A halberd, also called a Swiss voulge, is a weapon on a long shaft that was used with both hands. It was in use from the 13th to the 16th century. The halberd consists of an axehead with a point above it, mounted on a long wooden shaft.
Often there was a hook or thorn on the back of the axehead to pull riders from their horses. Usually the halberd was 1.5 to 1.8 meters long.
The word halberd comes from the German word Hellebarde, which is composed of halm (shaft) and barte (battle axe). Soldiers who used this weapon were called halberdiers.
History
The halberd was first mentioned (as hallenbarte) by German poet Konrad von Würzburg in the 13th century. Around 1315, Johannes von Winterthur described how the Swiss used this new weapon at the Battle of Morgarten. It was cheap to make and very versatile in combat.
In the 13th century, the halberd still resembled other broad axes, such as the voulge or bardische that appeared all over Europe and were developed from peasant agricultural tools. Only later did it get its characteristic shape, with a sharp point on top and often a thorn on the back as well.
Around the beginning of the 15th century, the construction was improved with a metal ring construction instead of multiple metal rings with which this axe was mounted at two points at the bottom of the shaft and as it were hung. Once this was changed, the halberd was always equipped with a hook.
From the 2nd half of the 15th century, the halberd was improved: the point became sharper so it was better, which meant the weapon could also fulfill the tasks of a spear.
The hook opposite the axehead became stronger and longer to pull riders from their horses. At the Battle of Nancy (1477), a Swiss farmer with a halberd killed Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. This ended the Burgundian Wars.
In the 14th and early 15th centuries, the halberd was the main weapon of the Swiss army. Later they mainly used the pike to repel knightly charges and overwhelm enemy infantry. For close combat they used the halberd, the two-handed sword, the longsword, or the Schweizerdolch (Swiss dagger). The German Landsknechts, who imitated the Swiss, also used pikes and halberds, but their favorite sidearm was the short sword, the Katzbalger.
When musketeers and hook gunners became more important, the number of halberdiers declined. Around 1588, for example, the Dutch army consisted of 39% hook gunners, 34% pikemen, 13% musketeers, 9% halberdiers, and 2% swordsmen. Around 1600, halberds were almost only carried by sergeants.
King Richard III of England was killed in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth by a blow with a halberd that split the back of his skull open.
Although their use declined sharply after the 16th century, halberds continued to be used sporadically until the middle of the 17th century, for example in the armies of the Catholic League in 1625 and 1627. In the Thirty Years' War, especially German sergeants carried a halberd as a sign of rank. They used it more to keep the troops in line than as a weapon. Yet it remained useful in close combat, such as in the storming of cities and forts.
During the English Civil War in 1644, for example, halberdiers were deployed at the siege of Lyme Regis, where they helped stop enemies who had broken through a breach in the walls.
Ceremonial Use
The halberd was used for centuries as a weapon for bodyguards. Today it is still the ceremonial weapon of the Swiss Guard in Vatican City and of the Alabarderos of the Spanish Royal Guard.
From the 16th to the 18th century, lower officers in European armies often carried a halberd. In the British army, sergeants continued to do so until 1793. By that time, however, the halberd was mainly a symbol of rank: the blade was blunt and not strong enough to fight with. Yet it was used to give directions so soldiers were positioned correctly and muskets were aimed at the right height.
Related weapons
There are many similar pole weapons, such as:
- Bardiche – a large axe, used in Eastern Europe in the 16th–17th century.
Bill – resembles a halberd but with a hook-shaped blade.
- Fauchard – a curved blade on a long pole, used in Europe in the 11th–14th century.
- Guisarme – medieval weapon with blade and often a small hook.
- Glaive – a large blade up to 45 cm on a 2-meter pole.
- Lochaber axe – Scottish weapon, resembles the voulge.
- Partizan – spear with double wings to ward off attacks.
Poleaxe – hammer/axe with point on top, developed in the 14th century against armor.
- Ranseur – spear with crossbar.
- Voulge – simple single-sided blade on a wooden shaft.
- War sickle – improvised weapon, made from a sickle blade.
- Welsh hook – Welsh weapon, related to the halberd.
Internal links
- Poleaxe & Lucerne hammer: medieval fighting weapons
- Glaive: Medieval pole weapon for infantry and riders
- Voulge: 15th-century French pole weapon with single-sided blade
- Medieval battle axes: From francisca to Danish axe
Sources:
- Primary Source: Hans Talhoffer, Fechtbuch (1467) – shows the brutal effectiveness and techniques of the early Swiss halberdiers.
- Archaeological Find: The battlefield finds from the Battle of Morgarten (1315) and the Battle of Sempach (1386).
