A versatile weapon enables new tactics
Measuring between approximately 1.5 and 2 metres in length, the halberd was a combination of spear and axe and could be used both as a stabbing and a slashing weapon. Halberds were particularly effective when used en masse against units of armoured cavalry. Once the rider had been knocked or dragged from his horse, he could be finished off on the ground. The weapon was also very effective against infantry.
Relatively inexpensive to produce and easy to handle, halberds could be used by raw recruits. They also gained fame as the preferred weapon of the Landsknechte – mercenaries who sold their services to various states in the late 15th and 16th centuries.
Two guards armed with halberds in the 16th century. Woodcut on paper by Jost Amman, 1568 (Source: Deutsche Fotothek, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons).
Why “halberd”?
The new weapon was known by a number of German names: helmbarte, halmbarde or halbarde. All the designations were based on a combination of Middle High German words (the German language spoken between 1050 and 1350). Halm or helm means “stem” and barte translates literally as beard but used to indicate an axe because the axe head hangs down from the stem like a beard. In short, a halberd is an axe with a very long handle.
The term “halberd” is often used to describe the later version of the weapon that emerged in the 16th century. Many of these weapons, some of which are heavily decorated, were designed more to impress than to be used effectively in combat. These more ornamental versions are still used today by ceremonial guard battalions, such as the Swiss Guard in the Vatican.
The halberd in the Deutschlandmuseum
The halberd on display in the exhibition of the Deutschlandmuseum dates from the 14th century and originates from southern Germany or Switzerland, both part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time. It has a 45 cm long rectangular blade with a strong, single-edged thrusting point.
The shaft is made of blackened softwood. The relatively short total length of the halberd, 132 cm, would have reduced its range, but made it all the more powerful as a slashing weapon.
Property information
Designation
- Date 14th century
- Gallery High Middle Ages
- Category Weapons
- Origin Holy Roman Empire
- Dimensions 13 x 132 x 3 cm (WxHxD)
- Material metal, wood
Property information
Designation
- Datierung 14th century
- Epochenraum High Middle Ages
- Kategorie Weapons
- Herkunft Holy Roman Empire
- Dimensionen 13 x 132 x 3 cm (WxHxD)
- Material metal, wood
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