how big would a medieval shield be?

Answer 1

Since most people then averaged about 5 foot in height, the shield would be four foot if it was meant to cover most of the body (the head, of course, being above the shield). If it was meant to ward off mace, sword, spear and knives, it would be about three feet or less, depending on how well the man intended to manuever it. Decorative shields on the wall, of course, were larger, to be seen better. And a horseman would have a larger shield to help protect his mount. All shields had a bend or curve to them to direct the weapon away and were painted with the family crest, some fierce creature or some pattern identifying the soldier.

Answer 2

It depends mostly on the time period, the type of weapon it was meant to defend against, and the fighting style, country, and military position of the soldier using it. However the basic sheild that people think of when they thikn of medieval soldiers is shaped like a shield (pointy bottom and flat across the top) The point on the bottom would have come to the fighter's knee and the top would cover the shoulder while he was in a fighting position ( a slight crouch) The sheild itself would have been curved, not flat in order to deflect blows away from the fighter.

Another typical shield was a huge rectangular thing (also curved) that covered from ankle to armpit while the fighter was standing. This shield was not used for one on one combat thoug becuase it would have been to bulky and difficult to maneuver. Instead this was used in a line of others to create a shield wall to protect soldiers behind- usually guys with spears or pole arms . The shiled could be rested on the ground and the fighter still fight over top of it, but his movement would have been limited. If the shield wall was broken and hand to hand combat broke out, he may have likely would have switched to the first shield I was talking about.

There are also a slew of round shields, or long oval shields that were used in the eastern empires though gained popularity in Europe after the Crusades.

It really depends on what specifically you are looking for

Answer 3

There is no set size for a shield actually, it depends on the kind of shield, it's not that hard to find measurements, it depends on what you're looking for just look em' up online.