Quote:
Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth
German dueling shield fits into this model how?
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A fair point. I did say, "generally." :) Dueling shields are something of an exception, for sure.
I should have also specified that I was referring to *duels of honor*, rather than *trial by combat* or *judicial duels*.
When the motive shifts from "proving your manly prowess" to "let God decide who is right by aiding the victor" everything I said goes out the window. Same with the husband and wife combat from Talhoffer's fectbuch (where we also see a depiction of dueling shields), where the man stands in a hole with a stick and the woman has a rock in a stocking--no one took pride in being a particular good at fighting his wife from a hole in the ground.
I believe dueling shields were used primarily in the "judicial duel" context rather than the honor duel context. Even so, fighting with shield and a mace (or sword) isn't that far removed from what would qualify as "martial prowess" in the 15th century, no matter how long and spiky that shield is.