[Sir Kenyth]

I've seen a couple threads on game weapons lead into discussions on real ones and I thought it might make an interesting topic of discussion. I saw a little discussion on pole weapons. Pole weapons were very popular and necessary for troops. They were cheaply made and easily used by even the most inept troops. They were not meant to be used as solitary dueling weapons. Pikes were the most common and the most useful. They're main purpose was holding off charging calvary and protecting the most awesome field weapon, the bow! Pikes are extremely long spears (9-10ft) with light peircing tips. Often times, the tips were simply the sharpened end of the stick, hardened by fire. Charging horses and horsemen were impaled on lines of these weapons as they had greater reach than the lance. The soldiers simply stood shoulder to shoulder and planted the butt of the pike into the ground. The bowmen would fire from behind the pikemen. Halberds were a spin off on the pike. Shorter and quicker, they were used when horses broke the pike line. A back up weapon of the bowmen. Halberds have all manner of protruding spikes and hooks meant to pull men from their horses or keep them at bay. Because they were shorter and had a bladed tip instead of a spike, they could be used to fight other foot troops in close quarters with some effectiveness. Weapons were designed for certain purposes. Pole weapons were primarily meant to be used by massed foot troops to counter heavy calvary. By far, the most feared weapons were bows. The english long bow followed by the composite short bows used from horse back by the Mongols. The Mongols were particularly devastating with their mounted archers, speed, and guerilla tactics. Ranged weapons always have, and always will, dominate the battlefield.