Really interesting to see your take on this @Dequitem . I don't greatly disagree, except I'd probably put the pollaxe in 1st, and I think there is an issue with the mace and falchion - but we've already talked about that. Maybe I'll think about a response video 😎
I would love to see a response video from you. Yes the poleaxe was very close to the longsword. The longsword only wins for three reasons. 1. When I fight against longswords with polearms it often ends messy in close combat, where you have to use a wide grip with the poleaxe for close quarter. Sometimes you get stuck and the sword is constantly poking to the gabs. Most of the time the longsword hits more often and feels more nimble in halfsword than the variations of poleaxes. 2. There are different forms of longswords with spiked crossguards or spiked pommels. Late 15th century longswords with with narrow tips and diamond shaped blades are also good for piercing armor gabs with less flexibility. These variations counts in my category of longswords, too. 3. More historical sources and paintings of knightly duels to the death show the longsword or their variations, than poleaxes. Mayby it's a tradition for judicial duels, but I think it has also a practical purpose. Yes the falchion is the most theoreticaly thing in my list. There are many different forms of falchions. I know that they are often not heavier than arming swords, but the weight distribution can be a small factor. The most important thing for me personally is the possibility to use the flat side on falchions and messers. Many battle paintings show falchions in battles striking against armor and I don't think that they all lie too us. In some of them you also can see swords used correctly in halfswording and daggers poking, so I think they don't following a picturial tradition blindly. So I hope they can also be used effectively in duels. Even when I only testet my hema/buhurt variants with a weight of 1,3 kg in harness fencing.
Please do!!. Your insights in this subject would be amazing! Though this current list seems to be perfect as it is. Greatsword and Longsword being 1 and 2 feels right for some reason
@@North_sea_empire_Viking " *a theory* " What you mean is a hypothesis. A theory, to be called that, needs to be already tested and shown to work. Also, a hypothesis can be narrow in focus, while we expect for theories to be more general.
I'd like to see your picks for lesser armored individuals, I know there was a comparison between knight and landsknecht, but seeing what changes with partial armor would be interesting
Those Landsknecht loved polearms. Maybe the logic was they didn't need armor if they had massive pikes. But I imagine a rapier is the favorite in unarmored combat. It's so fast and one poke can end the fight.
@@bryant7542 " *they didn't need armor if they had massive pikes.* " Pikes are way cheaper than armor. Pikes fit "everybody", so they are easier to replace. You don't need a helper in order to put the pike on. So forth. I mean, just because some other people did not use full custom fitted kits, does not mean they weren't the most effective protection on the field of battle. I believe that even today a full custom fitted modern armor would work the best, especially against shrapnels or frags, so often dropped by the drones. Those poor kids just can't afford it. That simple.
@@baktersthat and if an Artillerie shell or rocket Hits you no armour in the World could save you, so they are droping unnecessary armour to make space for more sensible equipment
@@bakters Landsknecht clearly didn't care about cost. They went into battle as drippy and colorful as possible. They were mercenaries that everybody wanted to buy... Except the Swiss I believe.
Also the poleaxe is really a masterpiece of engineering, math and design. You have basically five kinds of arms in a sole weapon: the shaft, the sharp pick at the end of the shaft, the pike on the top, the straight blade of the axe and the hammer on the back of the blade. Some historians argue the poleaxe weapon was created by Portuguese engineers, forgers and blacksmiths like many other good weapons of old times. Poleaxes appears to be the weapon of choice of royal families from different kingdoms in the iberian peninsula, at his time of major popularity around XIV to XVIII centuries, specially in Portugal. The great lines of kings of Portugal, specially the Avis dynasty (the most powerful of Portugal) used this glorious weapon. Many battles were fought with it, like the battle of Aljubarrota in the final part of the XIV century. It is said that the great king of Avis João I de Portugal used the poleaxe in this battle and it was his favorite weapon
I've always held an opinion that longsword dwarfs other weapons in armoured duel but since this view was based on observation only I received heavy ridicule every time I voiced it. Glad to see that my observation is confirmed by someone with experience close to an actual armoured combat. That being said I think we still might get surprised if we witness actual armoured duels to the death, but in our day and age it's not possible, legally at least.
Based on a quick review of available texts that cover the duel in full armor, the (not obviously specialized) longsword does come out on top with 13 appearances. The spear is nearly as common at 12 appearances, as many manuals cover the traditional combination of spear/lance, sword, & dagger. Pollaxes appear in 8 texts, while explicitly specialized longswords appear in 6. Given that multiple sources state that spear/lance, sword, & dagger were the customary weapons for dueling in full armor, it's not at all clear that anyone chose the longsword for an armored duel because they thought it was the best weapon. Rather, folks tended to fight armored duels with matched customary weapons. They sometimes attempted to game the conventions by making specialized longswords that could be used like pollaxes or having specialized daggers with a thinner inner blade as Joachim Meyer described.
I’ve been doing harness fighting for a couple years according to Fiore, mainly polleaxe, “lance”, sword and dagger, but I’ve also messed around strapping a rotella and even a big pavise to my left arm. Obviously the axe is by far the most efficient choice but for me the spear is the most fun to use, with sword and dagger ready on my belt. It feels more “knightly” in a way, though in period I’d rather use a poleaxe and be alive lol.
Fiore is not the only source that exist. As an example Monte wrote about knight and men at arms that they mainly used estocs on foot and on the horse but ye pole arms are the way to go
@@vaderksy4730 yeah, I looked at some of the early Liechtenauer sources too but my school is Italian so Fiore’s easier for me haha. I also flipped through that French “play of the axe” book recently which is different but also super cool.
@@vaderksy4730 it seems to me an advantage of the estoc is that without edges its easily reversed and used as a mace, though the hilts of examples I've seen don't appear to be optimized for this.
This was so refreshing to hear. Most peoples idea of a medieval duel is something from a movie, where all kinds of fantastical and unrealistic weapons find their way in for entertainments sake. In reality all these different weapons are used for very specific circumstances, and there would be a class of soldier that uses that weaponry only. Such as pike-men. Or cavalry. The only men on the battlefield with spears or pikes, would have been men whose role was to deal with cavalry. The only men on the battlefield using maces would have been cavalry men. So like ya, these weapons certainly had their uses, but were very situational. Most people nowadays don't realize this. And like you mentioned, there aren't any accounts of a knight wielding a mace in a duel. Which goes to show their scarcity of use, I think. I've even read that maces were mostly used for ceremonial purposes, as well as signs of wealth. The main tool of all soldiers though, was the sword. They could be mass produced, required little training to use, and most of all, were effective for CQB. Which is something all medieval battles devolved into.
This channel is criminally underrated, and an invaluable resource to the sword/HEMA community. Have you given any consideration to the estoc for an armored duel, which is generally defined as an edgeless thrusting sword (sometimes designed similarly to Zweihander) designed for use in both hands? It seems to be a highly specialized anti-armor weapon designed to pierce mail through gaps, which seems to be your preferred method.
My personal favorite is the war hammer. It allows you to concuss the enemy and incapacitate them instantly if you hit them hard enough on the helmet. The spikes can also be used to pierce gaps and since it can be used one-handed you have the option of using a shield while being able to drop it and use the war hammer two-handed in case more powerful strikes are needed.
for small guys swords for sure for big huge guys the pole hammer style of the pole axe. they can use it to hook behind neck or foot and throw people around. then when they go on ground its basically a sledgehammer coming down on you.
I absolutely agree with you, Spadone/Zweihander is my favorite weapon, armored or not unifies the best aspects of Polearms, Swords, Axes and even Blunt weapons if you really need it. I also love it even more because is probably the best weapon even in a 1 vs 2+, so in a medieval setting, where there is the risk to being ambushed by groups of bandits, i would love to have the Spadone to my side.
Wow this was incredibly fascinating. I really appreciate you sharing your insight in such a realistic, tested way. Its so interesting hearing how fights really went compared to how media depicts medieval fights. Especially the parts about changing your grip and half-swording, I thought that was a silly myth, same with the mordhau. Absolutely fascinating that it was a real consideration when choosing a weapon.
I would probably choose spear and longsword, mainly because I have some experience with them from my HEMA and living history days. For a duel in armour a pollaxe would probably be a better choice than a spear, but I have almost no experience with this weapon and I believe it requires more strenght to use it properly than I currently have.
Great video as always ! Clear and concise ! Keep up the awesome work ! Edit : I saw one of your comment in a video in wich you speak german, claiming your english is bad. So I just wanted to tell you : don't worry, your english is good.
Thanks but when I don't have time to think about my sentences, it's absolutely garbage. I can't speak free. That's why my videos are so scripted and I don't do reaction videos or interviews. It would be a shame for me.
Only dissagreement I have with this list is that to my knowledge, historical sharp falchion werent that much more heavy than arming swords nor had that strong of a forward point of balance, that it was rather the very thin but wide blade that encouraged cleaving action. Everything you said about halfswording with it is valid though and i dont disagree with it's placement, I just dont think you would hit your oppenent much with it.
Nice work, really interesting list, can you make one but this time for fighting armored opponents in a battle (as opposed to a duel)? Would be interesting to hear the reasoning why for battles they seemed to favor polearms historically? Was it merely because in battles they couldn't separate into "1v1 duels" so it was a messy free-for-all melee, and polearms had greater reach to allow ganging up, or one could "hook" an enemy and pull him in for your buddies to gang up on?
Very nice to hear your perspective in such a well made video! I knew from your comments that you were going to place longsword above poleaxe (which historical consensus imo does not back up). But the #1 is very interesting, and historically probably a better shout as I only know of them being used in very tame sports duels as opposed to judicial duels or what have you.
Yes there are some pictures of knights with twohanded swords in sport duels. A big problem with many twohanded sword is, that they often not well balanced.
I feel like many of your opionins are based on reanctism. For example real falchens are the exact same weight as arming swords if not lighter. Calling them a hybrid between a axe and a sword is compleetly and utterly incorrect. There blades also were way to thin for stabbing at armor and you would snap them if you tryed. Falchens were for chopping true hordes of lightly armored people not to fight other knights. Sure if you count the modern falchen which is nothing like the orginals I could agree with your opions, but those are not falchens there machety's with a crossguerd. On that note 15 century battle axes were not actuely heavyer then maces, it actuely was the other way around for the most part. Battle axes were in the same ball park as one-handed warhammers consurning weight. They came from 0,5 at the lightest to 1 kilo at the absoluut heav weights, while maces can come closer to 0,75 at the lightest and could get to 1,5 kilo for the absoluut units. Sow yes some historical maces could indeed get in the same weight class as longswords. That's why I think your assumptions on them are probably incorrect. Also medieval plateharnases got most defenitly dented in battle. Modern metals are far superior to medieval metals and had even if we are talking the highest kwalitie armors of the day had weakspot's were the metal would be less strong and could get dented or pierced. From my personal expierence and knowing what orginals were like I would take falchens out of the list compleetly and replace them with hellbards plus I would put the axe at the lowest spot and the mace at the place of the axe. I love axes, but they are not better anti-armor weapons then warhammers or maces. I would put poleaxe first, but your top 3 is pretty solid. Although if I may add something I would say those specialised armord fighting longswords with a warhammer for a guerd, a morning star for a pommel, no propper edges just a long recaso with spear point for a tip and with rondels to protect your hand when half swording would probably be better then a greatsword. I would put greatsword under longsword, cause bigger is not always better, plus a hyper specialised armored fighting longsword would still be better the greatswords, but I think I would keep greatsword at number 3 personaly. Sow my top 3 would be 1 poleaxe, 2 longsword (specifikly the highly specialised type), 3 greatsword.
You are a truly knight and war master. Such a good ranking, i almost totally agree with this list. But with a exception related with the spear, i think it should be in a more higher position, maybe a 4th or 3rd place. It is true the spear can break in battle or not be as good as other weapons in close combat, but a well qualified and outstanding experienced spear warrior can endure with its spear unbroken. It's not a coincidence that spears were very popular between royal families and knights until the very end of middle ages (XVIII century), they are one of the best arms in history
Pole arms are easier to produce for armies and able to go into many different formations. Two handed swords are best for dueling but there's probably x5 the amount of steel needed to make one than a pole axe so they're overall less common on the battlefield
I have to say, the locations you choose to film at are prime. I swear ive seen multiple of the locations in the show "The last Kingdom" on Netflix. I am Uhtred, Son of Uhtred :)
It isn’t that simple though, since they’d be doing the same thing. A larger weapon dazing you would make it easier for them to knock you down and use their own dagger. The dagger isn’t the primary. It’s the secondary.
100% agree with your list rankings and explainations. Its obvious that this knowledge comes from much experience and research. Great job and thanks for your awesome videos!
If armored both i would choose a heavy two handed club with a weighted head of at least 3 kilos or a maul (sledge) that has a 4 kilo head , if unarmed , a spear or halberd
I see no heavy weapons in the list? I thought a heavy warhammer or maybe a war axe or a greataxe would have been the greatest options against armored opponents(when fighting to death). If I am wrong, I'd love to get a video explaning that(if you could).😅
Mallet? Wide lateral range of motion, 1 hit will shatter bone even if blocked. The mallet's main problem is the input requirements. The user needed to bench 400lb to swing that thing with speed.
I would tell You swinging a 10 pound sledge is not that i train with one and hit a tire with ot twoce per week i am 5'7 and 200 pound and can bench My body weight , is mor techiniche that strenght to balance tge swing back to fighting position
I pick dagger and shield- perhaps a shield with the best proportions for bludgeoning an armored opponent. A shield should allow you to quickly close the gap on your opponent where your dagger can work best and your shield arm could be used to fight your opponents weapon hands or simply bash their helmet That was an awesome video- thanks for all those clip’s fighting. Those were some beautiful shots!
10:40 I very much disagree that the rondel won't pierce maille without two hands on it. You can't just poke it in and expect a result true, but I've used my mate's sharp on a test dummy of a layer of 6mm riveted 4 in 1 maille over fabic, and though you need structure in your thust it'll pop rings really eassy and pierce quite deep one handed. You really don't need to place twohands on it to wound through maille
Don't compare cheap mail made in India with historical mail from solid rings! But of course it's possible, but most of the time you need much more force than most people think!
Would you think that a halberd could be able to make its way into here? It’s a great battlefield weapon, but like the poleaxe is a combination of various weapons, the halberd emphasizing its chopping ability and its stabbing ability.
Sir Dequitem, I have two questions that I really want you to answer. Which of the following two-handed weapons is the best for a duel where you and your opponent are wearing full 15th century plate armor with chainmail underneath: - Halberd - Poleaxe - Two-handed battle axe - Two-handed sword - Wooden club - Two-handed flail - Spear And which of the following one-handed weapons which can be used with a shield is the best for the same situation: - One-handed battle axe - One-handed sword - Hand-and-a-half sword - Rapier - Falchion - Scimitar - One-handed mace - One-handed flail - War hammer
This is a fascinating assessment of classic late medieval weapons. I have a couple of questions: Do you have any thoughts on why more weapons don't have a butt spike? Like a mace or a one handed axe /warhammer? It would seem to me that this would give some usability in close combat. But the only weapons with butt spikes are certain pole weapons. Even spears in the post classic era don't usually have them. I see your weapons are blunted for obvious safety reasons. Do you think it is possible that this makes half swording easier for you than it would have been using edged weapons? Obviously half swording was a common technique, but is it possible that you over-emphasize the value and utility of this, since you don't need to worry about cutting your hand? How common would it have been for knights and men at arms to only sharpen the outer half of their swords i norder to make half swording less risky? Also, I'm surprised you aren't factoring in that single handed weapons can be dual wielded with something else in the other hand. Although I appreciated that you are comparing individual weapons and not weapon combinations.
Schöne Darstellung. Ich denke, daß ein Großschwert (Zweihänder) generell großartig ist, auch gegen ungepanzerte Gegner und gegen mehrere auf einmal. Die meisten Leute heute sind Hollywood-verseucht dahingehend, daß sie a) die Geschwindigkeit von Schwertern komplett unterschätzen weil es so aussieht, als ob ein einhändiges Ritterschwert 8 kg wöge, (das Gegenteil sind dann Lichtsäbelgeschwindigkeits-Katanas), b) auf magische Weise dann aber Streitkolben, Dreschen etc. mit einer Optik, als ob sie 25 kg schwere Köpfe hätten, herumgewirbelt werden, als wäre ihr Benutzer mit Hulk-Stärke ausgestattet (und sein Gegner würde gemütlich abwarten, bis ihn das Ding trifft, anstelle ihn schnell zu erstechen, lange bevor er treffen kann. Und c) die Möglichkeiten des Half-swording bei Lang- und Großschwert fast nie gezeigt werden... Ohne Panzerung würde ich mit einem Degen auch nicht gern einem Gegner mit einem Zweihänder gegenüberstehen... Wobei ein Langschwert vermutlich noch versatiler wäre. Also: möge die Macht des großen Schwerts mit Dir sein! Allerdings konnte man die im Hochmittelalter oft noch gar nicht schmieden, denke ich, und es war natürlich ultrateuer.
I wonder how much bludgeoning weapons get discounted on these sorts of comparisons because in this sport, you can't really hit your opponent in the head with a mace or hammer because even with a helmet the rapid acceleration of the brain causes long term brain damage and possibly short term concussion. I take your point that the head is too obvious a target for the mace and morning star, but not the poleaxe.
We don't stop hitting the head. It's absolutely OK in our sport. But you make a fair point with the poleaxe, that why I prefer the Zweihänder over a longsword.
Thanks@@dequitem I'm very surprised. That seems too dangerous to be worth it. I had heard that the sport limited mace weight and head hits with bludgeoning weapons.
I personally love a mace for a sidearm instead of a sword, especially if your primary weapon is a blade. If your opponent also has a blade, as you said the most common choice, you can pivot to duel wielding, and use your blade to block, and the mace to harass your opponents hands or head. You don't have to concuss them if they can't hold their weapon, and most guards aren't meant to protect from maces, and even if they are, you can always go further down the arm. What good is holding your weapon if you have a limp elbow? I like having a variety of damage types. Love maces into shields as well.
Do you think it is possible to upgrade a heavy spear for fighting with a man-at-arms, as Fiore with a longsword? Would it be effective to make the tip as long as possible, and reinforced with stiffeners, if not for punching plates, then at least for effectively piercing cracks? How do you feel about the Slavic-Scandinavian boar-spear as an alternative to the winged spear?
Im just want to correct your opinion list. The best is the sledge hammer. Its momentum is unmatched. Its big flat surface is unlikely to slide off of any armor. Im sure you can test that. I havent but I have no doubt. An 8 lb head and up is the right class for beginner men but after you work on a rail road or break rocks all day or split wood all day I expect it would be quite light to a strong man. Ideally they would have an increased handle length over the regular 36 inch ones you can find. With a welded thick steel rebar handle they should also surely block blows better than anything you got. There are also larger larger hamers too for super soldiers. They go too 14 most of the time and some even have 20 lb heads If you dont think a sledge hammer is the greatest in armored combat find me a helmet that will save your head from a 20 lb hamer strike. If you were strong enough with a simple 8 to 12 pounder you could probaly beat a shield off someone since they about weigh the same and a sledge hammer is two hand unlike a shield. You should also give a shout out to the stick users that use the 60 inch and 66 inch Wedge Point Crowbars. Im sure though that sledge hammers were not popular because who did rail road work in the middle ages anyway. Sledge hammers were popular in America but Americans had something better for that kind of job its unlikely a kight could ever meet one anyways let alone someone strong enough to wield one since sledge hammers are an industrial age tool.
Very intersting video. I wonder what you think of the weapon called "Goedendag" which was used in the Franco-Flemish war to decimate the at the time unmatched armored cavalry of the French army. Seems like a combination of a half pole mace/morningstar and a sharp spearlike tip.
What i want to know is, where would you place the Roncone/billhook in this list? Does it not make it on top 10 or did you include it when considering poleaxes, like how you included the two handed warhammers like the Lucerne in with them? Excellent and well thought out video!
The billhook is for me one of the polearms in terms of weapons for armored combat. But when the pole is to long it doesn't work that well. I have to make a new list in some years! But now I will collect some more data's.
I would choose just like you. But if I have to try another thing : what about a 1 ended shield ? With 1 ended short sword and a dagger. A shield with a spike, not to big and heavy enough to strike with it. Then the plan is to get close, ideally surprise the ennemi with a heavy strike to the head with the border of the shield, in a big swing that he didn't see coming. And then try kill him with dagger or short sword at close combat. And maybe the shield and pike can be useful to block the arm of the ennemi. Being so annoying just by pushing it on is arm. 😂 If I get an opportunity to put the pike in a gap that's nice. Destroying is arm or stabbing the hip I believe.
~A gun~ /thread 😁 Jokes aside, I lack the first-hand qualification to strongly disagree with anything. =) I think your reasoning is sound, and also I celebrate that you're taking up the cudgels on behalf of the Greatsword, which is my personal favourite as well, even if mostly for coolness factor reasons. ^^
i just had a thought, that maybe the steel in medival times was much worse so that maces could have caused more dmg to brittle steel then to our modern ones. also steel quality was most likely vary. also i love the bidenhänder myself
In armored melee combat I have zero experience, so I have to defer to your judgement. Im really curious about optimum weapons for historic unarmored combat, such as self defense and duels.
Finally someone who debunks the "armour can be defeated with blunt force transfer" bullshit. It never made much sense to me. A sword is way more nimble and fast in a duel and more versitile than a mace or axe. I own a 4 kg 185cm Zweihänder and its massive but despite its weight its quick and maneruverable because it is balanced towards the hands. It allows for multiple quick powerful thrusts. A top heavy weapon however with the same length and weight would have to be discarded after one miss, as you couldnt recover the weapon quick enough. And only the strike would be more powerful the force of the thrust would be the exact same.
My twohanded sword is 165 cm and only 2,2 kg with a balance point on the parrying hooks, so it's more designed for duels, but nice to hear that you also understand my ranking with your giant sword.
@@dequitem my sword has its balance point right after the crossguard, most of the weight is in the pommel tang and crossguard. I think just the pommel weights about 1kg. But I can imagine that my sword could be a bit too long once you get in close range with it.
@@dequitem If possible, please do a video on this sword & the extant piece(s) that inspired it. I'm very curious about greatswords designed for the armored duel, as most surviving examples don't seem optimized for that purpose.
I expected the poleaxe to rule supreme. Halfswording and murder strokes seem more like a desperate measure compared to using a poleaxe. It's better to grip, has more range and hits harder. It's the closest thing to a can opener IMHO. -and that's coming from someone who loves swords!
I am the channel with the biggest poleaxe tutorial online. I absolutely love poleaxes more than longswords (twohanded swords are cool two) but still, poleaxe don't seem better in a duel. On battlefield I would prever a poleaxe.
The fact that we have multiple sources that say folks who dueled in armor made their longswords more like pollaxes suggest they considered the pollaxe superior to the longsword. (It's possible they were wrong, of course.)
Die Blume des Kampfes shows shields as an optional addition to the common weapon set of spear, sword, & dagger. It has some curious techniques like holding a pavise & specialized longsword in the left hand while throwing the spear with the right. It also has a picture of an armored duelist holding a short pollaxe behind a pavise in the left hand with a spear in the right. Most armored duels don't seem to have involved shields, but some did.
Really interesting to see your take on this @Dequitem . I don't greatly disagree, except I'd probably put the pollaxe in 1st, and I think there is an issue with the mace and falchion - but we've already talked about that. Maybe I'll think about a response video 😎
I would love to see a response video from you.
Yes the poleaxe was very close to the longsword. The longsword only wins for three reasons.
1. When I fight against longswords with polearms it often ends messy in close combat, where you have to use a wide grip with the poleaxe for close quarter. Sometimes you get stuck and the sword is constantly poking to the gabs. Most of the time the longsword hits more often and feels more nimble in halfsword than the variations of poleaxes. 2. There are different forms of longswords with spiked crossguards or spiked pommels. Late 15th century longswords with with narrow tips and diamond shaped blades are also good for piercing armor gabs with less flexibility. These variations counts in my category of longswords, too. 3. More historical sources and paintings of knightly duels to the death show the longsword or their variations, than poleaxes. Mayby it's a tradition for judicial duels, but I think it has also a practical purpose.
Yes the falchion is the most theoreticaly thing in my list. There are many different forms of falchions. I know that they are often not heavier than arming swords, but the weight distribution can be a small factor. The most important thing for me personally is the possibility to use the flat side on falchions and messers. Many battle paintings show falchions in battles striking against armor and I don't think that they all lie too us. In some of them you also can see swords used correctly in halfswording and daggers poking, so I think they don't following a picturial tradition blindly.
So I hope they can also be used effectively in duels. Even when I only testet my hema/buhurt variants with a weight of 1,3 kg in harness fencing.
Please do!!. Your insights in this subject would be amazing!
Though this current list seems to be perfect as it is.
Greatsword and Longsword being 1 and 2 feels right for some reason
@@North_sea_empire_Vikingthat’s a bit of an unfair generalisation, he uses historical sources and hema/re-enactment combat experience
@@North_sea_empire_Viking " *a theory* "
What you mean is a hypothesis.
A theory, to be called that, needs to be already tested and shown to work. Also, a hypothesis can be narrow in focus, while we expect for theories to be more general.
@scholagladiatoria I brought up using the mace with Talhoffer's dueling shields or Shadiversity's spiked pavise to @dequitem.
I love the contrast of a polite well spoken man explaining how to kill and a cut to a brutal fight with grunting and the clashing of metal.
I'd like to see your picks for lesser armored individuals, I know there was a comparison between knight and landsknecht, but seeing what changes with partial armor would be interesting
That's even harder to decide!
Those Landsknecht loved polearms. Maybe the logic was they didn't need armor if they had massive pikes.
But I imagine a rapier is the favorite in unarmored combat. It's so fast and one poke can end the fight.
@@bryant7542 " *they didn't need armor if they had massive pikes.* "
Pikes are way cheaper than armor. Pikes fit "everybody", so they are easier to replace. You don't need a helper in order to put the pike on. So forth.
I mean, just because some other people did not use full custom fitted kits, does not mean they weren't the most effective protection on the field of battle. I believe that even today a full custom fitted modern armor would work the best, especially against shrapnels or frags, so often dropped by the drones.
Those poor kids just can't afford it. That simple.
@@baktersthat and if an Artillerie shell or rocket Hits you no armour in the World could save you, so they are droping unnecessary armour to make space for more sensible equipment
@@bakters Landsknecht clearly didn't care about cost. They went into battle as drippy and colorful as possible. They were mercenaries that everybody wanted to buy... Except the Swiss I believe.
Also the poleaxe is really a masterpiece of engineering, math and design. You have basically five kinds of arms in a sole weapon: the shaft, the sharp pick at the end of the shaft, the pike on the top, the straight blade of the axe and the hammer on the back of the blade. Some historians argue the poleaxe weapon was created by Portuguese engineers, forgers and blacksmiths like many other good weapons of old times.
Poleaxes appears to be the weapon of choice of royal families from different kingdoms in the iberian peninsula, at his time of major popularity around XIV to XVIII centuries, specially in Portugal. The great lines of kings of Portugal, specially the Avis dynasty (the most powerful of Portugal) used this glorious weapon. Many battles were fought with it, like the battle of Aljubarrota in the final part of the XIV century. It is said that the great king of Avis João I de Portugal used the poleaxe in this battle and it was his favorite weapon
I've always held an opinion that longsword dwarfs other weapons in armoured duel but since this view was based on observation only I received heavy ridicule every time I voiced it. Glad to see that my observation is confirmed by someone with experience close to an actual armoured combat. That being said I think we still might get surprised if we witness actual armoured duels to the death, but in our day and age it's not possible, legally at least.
Absolutely, mayby I change my mind in a view years 😉
That is definitely dequitem, an armored fighter in nonchoreographed knight fights like those.
Thank Mr.Pesedent 🫡
It is my duty to serve the people of america and give them the truth and nothing but the truth
@@robsright4256
Based on a quick review of available texts that cover the duel in full armor, the (not obviously specialized) longsword does come out on top with 13 appearances. The spear is nearly as common at 12 appearances, as many manuals cover the traditional combination of spear/lance, sword, & dagger. Pollaxes appear in 8 texts, while explicitly specialized longswords appear in 6. Given that multiple sources state that spear/lance, sword, & dagger were the customary weapons for dueling in full armor, it's not at all clear that anyone chose the longsword for an armored duel because they thought it was the best weapon. Rather, folks tended to fight armored duels with matched customary weapons. They sometimes attempted to game the conventions by making specialized longswords that could be used like pollaxes or having specialized daggers with a thinner inner blade as Joachim Meyer described.
Their are much more sources if you take texts about actual duels and paintings of them too.
One thing I love about Dequiem is his voice is so sweet and soft yet he’s DANGEROUS AND DEALDLY!!
so kind, thank you!
A true knight.
I’ve been doing harness fighting for a couple years according to Fiore, mainly polleaxe, “lance”, sword and dagger, but I’ve also messed around strapping a rotella and even a big pavise to my left arm. Obviously the axe is by far the most efficient choice but for me the spear is the most fun to use, with sword and dagger ready on my belt. It feels more “knightly” in a way, though in period I’d rather use a poleaxe and be alive lol.
Fiore is not the only source that exist. As an example Monte wrote about knight and men at arms that they mainly used estocs on foot and on the horse but ye pole arms are the way to go
@@vaderksy4730 yeah, I looked at some of the early Liechtenauer sources too but my school is Italian so Fiore’s easier for me haha. I also flipped through that French “play of the axe” book recently which is different but also super cool.
@@vaderksy4730 it seems to me an advantage of the estoc is that without edges its easily reversed and used as a mace, though the hilts of examples I've seen don't appear to be optimized for this.
This was so refreshing to hear. Most peoples idea of a medieval duel is something from a movie, where all kinds of fantastical and unrealistic weapons find their way in for entertainments sake. In reality all these different weapons are used for very specific circumstances, and there would be a class of soldier that uses that weaponry only. Such as pike-men. Or cavalry. The only men on the battlefield with spears or pikes, would have been men whose role was to deal with cavalry. The only men on the battlefield using maces would have been cavalry men. So like ya, these weapons certainly had their uses, but were very situational. Most people nowadays don't realize this. And like you mentioned, there aren't any accounts of a knight wielding a mace in a duel. Which goes to show their scarcity of use, I think. I've even read that maces were mostly used for ceremonial purposes, as well as signs of wealth.
The main tool of all soldiers though, was the sword. They could be mass produced, required little training to use, and most of all, were effective for CQB. Which is something all medieval battles devolved into.
I have to agree with the classic spear, sword, and dagger combo.
I've always been partial to the Poleaxe for an armoured duel.
It can absolutely complete in the top weapons and it was a long time my personal number 2.
This channel is criminally underrated, and an invaluable resource to the sword/HEMA community. Have you given any consideration to the estoc for an armored duel, which is generally defined as an edgeless thrusting sword (sometimes designed similarly to Zweihander) designed for use in both hands? It seems to be a highly specialized anti-armor weapon designed to pierce mail through gaps, which seems to be your preferred method.
I included them in the category of longswords and twohanded swords, depending on their dimensions. But yes I like them two.
My personal favorite is the war hammer. It allows you to concuss the enemy and incapacitate them instantly if you hit them hard enough on the helmet. The spikes can also be used to pierce gaps and since it can be used one-handed you have the option of using a shield while being able to drop it and use the war hammer two-handed in case more powerful strikes are needed.
VS those weapons, my choice would probably be machinegun. In seriousness, I think your list is solid and well reasoned.
#no ransom!
Wonderful informational video, hollywood directors should watch this and stop proposing us butter armour being thrusted by swords
for small guys swords for sure for big huge guys the pole hammer style of the pole axe. they can use it to hook behind neck or foot and throw people around. then when they go on ground its basically a sledgehammer coming down on you.
I like your decision!
I absolutely agree with you, Spadone/Zweihander is my favorite weapon, armored or not unifies the best aspects of Polearms, Swords, Axes and even Blunt weapons if you really need it.
I also love it even more because is probably the best weapon even in a 1 vs 2+, so in a medieval setting, where there is the risk to being ambushed by groups of bandits, i would love to have the Spadone to my side.
My personal favourite would have to be the Longsword, however, if I had to pick something to stake my life on, it would probably be the Pollaxe
Very cool & your expertise is not from books alone but from actual fighting. Well done!
Wow this was incredibly fascinating. I really appreciate you sharing your insight in such a realistic, tested way. Its so interesting hearing how fights really went compared to how media depicts medieval fights. Especially the parts about changing your grip and half-swording, I thought that was a silly myth, same with the mordhau. Absolutely fascinating that it was a real consideration when choosing a weapon.
I would probably choose spear and longsword, mainly because I have some experience with them from my HEMA and living history days. For a duel in armour a pollaxe would probably be a better choice than a spear, but I have almost no experience with this weapon and I believe it requires more strenght to use it properly than I currently have.
Spear and longsword is also difficult.
Nice list! My favorite is battle axe
The King has made another Great video!!!
I am the king?😱
Great video as always ! Clear and concise ! Keep up the awesome work !
Edit : I saw one of your comment in a video in wich you speak german, claiming your english is bad. So I just wanted to tell you : don't worry, your english is good.
Thanks but when I don't have time to think about my sentences, it's absolutely garbage. I can't speak free. That's why my videos are so scripted and I don't do reaction videos or interviews. It would be a shame for me.
@@dequitem Yeah I understand. Those scripted videos are really great anyway ! 😄
been loving your longer form content, dequitem! my personal favourite is the pollax (with hammer and spike) simply because it looks cool lol
Good choice!
Only dissagreement I have with this list is that to my knowledge, historical sharp falchion werent that much more heavy than arming swords nor had that strong of a forward point of balance, that it was rather the very thin but wide blade that encouraged cleaving action. Everything you said about halfswording with it is valid though and i dont disagree with it's placement, I just dont think you would hit your oppenent much with it.
Nice work, really interesting list, can you make one but this time for fighting armored opponents in a battle (as opposed to a duel)?
Would be interesting to hear the reasoning why for battles they seemed to favor polearms historically? Was it merely because in battles they couldn't separate into "1v1 duels" so it was a messy free-for-all melee, and polearms had greater reach to allow ganging up, or one could "hook" an enemy and pull him in for your buddies to gang up on?
*Laughs in arquebus*
Melee weapons 😉😅
Very nice to hear your perspective in such a well made video! I knew from your comments that you were going to place longsword above poleaxe (which historical consensus imo does not back up).
But the #1 is very interesting, and historically probably a better shout as I only know of them being used in very tame sports duels as opposed to judicial duels or what have you.
Yes there are some pictures of knights with twohanded swords in sport duels. A big problem with many twohanded sword is, that they often not well balanced.
hello algaegaming!
@@dequitemand inconvenient to pack around though same with a poleaxe
Love the poleaxe but a backup sword is nice, and then a mandatory mercy dagger.
I feel like many of your opionins are based on reanctism. For example real falchens are the exact same weight as arming swords if not lighter. Calling them a hybrid between a axe and a sword is compleetly and utterly incorrect. There blades also were way to thin for stabbing at armor and you would snap them if you tryed. Falchens were for chopping true hordes of lightly armored people not to fight other knights. Sure if you count the modern falchen which is nothing like the orginals I could agree with your opions, but those are not falchens there machety's with a crossguerd. On that note 15 century battle axes were not actuely heavyer then maces, it actuely was the other way around for the most part. Battle axes were in the same ball park as one-handed warhammers consurning weight. They came from 0,5 at the lightest to 1 kilo at the absoluut heav weights, while maces can come closer to 0,75 at the lightest and could get to 1,5 kilo for the absoluut units. Sow yes some historical maces could indeed get in the same weight class as longswords. That's why I think your assumptions on them are probably incorrect. Also medieval plateharnases got most defenitly dented in battle. Modern metals are far superior to medieval metals and had even if we are talking the highest kwalitie armors of the day had weakspot's were the metal would be less strong and could get dented or pierced. From my personal expierence and knowing what orginals were like I would take falchens out of the list compleetly and replace them with hellbards plus I would put the axe at the lowest spot and the mace at the place of the axe. I love axes, but they are not better anti-armor weapons then warhammers or maces. I would put poleaxe first, but your top 3 is pretty solid. Although if I may add something I would say those specialised armord fighting longswords with a warhammer for a guerd, a morning star for a pommel, no propper edges just a long recaso with spear point for a tip and with rondels to protect your hand when half swording would probably be better then a greatsword. I would put greatsword under longsword, cause bigger is not always better, plus a hyper specialised armored fighting longsword would still be better the greatswords, but I think I would keep greatsword at number 3 personaly. Sow my top 3 would be 1 poleaxe, 2 longsword (specifikly the highly specialised type), 3 greatsword.
You are a truly knight and war master. Such a good ranking, i almost totally agree with this list. But with a exception related with the spear, i think it should be in a more higher position, maybe a 4th or 3rd place. It is true the spear can break in battle or not be as good as other weapons in close combat, but a well qualified and outstanding experienced spear warrior can endure with its spear unbroken. It's not a coincidence that spears were very popular between royal families and knights until the very end of middle ages (XVIII century), they are one of the best arms in history
Another wonderful video by Dequitem! Thank you as always!
Best medieval armor fighting channel
Pole arms are easier to produce for armies and able to go into many different formations. Two handed swords are best for dueling but there's probably x5 the amount of steel needed to make one than a pole axe so they're overall less common on the battlefield
I have to say, the locations you choose to film at are prime. I swear ive seen multiple of the locations in the show "The last Kingdom" on Netflix.
I am Uhtred, Son of Uhtred :)
I never filmed in England!
Great video
Poleaxe/lucerne hammer and a rondel dagger 😎
Dagger. Charge in, take 1 hit, , sweep the leg, and kill.
Longsword as secondary choice.
It isn’t that simple though, since they’d be doing the same thing. A larger weapon dazing you would make it easier for them to knock you down and use their own dagger.
The dagger isn’t the primary. It’s the secondary.
100% agree with your list rankings and explainations. Its obvious that this knowledge comes from much experience and research.
Great job and thanks for your awesome videos!
If armored both i would choose a heavy two handed club with a weighted head of at least 3 kilos or a maul (sledge) that has a 4 kilo head , if unarmed , a spear or halberd
I see no heavy weapons in the list? I thought a heavy warhammer or maybe a war axe or a greataxe would have been the greatest options against armored opponents(when fighting to death). If I am wrong, I'd love to get a video explaning that(if you could).😅
Captive bolt handgonne, mine self chooseth thou!
Mallet? Wide lateral range of motion, 1 hit will shatter bone even if blocked. The mallet's main problem is the input requirements. The user needed to bench 400lb to swing that thing with speed.
Exactly, weapoms of strenght like mauls, sledge ot clubs Will fuc y upp Even with armor or a hit to the legs
I would tell You swinging a 10 pound sledge is not that i train with one and hit a tire with ot twoce per week i am 5'7 and 200 pound and can bench My body weight , is mor techiniche that strenght to balance tge swing back to fighting position
I pick dagger and shield- perhaps a shield with the best proportions for bludgeoning an armored opponent.
A shield should allow you to quickly close the gap on your opponent where your dagger can work best and your shield arm could be used to fight your opponents weapon hands or simply bash their helmet
That was an awesome video- thanks for all those clip’s fighting. Those were some beautiful shots!
I will make a video about shields in two weeks. 😉
10:40
I very much disagree that the rondel won't pierce maille without two hands on it. You can't just poke it in and expect a result true, but I've used my mate's sharp on a test dummy of a layer of 6mm riveted 4 in 1 maille over fabic, and though you need structure in your thust it'll pop rings really eassy and pierce quite deep one handed. You really don't need to place twohands on it to wound through maille
Don't compare cheap mail made in India with historical mail from solid rings! But of course it's possible, but most of the time you need much more force than most people think!
@@dequitem it wasn't cheap maille but hand made with rings from cap a pie.
Would you think that a halberd could be able to make its way into here? It’s a great battlefield weapon, but like the poleaxe is a combination of various weapons, the halberd emphasizing its chopping ability and its stabbing ability.
For me it would be pollaxe, longsword dagger combo. Longsword are my faves though.
Sir Dequitem, I have two questions that I really want you to answer.
Which of the following two-handed weapons is the best for a duel where you and your opponent are wearing full 15th century plate armor with chainmail underneath:
- Halberd
- Poleaxe
- Two-handed battle axe
- Two-handed sword
- Wooden club
- Two-handed flail
- Spear
And which of the following one-handed weapons which can be used with a shield is the best for the same situation:
- One-handed battle axe
- One-handed sword
- Hand-and-a-half sword
- Rapier
- Falchion
- Scimitar
- One-handed mace
- One-handed flail
- War hammer
use a giant wooden club in one hand and a tower shield in the other
This is a fascinating assessment of classic late medieval weapons. I have a couple of questions:
Do you have any thoughts on why more weapons don't have a butt spike? Like a mace or a one handed axe /warhammer? It would seem to me that this would give some usability in close combat. But the only weapons with butt spikes are certain pole weapons. Even spears in the post classic era don't usually have them.
I see your weapons are blunted for obvious safety reasons. Do you think it is possible that this makes half swording easier for you than it would have been using edged weapons? Obviously half swording was a common technique, but is it possible that you over-emphasize the value and utility of this, since you don't need to worry about cutting your hand? How common would it have been for knights and men at arms to only sharpen the outer half of their swords i norder to make half swording less risky?
Also, I'm surprised you aren't factoring in that single handed weapons can be dual wielded with something else in the other hand. Although I appreciated that you are comparing individual weapons and not weapon combinations.
Schöne Darstellung. Ich denke, daß ein Großschwert (Zweihänder) generell großartig ist, auch gegen ungepanzerte Gegner und gegen mehrere auf einmal. Die meisten Leute heute sind Hollywood-verseucht dahingehend, daß sie a) die Geschwindigkeit von Schwertern komplett unterschätzen weil es so aussieht, als ob ein einhändiges Ritterschwert 8 kg wöge, (das Gegenteil sind dann Lichtsäbelgeschwindigkeits-Katanas), b) auf magische Weise dann aber Streitkolben, Dreschen etc. mit einer Optik, als ob sie 25 kg schwere Köpfe hätten, herumgewirbelt werden, als wäre ihr Benutzer mit Hulk-Stärke ausgestattet (und sein Gegner würde gemütlich abwarten, bis ihn das Ding trifft, anstelle ihn schnell zu erstechen, lange bevor er treffen kann. Und c) die Möglichkeiten des Half-swording bei Lang- und Großschwert fast nie gezeigt werden... Ohne Panzerung würde ich mit einem Degen auch nicht gern einem Gegner mit einem Zweihänder gegenüberstehen... Wobei ein Langschwert vermutlich noch versatiler wäre. Also: möge die Macht des großen Schwerts mit Dir sein! Allerdings konnte man die im Hochmittelalter oft noch gar nicht schmieden, denke ich, und es war natürlich ultrateuer.
The best takes I've heard.
You need a weapon with the "Ignore target's defense" attribute.
I wonder how much bludgeoning weapons get discounted on these sorts of comparisons because in this sport, you can't really hit your opponent in the head with a mace or hammer because even with a helmet the rapid acceleration of the brain causes long term brain damage and possibly short term concussion. I take your point that the head is too obvious a target for the mace and morning star, but not the poleaxe.
We don't stop hitting the head. It's absolutely OK in our sport.
But you make a fair point with the poleaxe, that why I prefer the Zweihänder over a longsword.
Thanks@@dequitem I'm very surprised. That seems too dangerous to be worth it. I had heard that the sport limited mace weight and head hits with bludgeoning weapons.
I was suprised to not see the estoc on this list
Estoc is a kind of longsword and I include it.
Dude I love this channel, you are badass as hell
I personally love a mace for a sidearm instead of a sword, especially if your primary weapon is a blade. If your opponent also has a blade, as you said the most common choice, you can pivot to duel wielding, and use your blade to block, and the mace to harass your opponents hands or head. You don't have to concuss them if they can't hold their weapon, and most guards aren't meant to protect from maces, and even if they are, you can always go further down the arm. What good is holding your weapon if you have a limp elbow? I like having a variety of damage types. Love maces into shields as well.
Do you think it is possible to upgrade a heavy spear for fighting with a man-at-arms, as Fiore with a longsword? Would it be effective to make the tip as long as possible, and reinforced with stiffeners, if not for punching plates, then at least for effectively piercing cracks? How do you feel about the Slavic-Scandinavian boar-spear as an alternative to the winged spear?
This is such great content.
Also I love the English "Honor"! Don't write an H if I shall not pronounce it!😂
I love this video with actually experience. Keep these types of videos up my good knight. One question does shields make any difference for this list.
I will make a video about shields soon.
Could you share your source for the beautiful weapon illustrations you use as cover images on your videos?
Why are maces usually so short?
Im just want to correct your opinion list. The best is the sledge hammer. Its momentum is unmatched. Its big flat surface is unlikely to slide off of any armor. Im sure you can test that. I havent but I have no doubt. An 8 lb head and up is the right class for beginner men but after you work on a rail road or break rocks all day or split wood all day I expect it would be quite light to a strong man. Ideally they would have an increased handle length over the regular 36 inch ones you can find.
With a welded thick steel rebar handle they should also surely block blows better than anything you got.
There are also larger larger hamers too for super soldiers. They go too 14 most of the time and some even have 20 lb heads
If you dont think a sledge hammer is the greatest in armored combat find me a helmet that will save your head from a 20 lb hamer strike. If you were strong enough with a simple 8 to 12 pounder you could probaly beat a shield off someone since they about weigh the same and a sledge hammer is two hand unlike a shield.
You should also give a shout out to the stick users that use the 60 inch and 66 inch Wedge Point Crowbars.
Im sure though that sledge hammers were not popular because who did rail road work in the middle ages anyway. Sledge hammers were popular in America but Americans had something better for that kind of job its unlikely a kight could ever meet one anyways let alone someone strong enough to wield one since sledge hammers are an industrial age tool.
Very intersting video. I wonder what you think of the weapon called "Goedendag" which was used in the Franco-Flemish war to decimate the at the time unmatched armored cavalry of the French army. Seems like a combination of a half pole mace/morningstar and a sharp spearlike tip.
It's a very nice weapon and I would rank it with the morningstars.
Flail and shield combination would be interesting
Flails are terrible weapons in duels. If you don't belive me, than wait for my next video!
@@dequitem I look forward to seeing the results and difficulties
What i want to know is, where would you place the Roncone/billhook in this list? Does it not make it on top 10 or did you include it when considering poleaxes, like how you included the two handed warhammers like the Lucerne in with them?
Excellent and well thought out video!
The billhook is for me one of the polearms in terms of weapons for armored combat. But when the pole is to long it doesn't work that well. I have to make a new list in some years! But now I will collect some more data's.
@@dequitem good to know. Thanks for responding!
Crazy 2 think 40,000 men would slaughter each other in a field with these objects, hand 2 hand
Big Rock. Go bunga. Yeowch.
Poleaxe really got my attention🤔
I would choose just like you.
But if I have to try another thing : what about a 1 ended shield ? With 1 ended short sword and a dagger.
A shield with a spike, not to big and heavy enough to strike with it.
Then the plan is to get close, ideally surprise the ennemi with a heavy strike to the head with the border of the shield, in a big swing that he didn't see coming.
And then try kill him with dagger or short sword at close combat.
And maybe the shield and pike can be useful to block the arm of the ennemi. Being so annoying just by pushing it on is arm. 😂
If I get an opportunity to put the pike in a gap that's nice. Destroying is arm or stabbing the hip I believe.
~A gun~
/thread
😁
Jokes aside, I lack the first-hand qualification to strongly disagree with anything. =) I think your reasoning is sound, and also I celebrate that you're taking up the cudgels on behalf of the Greatsword, which is my personal favourite as well, even if mostly for coolness factor reasons. ^^
Thanx for sharing from experience...
Truly fascinating!
That looks really dangerous.
Wonderful video, good Sir!
"which weapon is the best for killing a full armored enemy"
Probably .50 BMG blacktip but I'm guessing that's not allowed.
Melee 😂
What do you think is the best sword for piercing chainmail-covered gaps?
And how effective do you think the estoc is in an armored duel?
I would choose 2h axe for sure.
Interesting, but reasonable choice.
i just had a thought, that maybe the steel in medival times was much worse so that maces could have caused more dmg to brittle steel then to our modern ones. also steel quality was most likely vary.
also i love the bidenhänder myself
High quality armor of the 15th and 16th century was nearly the same quality as today, but of course in battle there are less quality armors.
You said you played buhurt brfore, which weapons did you enjoy most during that period?
Only Buhurt duels. I was a longsword guy.
I’m curious about the Bill Guisarme polearm, wouldn’t that also be effective due to its offensive options?
Yes. It's mostly to long but definitely effective.
long thing with hard thing on end
sharp things optional
Great video, very well done! I have a question about your armour, what is that extra plate on your left chest for?
Defending my armpit!
I'd use a Langes Messer, any day.
I took note
Unless I end up landing a really good shot I'd definitely die but I reckon I'd do a little trolling and pick a siege crossbow
In armored melee combat I have zero experience, so I have to defer to your judgement.
Im really curious about optimum weapons for historic unarmored combat, such as self defense and duels.
У вас отличные бои. Хорошо показывают как было
@Dequitem what do you think about kriegsmesser?
Love it. Same Kategorien like the longsword.
The crossguard dors not get in the way the same as the war hammer? What do you mean?
The cross section of the hammer and axe, so it's harder to thrust someone.
Poleaxe + dagger all the time
Finally someone who debunks the "armour can be defeated with blunt force transfer" bullshit. It never made much sense to me.
A sword is way more nimble and fast in a duel and more versitile than a mace or axe.
I own a 4 kg 185cm Zweihänder and its massive but despite its weight its quick and maneruverable because it is balanced towards the hands.
It allows for multiple quick powerful thrusts.
A top heavy weapon however with the same length and weight would have to be discarded after one miss, as you couldnt recover the weapon quick enough. And only the strike would be more powerful the force of the thrust would be the exact same.
My twohanded sword is 165 cm and only 2,2 kg with a balance point on the parrying hooks, so it's more designed for duels, but nice to hear that you also understand my ranking with your giant sword.
@@dequitem my sword has its balance point right after the crossguard, most of the weight is in the pommel tang and crossguard. I think just the pommel weights about 1kg. But I can imagine that my sword could be a bit too long once you get in close range with it.
@@dequitem If possible, please do a video on this sword & the extant piece(s) that inspired it. I'm very curious about greatswords designed for the armored duel, as most surviving examples don't seem optimized for that purpose.
Bec de faulcon for me
I expected the poleaxe to rule supreme. Halfswording and murder strokes seem more like a desperate measure compared to using a poleaxe. It's better to grip, has more range and hits harder. It's the closest thing to a can opener IMHO. -and that's coming from someone who loves swords!
I am the channel with the biggest poleaxe tutorial online. I absolutely love poleaxes more than longswords (twohanded swords are cool two) but still, poleaxe don't seem better in a duel.
On battlefield I would prever a poleaxe.
The fact that we have multiple sources that say folks who dueled in armor made their longswords more like pollaxes suggest they considered the pollaxe superior to the longsword. (It's possible they were wrong, of course.)
Главное завалить и потом заколоть кинжалом. Двухручное надо значит, типа полакса или вархаммера
Does the use of shield helps in an armored duel or just hinders the fighter?
Die Blume des Kampfes shows shields as an optional addition to the common weapon set of spear, sword, & dagger. It has some curious techniques like holding a pavise & specialized longsword in the left hand while throwing the spear with the right. It also has a picture of an armored duelist holding a short pollaxe behind a pavise in the left hand with a spear in the right. Most armored duels don't seem to have involved shields, but some did.
I will make a video about it soon 😉
Have you ever been hit by a mace with real proper weight? If you had, your opinion would probably change regarding this weapon.
Mayby I would be dead, but the problem isn't the kill potential, it's the difficulty of hitting the target compared to other weapons.
well done