Why the talhoffer duelling shield is so weird and cool
If you've ever scrolled through old medieval manuscripts and seen a guy holding what looks like a giant, spiked wooden coffin lid, you've probably just met the talhoffer duelling shield. It's one of those historical oddities that makes you realize just how different—and sometimes terrifying—the world of 15th-century combat really was. Most of us grew up thinking shields were just flat pieces of wood or metal meant to block arrows, but Hans Talhoffer had much more aggressive ideas in mind. ...