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Halberd

This article is about the weapon. For the fictional airship, see Halberd Halberd

This article is about the weapon.... 

A halberd is a two-handed pole weapon Pole weapon

A pole weapon or polearm is a close combat weapon [i] with the main fighting part of the weapon pl ... 

 that came to prominent use during the 14th 14th century

As a means of recording the passage of time [i], the 14th century was that century [i] which lasted from ... 

 and 15th centuries 15th century

As a means of recording the passage of time [i], the 15th century was that century [i] which lasted from ... 

. Possibly the word halberd comes from the German words Halm , and Barte . The halberd consists of an axe Axe

The axe is an ancient and ubiquitous tool [i] that has been used for millennia [i] to shape, split and c ... 

 blade topped with a spike mounted on a long shaft. It always has a hook or thorn on the back side of the axe blade for grappling mounted combatants Cavalry

Soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback are commonly known as cavalry .... 

. It is very similar in many ways to certain forms of voulge Voulge

A voulge is a type of polearm [i] that existed along side the similar glaive [i] in medieval ... 

. The halberd was cheap to produce and very versatile in battle.

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This article is about the weapon. For the fictional airship, see Halberd Halberd

This article is about the weapon.... 



A halberd is a two-handed pole weapon Pole weapon

A pole weapon or polearm is a close combat weapon [i] with the main fighting part of the weapon pl ... 

 that came to prominent use during the 14th 14th century

As a means of recording the passage of time [i], the 14th century was that century [i] which lasted from ... 

 and 15th centuries 15th century

As a means of recording the passage of time [i], the 15th century was that century [i] which lasted from ... 

. Possibly the word halberd comes from the German words Halm , and Barte . The halberd consists of an axe Axe

The axe is an ancient and ubiquitous tool [i] that has been used for millennia [i] to shape, split and c ... 

 blade topped with a spike mounted on a long shaft. It always has a hook or thorn on the back side of the axe blade for grappling mounted combatants Cavalry

Soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback are commonly known as cavalry .... 

. It is very similar in many ways to certain forms of voulge Voulge

A voulge is a type of polearm [i] that existed along side the similar glaive [i] in medieval ... 

.

The halberd was cheap to produce and very versatile in battle. Originally, the halberd was best known for the sheer weight and cutting power of its axe head, able to carve through the armor Armour

Armour or armor is protective clothing intended to defend its wearer from intentional harm in combat [i] ... 

 commonly used by knights upon its introduction onto the battlefield. As the halberd was eventually refined, its point was more fully developed to allow it to better deal with spears Spear

A spear is an ancient weapon [i] used for hunting [i] and war [i], consisting of a shaft, usually of wood [i] ... 

 and pikes , as was the hook opposite the axe head, which could be used to pull horsemen to the ground.

Additionally, halberds were reinforced with metal rims over the shaft, thus making effective weapons for blocking other weapons like swords. This capability increased its effectiveness in battle, and expert halberdiers were as deadly as any other weaponmasters. It was a halberd, in the hands of a Swiss peasant, which clove through the helmet of the Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold Charles I, Duke of Burgundy

Charles, called the Bold or the Rash was Duke of Burgundy [i] from 1467 [i] to 1477 [i]. ... 

, decisively ending the Burgundian Wars Burgundian Wars

The Burgundy Wars were a conflict between the Dukes of Burgundy [i] and the Kings of France [i] ... 

 -- literally with one stroke.

The Halberd was the primary weapon of the early Swiss Switzerland

Switzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked [i] Alpine country [i] in Central Europe [i] ... 

 armies in the 14th and early 15th centuries. Later on, the Swiss added the pike to better repel knightly attacks and roll over enemy infantry formations, with the halberd, hand-and-a-half sword Longsword

The late medieval [i] longsword, also colloquially referred to as bastard-sword or hand-and-a-h ... 

, or the dagger Dagger

A dagger is a double-edged knife used for stabbing, thrusting or as a secondary defense weapon in close combat [i] ... 

 known as the Schweizerdolch Baselard

The baselard or Swiss [i] dagger [i] was a weapon popular with the Swiss pikemen [i] throughout th ... 

being used for closer combat. The German Landsknechts Landsknecht

Landsknechts were European, most often German [i], mercenary [i] pikemen [i] and foot soldier [i] ... 

, who imitated Swiss warfare methods, also used the halberd, supplemented by the pike, but their side arm of choice was the short sword known as the Katzbalger Katzbalger

A Katzbalger is a short renaissance [i] arming sword [i], notable for its sturdy build and a ... 

.

As long as pikemen fought other pikemen, the halberd remained a useful supplemental weapon for
"push of pike," but when their position became more defensive, to protect the slow-loading arquebusiers Arquebus

[i]
[i]
... 

 and matchlock Matchlock

The Matchlock was the first mechanism or "lock" invented to facilitate the firing of a hand-held firear... 

 musketeers from sudden attacks by cavalry Cavalry

Soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback are commonly known as cavalry .... 

, the percentage of halberdiers in the pike units steadily decreased, until the halberd all but disappeared from these formations as a rank-and-file weapon by the middle of the sixteenth century.

The halberd has been used as a court bodyguard weapon for centuries, and is still the ceremonial weapon of the Swiss Guard Swiss Guard

Swiss Guards are Swiss mercenary [i] soldiers who served as bodyguards, ceremonial guards and palace gua ... 

 in the Vatican Vatican City

Vatican City formally State of the Vatican City, or Vatican City State is a sovereign [i] ... 

. The halberd was one of the polearms sometimes carried by lower-ranking officers in European infantry units in the 16th through 18th centuries.

Some of the different types of halberds include:
  • Hippe
  • Scorpion
  • Ji


Other weapons that are sometimes listed as halberds:
  • Bisento Bisento

    A Bisen-to is a kind of Japan [i]ese pole weapon [i] which greatly resembles a naginata [i]. ... 

  • Lochaber axe Lochaber axe

    The Lochaber axe, also called a Jeddart axe, was a Scottish [i] war axe [i] that came int ... 

  • Naginata Naginata

    Naginata is a pole weapon [i] that was traditionally used in Japan [i] by members of the samurai [i] cla... 

  • Poleaxe Bardiche

    A bardiche or long poleaxe is a type of polearm [i] that was used during times of war ... 

  • Bill hook Bill (weapon)

    The bill was, in the 15th and 16th Centuries, the main close combat weapon [i] of English [i] in ... 

  • Dagger-axe