Editing Dagger (section)

===Middle Ages===
{{further|Anelace|Baselard|Bollock dagger|Misericorde (weapon)|Rondel dagger}}
The term ''[[:wikt:dagger|dagger]]'' appears only in the [[Late Middle Ages]], reflecting the fact that while the dagger had been known in antiquity, it had disappeared during the Early Middle Ages, replaced by the hewing knife or [[seax]].<ref>Underwood, Richard (1999) ''Anglo-Saxon Weapons and Warfare'' Stroud, England: Tempus, {{ISBN|0-7524-1910-2}} p70.</ref><ref>Gale, David (1989) ''The Seax'' in ''Weapons and Warfare in Anglo-Saxon England'' Oxford, England: Oxbow {{ISBN|0-947816-21-6}}</ref>

[[File:De Fechtbuch Talhoffer 169.jpg|thumb|right|Depiction of combat with the dagger (''degen'') in [[Hans Talhoffer]] (1467)]]
The dagger reappeared in the 12th century as the "knightly dagger", or more properly, cross-hilt or quillon dagger,<ref>Capwell, p. 28 and Thompson, p. 25. The term "quillon" is a modern invention, though it is commonly used</ref> and was developed into a common arm and tool for civilian use by the late medieval period.<ref>{{cite book |title =Knight |author =Christopher Gravett |publisher =Penguin |year=2007 |page=17 |isbn = 978-0-7566-6762-7}}</ref>

[[File:ReproMedievalDaggers.JPG|thumb|Modern reproductions of medieval daggers. From left to right: [[Ballock dagger]], [[Rondel dagger]], and a [[Quillon]] dagger]]
The earliest known depiction of a cross-hilt dagger is the so-called "Guido relief" inside the [[Grossmünster]] of [[Zürich]] ({{circa|1120}}).<ref>Daniel Gutscher, ''Das Grossmünster in Zürich'' (1983), 120–121, 214–215.</ref> Some depictions of the fully developed cross-hilt dagger are found in the [[Morgan Bible]] ({{circa|1240}}). Many of these cross-hilt daggers resemble miniature swords, with cross guards and pommels very similar in form to swords of the period.<ref>See Thompson, p. 10 and Peterson, plate 25, for good examples of this type in the Museum of London</ref> Others, however, are not an exact match to known sword designs, having for instance pommel caps, large hollow star shaped pommels on so-called "Burgundian Heraldic daggers" or antenna style cross and pommel, reminiscent of Hallstatt era daggers.<ref>See Capwell pp. 28, 122-123, Thompson pp. 24-25, and Peterson plates 26-29</ref> The cross-hilt type persisted well into the Renaissance<ref>Peterson plate 46 and Dean p.96, No. 100</ref>

The [[Old French]] term ''[[:wikt:dague|dague]]'' appears to have referred to these weapons in the 13th century, alongside other terms such as ''poignal'' and ''[[basilard]]''. The [[Late Middle English|Middle English]] ''dagger'' is used from the 1380s.

During this time, the dagger was often employed in the role of a [[companion weapon|secondary defense weapon]] in [[close combat]]. The knightly dagger evolved into the larger [[baselard]] knife in the 14th century. During the 14th century, it became fairly common for knights to fight on foot to strengthen the infantry defensive line. This necessitated more use of daggers. At Agincourt (1415) archers used them to dispatch dismounted knights by thrusting the narrow blades through helmet vents and other apertures.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Thompson |first1=Logan |title=Daggers and Bayonets |url=https://archive.org/details/daggersbayonetsh00thom |url-access=limited |date=1999 |publisher=Spellmount ltd. |location=United Kingdom |page=[https://archive.org/details/daggersbayonetsh00thom/page/n27 24] |isbn=9781862270275}}</ref> The baselard was considered an intermediate between a short sword and a long dagger, and became popular also as a civilian weapon. [[Sloane MS]]. 2593 ({{circa|1400}}) records a song satirizing the use of oversized baselard knives as fashion accessories.<ref>''prenegarde prenegarde, thus bere I myn baselard'' [https://books.google.com/books?id=s9iobZUO8nUC ed. Pickering 1836].</ref> Weapons of this sort called ''[[anelace]]'', somewhere between a large dagger and a short sword, were much in use in 14th century England as civilians' [[accoutrements]], worn "suspended by a ring from the girdle".<ref>{{Cite book |last=French |first=George Russell |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=amMKAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA184 |title=A Catalogue of the Antiquities and Works of Art, Volume 1 |publisher=Harrison and sons |year=1869 |location=London |pages=184}}</ref>

In the Late Middle Ages, knives with blade designs that emphasized thrusting attacks, such as the stiletto, became increasingly popular, and some thrusting knives commonly referred to as 'daggers' ceased to have a cutting edge. This was a response to the deployment of heavy armour, such as [[chain mail|maille]] and [[plate armour]], where cutting attacks were ineffective and focus was on thrusts with narrow blades to punch through mail or aim at armour plate intersections (or the eye slits of the helmet visor). The shape of their hilt sometimes classes these late medieval thrusting weapons as either [[roundel dagger|roundel]], [[bollock dagger|bollock]] or [[Ear dagger|ear]] daggers. The term ''dagger'' is coined in this time, as are the [[Early Modern German]] equivalents ''[[:wikt:Dolch|dolch]]'' (''tolch'') and ''[[:wikt:Degen#Etymology 2|degen]]'' (''tegen''). In the [[German school of fencing]], [[Johannes Liechtenauer]] ([[3227a|Ms. 3227a]]) and his successors (specifically Andres Lignizer in [[Cod. 44 A 8]]) taught fighting with the dagger.<ref>{{cite book |title =Schools and Masters of Fencing: From the Middle Ages to the Eighteenth Century |author=Egerton Castle |publisher =Courier Dover Publications |year=2003 |page=246 |isbn = 978-0-486-42826-0}}</ref>

In some respects, these techniques resemble modern [[knife fight]]ing but emphasize thrusting strokes almost exclusively, instead of slashes and cuts. When used offensively, a standard attack frequently employed the reverse or [[icepick grip]], stabbing downward with the blade to increase thrust and penetrative force. This was done primarily because the blade point frequently had to penetrate or push apart an opponent's steel [[chain mail]] or [[plate armour]] to inflict an injury. The disadvantage of employing the medieval dagger in this manner was that it could easily be blocked by various techniques, most notably by a block with the weaponless arm while simultaneously attacking with a weapon held in the right hand.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}} Another disadvantage was the reduction in effective blade reach to the opponent when using a reverse grip. As the wearing of armour fell out of favor, dagger fighting techniques began to evolve, emphasizing the use of the dagger with a conventional or forward grip.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}} In contrast, the reverse or icepick grip was retained when attacking an unsuspecting opponent from behind, such as in an assassination.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}}