View source for Halberd

{{short description|Type of polearm with axe blade topped with a spike}}
{{Redirect|Halbert}}
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| image1            = Archive-ugent-be-79D46426-CC9D-11E3-B56B-4FBAD43445F2 DS-263 (cropped).jpg
| caption1          = Halberd illustrated in "Théâtre de tous les peuples et nations de la terre avec leurs habits et ornemens divers, tant anciens que modernes, diligemment depeints au naturel". Painted by [[Lucas de Heere|Lucas d'Heere]] in the second half of the 16th century. Manuscript preserved in the [[Ghent University Library]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Théâtre de tous les peuples et nations de la terre avec leurs habits et ornemens divers, tant anciens que modernes, diligemment depeints au naturel par Luc Dheere peintre et sculpteur Gantois[manuscript]|url=https://lib.ugent.be/viewer/archive.ugent.be:79D46426-CC9D-11E3-B56B-4FBAD43445F2#?c=&m=&s=&cv=31&xywh=-4713,-530,14893,8315|access-date=2020-08-25|website=lib.ugent.be}}</ref>
| image2            = Halberdier-corps.jpg
| caption2          = Halberdiers from a modern-day [[Historical reenactment|reenactor]] troupe
}}
A '''halberd''' (also called '''halbard''', '''halbert''' or '''Swiss voulge''') 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 [[Cavalry|mounted combatants]] and protecting allied soldiers, typically [[Musketman|musketeers]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Military technology – Britannica Online Encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Britannica.com |url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-57610/military-technology |access-date=2013-06-13 |last=Guilmartin |first=John F. Jr.}}</ref> The halberd was usually {{Convert|1.5|to|1.8|m|ft}} long.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9038851/halberd |title=Halberd – Britannica Online Encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Britannica.com |access-date=2013-06-13}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25549844 | jstor=25549844 | title=The Early Bronze Age Halberd: A History of Research and a Brief Guide to the Sources | last=O'Flaherty | first=Ronan | journal=The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland | date=1998 | volume=128 | pages=74–94 }}</ref><ref>[https://www.academia.edu/6095439/The_Early_Bronze_Age_Halberd_in_Ireland_-_Function_and_Context A CONSIDERATION OF THE EARLY BRONZE AGE HALBERD IN IRELAND Function and Context]
by Ronan O'Flaherty, M.A. A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of PhD. UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN 2002
Supervisors: Professor Barry Raftery and Dr. Joanna Brück. DEPARTMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGY FACULTY OF ARTS</ref>

==History==
[[File:Luzerner Schilling Battle of Grandson.jpg|thumb|left|Early-16th-century miniature depicting the Battle of Grandson, from the [[Luzerner Schilling|Lucerner Schilling]]. Swiss soldiers can be seen armed with earlier halberds.]]

The halberd is first mentioned (as {{lang|de|hallenbarte}}) in a work by 13th-century German poet [[Konrad von Würzburg]].<ref name=HDS>{{HDS|8614|author=Jürg A. Meier}}</ref> [[John of Winterthur]] described it as a new weapon used by the [[Old Swiss Confederacy|Swiss]] at the [[Battle of Morgarten]] of 1315.<ref name=HDS/> The halberd was inexpensive to produce and very versatile in battle. As the halberd was eventually refined, its point was more fully developed to allow it to deal better with [[spear]]s and [[Pike (weapon)|pikes]] (and make it able to push back approaching horsemen), as was the hook opposite the axe head, which could be used to pull horsemen to the ground.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?ParagraphID=gle |title=History of Warfare – Land |publisher=Historyworld.net |access-date=2013-06-13}}</ref> A Swiss peasant used a halberd to kill [[Charles the Bold]],<ref>Klaus Schelle, ''Charles le Téméraire'' (Arthème Fayard, 1979), p. 316</ref> the [[Duke of Burgundy]], at the [[Battle of Nancy]], decisively ending the [[Burgundian Wars]].<ref name="Gilbert">{{cite book |last=Gilbert |first=Adrian |title=The Encyclopedia of Warfare: From Earliest Times to the Present Day |year=2003 |orig-year=2002 |publisher=The Lyons Press |location=Guildford, CT |isbn=1-59228-027-7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofwa0000gilb/page/71 71] |chapter=Medieval Warfare |quote=At Nancy, it was a halberd that brought down Charles the Bold with a single blow that split his skull open. |chapter-url-access=registration |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofwa0000gilb/page/71 }}</ref>    

[[File:Rom, Vatikan, Soldat der Schweizer Garde 3.jpg|thumb|left|A member of the [[Pontifical Swiss Guard|Swiss Guard]] with a halberd in the [[Vatican City|Vatican]]]]

The halberd was the primary weapon of the early Swiss armies in the 14th and early 15th centuries.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> Later the Swiss added the [[Pike (weapon)|pike]] to better repel [[knight]]ly attacks and roll over enemy infantry formations, with the halberd, [[Longsword|hand-and-a-half sword]], or the [[dagger]] known as the [[Swiss Dagger|''Schweizerdolch'']] used for closer combat. The German ''[[Landsknecht]]e'', who imitated Swiss warfare methods, also used the pike, supplemented by the halberd—but their [[Sidearm (weapon)|side arm]] of choice was a [[short sword]] called the ''[[Katzbalger]]''.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tko5DAAAQBAJ&q=The+German+Landsknechte%2C+who+imitated+Swiss+warfare+methods%2C+also+used+the+pike%2C+supplemented+by+the+halberd%E2%80%94but+their+side+arm+of+choice+was+a+short+sword+called+the+Katzbalger&pg=PT87|title=Tools of War: History of Weapons in Medieval Times|last=Ramsey|first=Syed|date=2016-05-12|publisher=Vij Books India Pvt Ltd|isbn=9789386019813|language=en}}</ref>

As long as pikemen fought other pikemen, the halberd remained a useful supplementary weapon for ''[[push of pike]]'', but when their position became more defensive, to protect the slow-loading [[arquebus]]iers and [[matchlock]] musketeers from sudden attacks by [[cavalry]], the percentage of halberdiers in the pike units steadily decreased. By 1588, official Dutch infantry composition was down to 39% arquebuses, 34% pikes, 13% muskets, 9% halberds, and 2% one-handed swords. By 1600, troops armed exclusively with swords were no longer used and the halberd was only used by sergeants.<ref>Olaf van Nimwegen. "The Dutch Army and the Military Revolutions, 1588-1688", Boydell: 2010. Page 87.</ref>

Researchers suspected that a halberd or a [[Bill (weapon)|bill]] sliced through the back of King [[Richard III]]'s skull at the [[Battle of Bosworth Field]] on 22 August 1485, leaving his brain visible before killing him during the battle, and were later able to confirm that it was a halberd.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-21245346 Richard III dig: Grim clues to the death of a king] By Greig Watson, [[BBC News]],  4 February 2013</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Skull |url=http://www.le.ac.uk/richardiii/science/osteologyskull.html |access-date=3 December 2014 |website=The Discovery of Richard III |publisher=[[University of Leicester]]}}</ref>

While rarer than it had been from the late 15th to mid-16th centuries, the halberd was still used infrequently as an infantry weapon well into the mid-17th century. The armies of the [[Catholic League (German)|Catholic League]] in 1625, for example, had halberdiers comprising 7% of infantry units, with musketeers comprising 58% and armored pikemen 35%. By 1627 this had changed to 65% muskets, 20% pikes, and 15% halberds.<ref>Guthrie, William. "The Later Thirty Years War: From the Battle of Wittstock to the Treaty of Westphalia." Praeger, Feb. 2003. Page 16.</ref> A near-contemporary depiction of the 1665 [[Battle of Montes Claros]] at [[Palace of the Marquises of Fronteira]] depicts a minority of the Portuguese and Spanish soldiers as armed with halberds. [[Antonio de Pereda]]'s 1635 painting ''El Socorro a Génova'' depicting the [[Relief of Genoa]] has all the soldiers armed with halberds. The most consistent users of the halberd in the [[Thirty Years' War]] were German sergeants who would carry one as a sign of rank. While they could use them in melee combat, more often they were used for dressing the ranks by grasping the shaft in both hands and pushing it against several men simultaneously. They could also be used to push pikes or muskets up or down, especially to stop overexcited musketeers from firing prematurely.<ref>Wilson, Peter (2009). Europe's Tragedy: A History of the Thirty Years War. Allen Lane. Page 95.</ref> Halberds and other polearms remained useful during instances of close-in fighting such as during stormings of towns and forts. At the [[Siege of Lyme Regis]] in April 1644 during the English Civil War, halberdiers were among the troops that repelled the attackers after their cannons made breaches in the walls.<ref>Kenyon, J.P. and Ohlmeyer, Jane H. (eds.). "The Civil Wars. A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland 1638–1660."  Oxford University Press: 1998. Page 217.</ref>

[[File:Lviv - Arsenal - 26.jpg|thumb|Halberds of various shapes, sizes, and ages]]
The halberd has been used as a court bodyguard weapon for centuries, and is still the [[ceremonial weapon]] of the [[Swiss Guard]] in the [[Vatican City|Vatican]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Beam |first=Christopher|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2007/06/what_does_the_swiss_guard_actually_do.html |title=What does the Swiss Guard actually do? |publisher=Slate.com |date=2007-06-06 |access-date=2014-03-04}}</ref> and the ''Alabarderos'' (Halberdiers) Company<ref>{{cite book|first=Jose M.|last=Bueno|page=11|title=Tropas de la Casa Real|year=1982|publisher=BPR Publishers |isbn=84-86071-01-1}}</ref> of the [[Spanish Royal Guard]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guardiareal.org/|title= Inicio|publisher=guardiareal.org}}</ref> The halberd was one of the polearms sometimes carried by lower-ranking officers in European infantry units in the 16th through 18th centuries. In the British army, [[sergeant]]s continued to carry halberds until 1793, when they were replaced by [[spontoon]]s.<ref>David Fraser. "The Grenadier Guards", page 33. {{ISBN|0850452848}}</ref> The 18th-century halberd had, however, become simply a symbol of rank with no sharpened edge and insufficient strength to use as a weapon.<ref>Robin May. ''Wolfe's Army'', Osprey Publishing Ltd 1974, page 33</ref> It served as an instrument for ensuring that infantrymen in ranks stood correctly aligned with each other and that their muskets were aimed at the correct level.<ref>{{cite book|first=Christopher|last=Duffy|page=123|title=The Military Experience in the Age of Reason|year=1998|publisher=Wordsworth Editions |isbn=1-85326-690-6}}</ref>

{{clearleft}}

== The development of the halberd ==
[[File:Halberd MET 14.25.35 003dec2014.jpg|thumb|A late-14th/early-15th-century Halberd from [[Fribourg]]]]
The word '''helmbarte''' or variations of it show up in German texts from the 13th century onwards. At that point, the halberd is not too distinct from other types of broad axes or [[bardiche]]s used all over Europe. In the late 13th century the weapon starts to develop into a distinct weapon, with the top of the blade developing into a more acute thrusting point. This form of the halberd is erroneously sometimes called a '''voulge''' or a '''swiss voulge''', but there is no evidence for the usage of these terms for this weapon historically.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Waldman |first=John |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/704633881 |title=Hafted Weapons in Medieval and Renaissance Europe The Evolution of European Staff Weapons between 1200 and 1650 |date=2005 |isbn=978-90-474-0757-7 |location=Leiden |pages=17 |oclc=704633881}}</ref> There were variations of these weapons with spikes on the back, though also plenty without. In the early 15th century the construction changes to incorporate sockets into the blade, instead of hoops as the previous designs had. With this development back spikes are directly integrated into the blade construction and become a universal part of the halberd design.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Waldman |first=John |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/704633881 |title=Hafted Weapons in Medieval and Renaissance Europe The Evolution of European Staff Weapons between 1200 and 1650 |date=2005 |isbn=978-90-474-0757-7 |location=Leiden |pages=17–98 |oclc=704633881}}</ref>

==Similar and related polearms ==
[[File:海外西經-蓐收.svg|thumb|Chinese deity holding a yue]]
{{main|Polearm}}
*[[Bardiche]], a type of two-handed [[battle axe]] known in the 16th and 17th centuries in Eastern Europe
*[[Bill (weapon)|Bill]], similar to a halberd but with a hooked blade form
*[[Dagger-axe|''Ge'' or dagger-axe]], a Chinese weapon in use from the [[Shang dynasty]] (est. 1500 BC) that had a dagger-shaped blade mounted perpendicular to a spearhead
*[[Fauchard]], a curved blade atop a {{cvt|2|m}} pole that was used in Europe between the 11th and 14th centuries
*[[Guisarme]], a medieval bladed weapon on the end of a long pole; later designs implemented a small reverse spike on the back of the blade
*[[Glaive]], a large blade, up to {{cvt|45|cm}} long, on the end of a {{cvt|2|m}} pole
*''[[Guandao]]'', a Chinese polearm from the 3rd century AD that had a heavy curved blade with a spike at the back
*[[Ji (polearm)|''Ji'']] (戟), a Chinese polearm combining a spear and [[dagger-axe]]
*''[[Kamayari]]'', a Japanese spear with blade offshoots
*[[Lochaber axe]], a Scottish weapon that had a heavy blade attached to a pole in a similar fashion to a [[voulge]]
*''[[Naginata]]'', a Japanese weapon that had a {{convert|30|to|60|cm|in|-long|adj=mid}} blade attached by a sword guard to a wooden shaft
*[[Partisan (weapon)|Partisan]], a large double-bladed spearhead mounted on a long shaft that had protrusions on either side for [[parrying]] sword thrusts
*[[Poleaxe]], a type of polearm with an [[axe]]head or [[hammer]]head on the sides with either a spike or [[spear]]head at the top and mounted on a long shaft. It was developed in the 14th century and remained in use until the 16th century to breach the [[plate armour]] worn by European [[knight]]s and [[Man-at-arms|men-at-arms]]
*[[Ranseur]], a polearm consisting of a spearhead affixed with a cross hilt at its base derived from the earlier [[spetum]]
*[[Spontoon]], a 17th-century weapon that consisted of a large blade with two side blades mounted on a long {{cvt|2|m}} pole, considered a more elaborate [[Pike (weapon)|pike]]
*[[Voulge]], a crude single-edged blade bound to a wooden shaft
*[[Tabar (axe)|Tabarzin]], a type of battle axe from Middle East.
*[[War scythe]], an improvised weapon that consisted of a blade from a [[scythe]] attached vertically to a shaft
*[[Welsh hook]], similar to a halberd and thought to originate from a forest-bill
*''[[Woldo]]'', A Korean [[polearm]] that had a crescent-shaped blade mounted on a long shaft, similar in construction to the Chinese ''[[guandao]]'', and primarily served as a symbol of the [[Royal Guard Command|Royal Guard]]
*Yue, a Chinese axe with long shaft.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Hallebardes-p1000544.jpg|Different sorts of halberds and halberd-like polearms in Switzerland
File:Bundesschwur Zuerich.jpg|Citizens of [[Zürich]] on 1 May 1351 are read the Federal Charter as they swear allegiance to representatives of Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden and Lucerne. One of the representatives carries a typical Swiss halberd of the period depicted (as opposed to the time the image was made, 1515).
File:Wiborada1430.jpg|[[Saint Wiborada]] is often (anachronistically) depicted with a halberd to indicate the means of her martyrdom.
File:Halberd-axe MBA Lyon E 697a-IMG 0110-0111.jpg|Halberd-axe head with the head of a [[mouflon]]. Late 2nd millennium–early 1st millennium BC. From [[Amlash]], [[Gilan]], Iran
File:Alabardero.JPG|''Alabardero'' ([[Halberdier]]) of the [[Spanish Royal Guard]]
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Dagger-axe]]
* [[Naginata]] 
* [[Viking halberd]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
* Brandtherm, Dirk & O'Flaherty, Ronan; ''Prodigal sons: two 'halberds' in the Hunt Museum, Limerick, from Cuenca, Spain and Beyrǔt, Syria'', pp.&nbsp;56–60, ''JRSAI'' Vol.131 (2001).
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Halbert|volume=12|page=830}}
* {{citation |last=Lorge |first=Peter A. |title=Chinese Martial Arts: From Antiquity to the Twenty-First Century |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |location=Cambridge |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-521-87881-4}}
* O'Flaherty, Ronan; ''[https://www.jstor.org/stable/25549844?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents The Early Bronze Age halberd: a history of research and a brief guide to the sources]'', pp.&nbsp;74–94, ''Journal of the [[Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland]]'', Vol.128 (1998).
*R. E. Oakeshott, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=NkD86JPgCS4C European weapons and armour: From the Renaissance to the industrial revolution]'' (1980), 44–48.

{{Polearms}}

==External links==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|en-Halberd-article.ogg|date=2018-11-03}}
{{Commons category|Halberds|lcfirst=yes}}

* [https://www.philamuseum.org/collections/browse.html?tagID=4505 Halberds at the Philadelphia Museum of Art]
* [https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search#!/search?material=Halberds Halberds at the Metropolitan Museum of Art]
* [https://exchange.umma.umich.edu/advanced_search/query?type=3&title=&keywords=&min_rating=0&max_rating=5&style=+&collection_area=+&medium=&support=&classification=halberd&artist=&artist_nationality=+&credit_line=&collection_identifier=&date_created=&location=+&author_lookup=&author_id=0 Halberds at the University of Michigan Museum of Art] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923081657/https://exchange.umma.umich.edu/advanced_search/query?type=3&title=&keywords=&min_rating=0&max_rating=5&style=+&collection_area=+&medium=&support=&classification=halberd&artist=&artist_nationality=+&credit_line=&collection_identifier=&date_created=&location=+&author_lookup=&author_id=0 |date=2021-09-23 }}
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[[Category:European weapons]]
[[Category:Medieval edged and bladed weapons]]
[[Category:Medieval polearms]]
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[[Category:Renaissance-era polearms]]
[[Category:Renaissance-era weapons]]
[[Category:Axes]]