Misericorde (weapon)

An illustration of a misericorde from a 1908 textbook

A misericorde (/ˌmɪzərɪˈkɔːrd/ or /-zɛrɪ-/; from French miséricorde, "mercy"; itself derived from the Latin misericordia, "act of mercy") was a long and narrow knife used during the High Middle Ages to deliver mercy killings to mortally wounded knights, as it was designed to be thin enough to strike through the gaps between their armour.^[1]

The misericorde was used to dispatch knights who had received mortal wounds, which were not always quickly fatal in the age of bladed combat; it could also be used as a means of killing an active adversary, for example during a struggle.^[1] The blade could be pushed through the visor or eyeholes of the helm with the aim of piercing the brain, or thrust through holes or weak points in plate armour, such as under the arm, with the aim of piercing the heart.

The misericorde was known from the 12th century and has appeared in the armaments of England, Germany, and Persia.^[2]^[3] It was also used by Polish knights and princes from at least the 14th century.^{[citation needed]}

Notes

[edit]

^ ^a ^b Bradbury, Jim (2004). The Routledge Companion to Medieval Warfare. London; New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-22126-9.
^ Boutell, Charles (2004). Arms and Armour in Antiquity and the Middle Ages: Also a Descriptive Notice of Modern Weapons. Paul Lacombe (trans.). University of Michigan Library. p. 324. ISBN 978-0-217-17547-0.
^ Riley, Henry Thomas, ed. (1868). Memorials of London and London Life, in the XIIIth, XIVth and XVth Centuries. Being a Series of Extracts Local, Social, and Political, from the Early Archives of the City of London A.D. 1276–1419. London: Longmans, Green and Co. OCLC 940160319.

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