Halberd - a kind of medieval melee weapons. In the period from XIV to XVI it was very popular among foot soldiers. The halberd was quite important in the fight against mounted heavily armed knights.
For several centuries weapons have been improved. A halberd is a chopping ax blade that could cut through even the most durable armor. In addition, the creators equipped the weapon with a spear point, which made it possible to inflict not only chopping, but also stabbing blows.
The popularity of the halberd began to decline with the advent of firearms. This is due to the fact that the role of heavy armor has decreased in battles, since they could not protect the soldiers from bullets. Gradually, heavy armor simply ceased to be used, and therefore the need for a halberd, invented specifically to fight heavily armed warriors, disappeared. In this article, we will look at a photo of a halberd, plunge into the history of its appearance andLet's talk about how to use it in battle.
The history of the halberd
The exact time of the appearance of this melee weapon is not known for certain. However, already at the beginning of the XIV century, warriors used a halberd in battle - this was an obligatory attribute of any Swiss army. At the same time, the earliest versions were ax handles on two-meter shafts.
The popularity of weapons came from the relatively cheap production. In the 14th century, Switzerland was the largest supplier of well-trained mercenary warriors to all of Europe. These warriors were famous not only for their serious discipline and training, but also for their unique weapons, thanks to which they could very successfully resist heavy cavalry.
The combination of low cost production and very high performance in combat resulted in huge popularity. By the middle of the 15th century, everyone knew that the halberd was an obligatory attribute of any European army. Almost every country had at its disposal detachments of warriors armed with this formidable weapon.
General description of weapons
A halberd is a weapon with a two-meter shaft, on which there was a massive ax handle. One end of it was blunt, an ax blade was attached to the other. Over time, the weapon improved, equipped with additional elements. Often the halberd was equipped with a hook, which was intended to pull the enemy warriors from the horses.
There were halberds for fighting at sea, they were called boarding. Weaponit was equipped with a huge hook, which was used to hook the sides of an enemy ship. At the same time, they had a longer, three-meter shaft.
Halberd benefits
During the numerous battles taking place in medieval Europe, the halberd has established itself as a universal weapon. It allowed both to attack the enemy, inflicting stabbing and chopping blows on him, and to defend himself, successfully holding him back at a distance. An ax with a single blade, if used correctly, could be very effective against both horsemen and foot soldiers of the enemy. In turn, a long shaft made it possible to deliver powerful blows of colossal force with a halberd. The blade easily chopped metal, including the strong armor of armed warriors. Fighters well trained in the use of these weapons were considered among the strongest in the Middle Ages.
