Buckler
Small fist-held round shield for active defense
The buckler is a small round shield of roughly 20-40cm diameter, gripped by the central boss with the fist and used for active, mobile defense. Rather than passively blocking, it deflects attacks and creates openings — the core of the "sword and buckler" fighting system documented in numerous medieval fencing manuals. Cheap to produce from a single metal plate and small enough to hang from the belt, it was widely accessible to both professional warriors and ordinary citizens as a self-defense tool. Sword and buckler remains a popular discipline in modern Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA).
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