an additional to a sword or broadsword. Therefore, the "Dag" dagger was intended for the left hand. It was used in fights paired with the main weapon. The French called dag "men-gosh", which means "left hand".
Description
Dag's dagger is a melee weapon with a short narrow blade that looks very much like a stiletto and a complex guard. It is presented in two versions: in the form of a bowl or temples. The hilt has a wide guard and a cross, the ends of which are curved forward. "Daga" is equipped with a special catching device in the form of a steel plate with ends curved towards the tip.
It is installed between the handle and the blade. Thanks to such design features, the Daga dagger is highly effective in capturing and holding the enemy's blade. The shield of the guard has the shape of an openwork triangle. The blade can be flat or equipped with 3-4 edges. The width is 10 mm. According to experts, faceted blades are more effective than flat blades, as they can pierce chain mail.
Some daggers have no cutting edge at all. Such "Dags" at one time only delivered stabbing blows. This type of dagger is characterized by a small cross section, due to which edged weapons are highly durable. In addition, the blade is completely steel. The size of the "Daga" dagger (the photo of the weapon is presented in the article) is 500-600 mm. Of these, the blade itself accounts for 300 mm. This product weighs no more than 0.5 kg.
About the origin of the "Daga" dagger
Melee weapons until 1400 were mainly used by commoners. In the XV century, among the European nobility, a fashion for a duel appeared. The blade has become an effective means of ending a quarrel when it was necessary to protect the honor of the nobility at all costs. "Duel Fever"contributed to the growth in popularity of this bladed weapon. The dagger "Daga" began to be used by the knights. The famous Battle of Agincourt in 1415 took place using these blades.
About combat use
The use of dag served as an impetus for the emergence of new fencing techniques, in which not the strongest, but the more dexterous and faster fighter won. Each country had its own school. The Germans specialized in chopping, the Italians in stabbing. Despite the fact that each school had its own style, they were taught to repel blows only with the left hand. During training, they used bucklers - special fist guards. In combat conditions, in the absence of a dagi, a student could use a cloak wound around his hand.
At the beginning of the 16th century, the Spaniards invented a new style of sword fights, which was called "Espada and Daga". Attacking blows (lunges) were made with a sword, which the fencer took in his right hand. "Daga" was held in the left. The purpose of the dagger is to parry the blows of the enemy. Using a sword and a dagger, the swordsman could effectively perform double strikes with two blades, defend and attack at the same time.
The dagger replaced the heavy shield. According to experts, the dago can not only parry the blows of the enemy, but also attack, which could not be done with a shield. Often during the fights, the swords broke. In such situations, the functions of the main weapon were performed by dagas. The dagger was only very effective at short range. Duringduel, the tip of the dagi was directed towards the enemy. They held the dagger at the level of the neck or chest. According to experts, fencers have never held this weapon with a reverse grip. The use of dag allowed the fighter to move freely and perform complex stabbing and cutting blows.
How was the blade worn?
Dougie was thrust into a wide belt. They could also be worn on special chains. Sheaths for this melee weapon were not provided. The exception is the Swiss dags, which were worn in sheaths with two or three combat knives. Often the "daggers of the left hand" were located on the right side. This gave the wearer the ability to quickly draw a weapon and parry an opponent's attack.
About the Levantine dagger
"Daga" of this type is a two-edged product with two lobes, the separation of which is carried out using a high middle rib. The edge of the blade is slightly blunt. The handle is equipped with a small side finger ring. The guard is equipped with a shield and two bows in the form of an iron axe. The dagger, 950 mm long, was attached to a special military belt.
Oxtongue
Venice and Verona were the places of manufacture of this "Daga" dagger. The weapon is equipped with a short, wide and flat symmetrical blade. The triangular and trihedral point is formed by converging straight lines of blades. In some daggers of this type, the blades can be separated by an edge. The handle consists of bone or wooden plates. The place of their fastening was a flat rod, in which the tube expanding upwards formsdagger head.
In some variants of edged weapons, the tube on the sides can be crimped with a metal strip, the ends of which stretch to the beginning of the handle. The bows directed towards the tip are also overlapped by a strip, like the tube itself. The place of their installation was the base of the blade. The arms are attached by riveting. The overall size of the dagger can vary between 600-700mm.
Dagassa
Is a Western European piercing blade cold weapon - a wide dagger or combat knife. Italy is considered the birthplace of these products. Especially widespread in the XIV-XVI centuries. "Daga" consists of a straight double-edged spear-shaped blade. For the side planes of the knife, special edges are provided, due to which the dags are very effective when piercing armor. For comfortable holding of the weapon, the base of the blade is equipped with special notches for the thumb and forefinger. They are protected by arms that descend towards the blade.
About German weapons
The design of the German dagi consists of the main and two side blades, which are bred to the sides. For them, a hinged mount is provided. The mechanism of their dilution is driven by a special spring. After pressing the corresponding button, the weapon takes the form of a kind of trident.
Such a design feature made it possible for the swordsman to break the blades of his opponents during the duel. To do this, it was enough to capture the blade of an enemy knife in a trap and pressshutter button on the handle of the dougie. Then the grips of the side blades were released, after which they were released, and, diverging to the sides, broke the blade.
About the Spanish model
The Spanish version of dagi is considered the most famous. The dagger is characterized by the presence of a flat narrow blade and a developed guard. A blade with a broad base tapering to a point. Spanish dogs have one-sided sharpening. The guard of the dagger consists of long straight arms and a triangular shield that wraps around the hand.
Its purpose is to protect the swordsman's hand from the opponent's blows. At the base of the blade, the shield is wide and narrowed at the top of the handle, which are mostly short in the Spanish "Dags". Items are usually equipped with expensively decorated hilts.
About the Japanese version
The sai dagger is equipped with a narrow round or multifaceted blade, along which the guards extend towards the tip. Unlike European variants, these arms are sharply sharpened. Also, the Japanese sai differs from the rest of the dag in that it is not an additional melee weapon. Moreover, this dagger does not apply to samurai combat blades. Sai is an agricultural tool. According to experts, the jutte is considered a real Japanese combat blade.
Structurally, it is very similar to the sai, however, the combat version is equipped with only one bow and a powerful thick faceted and unsharpened blade. Also, the jutte does not have a point, so this product was used as a police baton. Because inthe composition of the Japanese police in the Edo era included samurai, then, according to historians, jutte can be attributed to samurai weapons. It was not used in tandem with another blade. Unlike European dogs, the baton was not designed to kill the enemy.
With the help of jutte, they only disarmed intruders armed with swords. Also, Japanese craftsmen made a jutte with a sharply sharpened blade. This type of edged weapons was called "marohoshi". The police were not equipped with such a blade.
