Common ancient Russian melee weapons - shestoper. It was especially actively used in the XIII-XVII centuries. In fact, this is one of the varieties of the mace, to which several metal plates in the form of feathers are welded. Appeared from multiblade maces.
History of occurrence
The appearance of the shestoper weapon has its roots in ancient times. Its immediate predecessor is considered to be a club with a characteristic thickening at the end. Initially, people fought with the most ordinary clubs, only much later they decided to improve them. When metal and the first armor appeared, transforming a simple club into something more formidable became a must.
It's worth recognizing right away that Russian maces, which belong to the early Middle Ages, are practically not studied. But it was from them that the ancient Russian weapon shestoper originated. At the same time, historians describe in detail each find, from which we can conclude that in the 10th-13th centuries the mace was very common, especially in Transnistria.
Assessing the archaeological finds, we can conclude that a high degree of militarization of society has been observed only since the beginning of the 10th century. At that time, approximately 20% of the male population carried weapons. The good equipment of the troops is also striking, when each warrior has several types of weapons.
Baton upgrade
In fact, both the mace and the club, from which the six-bladed weapon came from, are improved clubs. At that time, it was not only in Russia that they guessed to combine chopping weapons with percussion weapons, but it was here that a metal club with sharp plates at the end, which were also called feathers, became widespread. This is the mace - the most terrible club, as many called it at that time.
Most often, there were six of these feathers, hence the very name of the weapon. Its description can be found in the notes of an unknown foreign traveler who visited Russia in those centuries. He notes that it was a cold ax-shaped weapon that consisted of a metal apple with six blades. All of them were impaled on a heavy handle.
The transformation of a mace into a mace weapon was due to a qualitative leap that occurred in the manufacture of armor. In the days of Kievan Rus, from about the end of the 9th century, the key force and power of the Russian army were warriors, the so-called heavy infantry. During this period, as a rule, mail armor was used as protection.
But already in the XII century, both in Western Europe and in Russia, favorable conditions appeared for the rapid development of the so-called type-setting armor. She isexisted before, but played a secondary role. Only over time, gunsmiths appreciated this type of armor at its true worth, since the plates overlapped each other during assembly for a considerable distance, which actually doubled the thickness of the armor itself. In addition, the curvature of the plates themselves contributed to softening the blow received from the enemy.
Description
This is the reason for the appearance of the deadly old Russian weapon - the shestoper. Outwardly, it is a kind of mace, and several sharply sharpened and strong steel plates are welded to the metal head.
The shestoper came to its classical appearance around the middle of the 13th century. Its weight at that time did not exceed a kilogram, reaching an average of 700 g. The length of the shestoper was approximately 70 centimeters. It was customary to hold it with one hand by the handle, which was separated by a metal ring. The latter served as a guard.
There were modifications to it that made the miner a shock-crushing weapon. For example, a hook could be installed on it, which made it possible to capture enemy weapons. Due to its light weight, it was easy to manage. In its original position before the attack, it was often left suspended. The fact is that in this position it was much more convenient to catch the enemy’s weapon with a hook or strike with a wrist.
Combat technique
At the same time, it should be noted that the technique of fighting with the six-blade was as simple as possible. attacking warriorswung and struck as hard as possible, it was desirable to hit the head.
If the blow was accurate, neither the helmet nor the body armor could protect against it. It turned out a stabbing or poking blow. In close combat, it was almost impossible to repel his blow, especially if the battle took place in a dense crowd.
The batons themselves most often had a leather loop, which had a dual purpose. If the enemy was at a great distance, the club was hung on the arm, and a spear was used in battle. But when the enemy was close, it was convenient to pick her up and put her into close combat. In addition, the six-gun, hanging on the hand in close combat, was most welcome. For example, if the opponent managed to knock the baton out of his hand with a strong blow, it did not fly away, but simply hung nearby. So the warrior had the opportunity to continue the battle.
development of six-handed
It is noteworthy that the six-gun, as the main weapon for heavy infantry, was soon improved. A more advanced version of it appeared - pernach. In fact, pernach, shestoper, mace, notch were varieties of the same weapon, the basis of which is the use of a club.
The problem with this weapon was that the classic mace had a heavily shifted center of gravity towards the striker. So its use required high endurance from the warrior. In addition, it was difficult to defend with it, since it is simply impossible to perform fast movements. With the development of blacksmithing, pernachi appeared. Pernach and shestoper are similaron top of each other, but the first head consisted of steel plates firmly welded together.
Experience gained in battles showed that the 6-rib pernach, which was just called the shestoper, optimally combined the low weight of the shock part with the attacking qualities of the weapon and its durability. The main thing is that the feathers are made of durable steel, as they often come into contact with the impact surface at different angles, and should not break or bend.
Shestoper compared to the mace was a more expensive and sophisticated weapon. At the same time, the shape of his ribs could be the most diverse - triangular, semicircular, rectangular and even curly. That's what a shestoper is, we tried to tell you as much as possible about the varieties and use of this weapon.
Late Sixers
An analogue of the six-feather also existed in the Middle East, only there, as a rule, they used a rounded shape for feathers. Sometimes spikes could protrude from them, which made the wound even more painful and dangerous.
In six-pointers of the 16th and 17th centuries, the blades had a shape close to triangular, with a vertical and elongated tip, which was slightly flattened at the end. This allowed the weapon to effectively destroy the armor without getting stuck in it.
Even lighter were staves with a wooden shaft, they could weigh only 400 g. But during the battle against a warrior in heavy and expensive armor, they were practically useless. In this case, heavy weapons were used, which were completely iron.
Whenall-metal six-feathers appeared, it became possible with them not only to deliver strong and sweeping blows, but also to perform shorter and sharper movements that helped to fend off enemy attacks. For example, to stop the blade from sliding on the iron shaft, a protective disk was installed at the top of the handle. This helped to keep the shestoper, even loosening the grip. In this case, the shock part was attached to an iron shaft with a curly nut.
Why the shestoper became so popular in Russia
Historians do not have a definite answer to this question. But the fact is that they were not widely used either in Asia or in Western Europe. Apparently, this is due to the complex technology of manufacturing weapons.
First, the handle had to be forged separately. Then the head was forged from a single piece. Only then they were welded together, and a guard was also attached to the weapon, helping to protect the hands.
The advent of firearms
Only after the advent of firearms, six-pointers finally went out of use. And before that, they developed and improved over several centuries.
It is noteworthy that the very first versions of this weapon weighed up to 3 kg, had a length of about 70 cm and a triangular section of the ribs. By the beginning of the 15th century, the weight of the shestoper had more than halved. They were most widespread in the XV-XVII centuries.
But the advent of firearms has made them completely ineffective.
Symbol of power
Over time, they began to produce only smaller copies of six-guns. They were richly decorated and served as a symbol of the power of military leaders.
He performed a similar function mainly in Eastern Europe. First of all in Russia, in Hungary and Poland. For example, among the Cossack chieftains. In Zaporizhia, special six-pointers were handed over to foreign ambassadors. They were an analogue of a safe-conduct, demonstrating to everyone that these people were under the protection of the Zaporizhzhya army.
These types of mace and mace appeared in service with the honor guard. For example, they can be found with Parisian porters during the time of Henry IV. According to a number of historians, the royal scepter is a close relative of the shestoper.
