![]() ![]() The only swordmen on the medieval battlefield were the legendary "Double-paid" Zweihanders (The Doppelsöldner). It was an effective weapon at all stages of medieval combat. While the stabbing point can be dug in to brace against calvery charges. The two-handed poleweapon can be swung with massive leverage that can break shields and cut through even plate with ease. I mean, what is a swordman supposed to do against a heavy-Calvary charge? Halberdiers also outrange Swordmen, and have stronger formations. Halberds could definitely do a lot more than swordmen, at much cheaper costs. A long spear-tip for stabbing, a strong blade for cutting, and a hook for pulling people off of horses. I'm sure the HEMA players around here know how much that range advantage gives you.Ī Halberd was perhaps the perfection of Medieval combat weaponry. Swords were more of a "city personal defense weapon", very similar to pistols today. Spears / Polearms were cheaper to manufacture, more effective in the battlefield, and easier to teach. It is said that you can train a Spearman in a week to beat even expert Swordsmen (with years of training) regularly. Pistol vs Machine Gun is the best way to compare a Swordman vs Spearman. And finally, they were effective weapons at the end of the day. They were expensive to manufacture, so they denoted wealth. On the other hand, swords can be sheathed. Walking around with a spear in town is tiring, because its big, heavy and awkward. Swords were partially ceremonial and partially "nobility" weapons. ![]() But officers and civilians tend to carry a pistol, and maybe some soldiers have one for backup.Ī spear or halberd were much more effective than swords. You don't usually send a mass of soldiers into battle with just a pistol you give them assault rifles (or polearms). But again knights in plate armour, you'd better get something that can knock holes in it. Pikemen generally had a short sword as backup weapon (the Katzbalger), and there's of course the massive two-handed swords used by Landsknechts to break up pike formations (supposedly nobody knows for sure). Knights had them of course, and even they became increasingly less useful against other knights, they often didn't really want to kill each other anyway. Carrying a polearm with you everywhere you go is a lot more cumbersome than having a sword hanging on your belt.īut swords were absolutely used on the battlefield. Swords remained in use as a side arm and civilian weapon, and a popular duelling weapon, which may also be why so many medieval manuscripts are about one-on-one fights. ![]() Swords are great against lightly armoured and unarmoured targets, like peasants, archers and civilians. In the late Middle Ages, when plate armour became increasingly common, people started using weapons with better armour-piercing capabilities, like maces, warhammers and various polearms. He puts it a bit too general, but against full plate armour, swords are nearly useless. ![]()
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