halberd
Sign in to saveA halberd (also called halbard or halbert) is a two-handed polearm that was in prominent use from the 13th to 16th centuries. The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on a long shaft. It may have a hook or thorn on the back of the axe blade for grappling mounted combatants and protecting allied soldiers, typically musketeers. The halberd was usually long.
AI overview
A halberd is a two-handed weapon used from the 13th to 16th centuries that combines an axe blade with a spike on top of a long shaft, sometimes including a hook or thorn on the back for grappling with mounted fighters. It mattered as a practical battlefield tool that could both strike enemies and protect soldiers like musketeers during this historical period.
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Article
8 sectionsContents
- History
- The development of the halberd
- Similar and related polearms
- Gallery
- See also
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
A halberd (also called halbard or halbert) is a two-handed polearm that was in prominent use from the 13th to 16th centuries. The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on a long shaft. It may have a hook or thorn on the back of the axe blade for grappling mounted combatants and protecting allied soldiers, typically musketeers. The halberd was usually long.
The word halberd is cognate with the German word Hellebarde, deriving from Middle High German halm (handle) and barte (battleaxe) joined to form helmbarte. Troops that used the weapon were called halberdiers or halbardiers. The word has also been used to describe a weapon of the early Bronze Age in Western Europe. This consisted of a blade mounted on a pole at a right angle.