And sabers. And even if it is not shrouded in such a heroic and romantic aura as a bladed weapon, it was the spear that faithfully served both infantrymen and horsemen for many centuries. It did not become such a recognizable symbol of war as a sword or sword, but despite this, the spear was the main weapon of Greek hoplites, Swiss pikemen, and armored medieval knights. Contrary to popular belief, most popular weapon and in ancient world, and in the Middle Ages there was not a sword, but a spear.
The spear is the most common type of pole weapon and consists of a long wooden shaft and a tip. Spears (rather roughly) can be divided into two large groups: thrown and intended for use in close combat. And in terms of their functionality, spears belong to throwing, piercing and piercing-cutting weapons.
Today we cannot say exactly when the creation of the spear took place. It is likely that these weapons were first manufactured before Homo Sapiens appeared on the planet. Military history spears ended only in the middle of the last century.
And there are several explanations for this. Firstly, this weapon was very cheap; making a spear did not present any difficulties and required a minimum of time and resources. That is why participants in numerous peasant uprisings, who could not afford more advanced and expensive weapons, were armed with spears. Secondly, working with a spear did not require such a long training, which was absolutely necessary for mastering other types of weapons (sword or bow). At the same time, the spear is very effective. Cutting the shaft of a spear in battle is not so easy; most likely, the blow will be tangential. In addition, the spear shaft was often bound with iron to strengthen it. Well, thirdly, the spear is a very versatile weapon, it is suitable for both a horseman and a foot warrior. And if necessary, it can be thrown at the enemy.
A special type of spear was invented for throwing - a dart. To improve the "flight-tactical" characteristics, the darts were properly balanced and counterbalanced. Similar throwing mini-spears were known already in the Stone Age.
The spear is widely represented in mythology different nations. This is a symbol of aggressive intentions, belligerence, and onslaught. A short spear is an indispensable attribute of the Greek Pallas Athena; it was used by the Scandinavian Odin; the Assyrian god Baal was depicted with this weapon. The spear of the Indian god of war Indra is a symbol of victory.
In the Christian tradition, the spear is one of the symbols of the suffering and death of Christ. According to biblical traditions, it was they who dealt the “blow of mercy” to the crucified Jesus. Currently, the tip of the Spear of Destiny is one of the most revered Christian shrines.
The spear can be called a real long-liver among cold pole weapons. Cavalrymen used pikes until the middle of the last century. Currently, the javelin is used only as a sports equipment; javelin throwing is an Olympic sport. A few reenactors and lovers of historical weapons are engaged in making copies. Anyone can find materials on the Internet on the topic “How to make a spear with your own hands.” Even today, creating a spear is not particularly difficult.
Classification of copies
In fact, the term "spear" is quite generic. By it is meant a large number of different types of polearms, which sometimes differed from each other quite significantly. The appearance of the spear was determined primarily by the peculiarities of its use. In other words, the size and shape of the weapon depended on who used it in battle, a foot soldier, a cavalryman, and against whom it was directed. A separate group includes light spears intended for throwing at the enemy.
It is believed that the most fragile wood was taken to make the shaft of a long knight's spear of the Middle Ages. Why was this done? The expectation was that the spear would break after the first blow. In combat, the rider could move at a speed of 10 meters per second, which provided him with a significant amount of kinetic energy. If two knights rushed towards each other, then the energy of their collision increased manifold. At such a speed, hitting the target could easily lead to the fall of the rider and horse. Therefore, a broken spear shaft seemed much preferable to a broken arm or neck of a knight. Later, the expression “breaking spears” became synonymous with any fight.
Any spear consists of a shaft (ratovishche) and a tip. The shaft was made of wood and could have different sizes. The tip of the spear was usually made of metal. Initially, it was simply tied to the outside of the shaft, but later the method of attachment became much more complicated. The tip consisted of a blade, a tule - a tube into which the shaft was inserted - a neck, located between the tube and the blade. Sometimes the lower end of the shaft was bound with iron. The tip was put on the shaft like a glove; for additional fixation, small nails or rope (strips of leather) were used. There was another way to attach the tip to the shaft: it could simply be driven into the tree, wedging it.
The spears varied greatly in their length. It varied from 1.5 to 7 meters. Moreover, especially long spears were the weapons of infantrymen and were used both against enemy foot formations and as a means of defense against enemy cavalry. It is clear that these types of spears could only be used in close formation.
It must be admitted that we do not have complete information about the design of some ancient and medieval copies. For example, there is no detailed description of the famous Greek sarissa spear; ancient authors vary greatly regarding the length of this weapon (from 3 to 7 meters). Archaeologists found metal bushings that may have served to connect components sarissas into one whole. However, there is no mention in written sources that this spear consisted of several parts. In addition, in this case, with such a length of the spear, the strength at the joint would be clearly insufficient.
Throwing spears should be highlighted separately. In principle, the boundaries of this group of weapons are somewhat blurred, since any more or less short spear can be thrown at the enemy. A specialized throwing weapon was the dart; the creation of a spear of this type occurred back in the Stone Age. A dart is a short, light spear with a length of 1.2-1.5 meters and a weight of about one kilogram. Some of them even weighed 200-300 grams. In Rus', darts were called sulitsa. One of the main differences between darts and ordinary “melee” spears was the shape of their tip. As a rule, they were made so that they would get stuck in enemy shields or armor.
Back in the Stone Age, a special device was invented for darts - a spear thrower. It was a plank or a belt loop with a stop for a spear. With its help, the thrower could throw his projectile over a much greater distance. Spear throwers almost went out of use after the advent of the bow.
Darts were very common during Antiquity and the Middle Ages. They were usually used by peoples who did not have good and powerful bows. The ancient Greeks, Macedonians and Romans were very good dart throwers. Darts were much heavier than arrows, so they had greater penetrating power than a bow. In Europe, this type of weapon regained popularity around the 13th century, when steel production increased significantly.
Another feature of the spears, in addition to their size, was the shape of their tip. It could be sting-shaped, leaf-shaped, diamond-shaped, dagger-shaped. The widespread use of armor led to the appearance of narrow faceted tips; such a spear tip could cope not only with chain mail or leather armor, but also pierce plate armor.
History of the spear
Another monkey came up with the idea of holding a long sharp stick in his upper limbs to poke his opponents with it. This weapon can already be called a prototype of a spear. The creation of the stone-tipped spear is attributed to our Cro-Magnon ancestors. Initially, these weapons were probably used for hunting and defense against predatory animals. And it gave the primitive hunters a huge advantage.
The oldest spears found by archaeologists are 300 thousand years old.
Even a short spear keeps the enemy at a distance of one and a half meters and allows the hunter to avoid the sharp fangs and claws of the beast. A person could poke the carcass of a leopard or bear from a safe distance without fear of being seriously injured. And if necessary, this weapon could be thrown at the enemy. The question “how to make a spear” did not exist then: after all, stones and wood were always at hand.
After man became acquainted with metals, spear tips began to be made of copper, and then bronze. This made them much stronger and sharper. Initially, there were two types of spears: throwing and melee, and, probably, the throwing type of this weapon predominated.
After the advent of close formation tactics, the spear for hand-to-hand combat became the main weapon of warriors. It differed from the throwing javelin primarily in its balance.
The most famous ancient spearmen were the Macedonian warriors, and the most famous type of long spear of antiquity is, without a doubt, the sarissa. This is an unusually large spear (up to 7 meters) with a counterweight and a small tip. The production of copies of this type was put on stream in Ancient Greece. It was these weapons that the famous Macedonian phalanx used. We can say that the creation of a spear of this type and the tactics of its use in close formation became the key to the brilliant victories of Alexander the Great.
The Romans were not such fans of copies as the Greeks. Nevertheless, the spear was the standard weapon of the legionnaires, although it was a throwing spear. The famous Roman pilum consisted of a shaft and a very long point, which was often made of soft iron. In battle, the pilums targeted not only the bodies of enemies, but also their shields. This short spear weighed 1-1.7 kg; stuck in the enemy’s shield, its weight forced him to lower it. Well, then the gladiuses came into play.
One should not think that only infantry used spears. The riders also liked the main design feature of this weapon - its length. Throwing darts were used by Sarmatian and Scythian horsemen; spears began to be used as striking weapons for mounted warriors after the advent of heavy cavalry. For this purpose, an ordinary infantry spear was used, whose center of gravity was slightly changed due to a massive counterweight.
Before the appearance of the stirrup, the cavalry spear was held in a raised hand and struck the enemy from top to bottom, thus minimizing the risk of the rider being thrown out of the saddle after the blow
The invention of the stirrup gave new impetus to the spread of cavalry spears. The stirrups allowed the rider to stay firmly on the horse and deliver powerful, accentuated blows with the spear. The most famous cavalry spear of all time is, without a doubt, the lance or long knight's spear. It was the main weapon of medieval European heavy cavalry. Its length could reach 4.5 meters, and its weight could be 4 or more kilograms. The shaft of this weapon was more massive compared to large infantry spears.
It should be noted that the lance did not appear immediately. At first, European cavalry used ordinary spears, but later they were modernized and “sharpened” as much as possible for the conditions of mounted combat. They became longer, a special shield appeared to protect the hand, and around the 15th century, cavalry spears began to rest against the current of the armor, which reduced the load on the rider’s hand.
In the Middle Ages, cavalry used spears not only to destroy infantry, but also against enemy horsemen. A spear collision between two mounted knights clad in armor is a real “ business card» Middle Ages.
Another well-known type of cavalry polearm is the so-called cavalry pike, which came into widespread use around the 17th century. It had much more modest dimensions compared to its infantry counterpart: length up to 3 meters and weight up to 2.5-3 kg. The cavalry pike was used until the middle of the 20th century. First world war V Russian army the first ranks of the Cossack and Uhlan regiments were armed with it.
The most famous infantry spear of the Middle Ages is the pike. This is a long spear, its dimensions could reach five to six meters, and its total weight could be four to five kilograms. After the appearance of stirrups in Medieval Europe, heavy cavalry became the main striking force of any army. The question of protecting infantry formations from it came to full attention. The response to the new threat was the appearance of the infantry pike: a close formation of pikemen was able to stop any enemy cavalry attack. The pikes did not have a counterweight, so holding this weapon required remarkable physical strength.
They did not strike with the pike; they simply pointed it towards the enemy and advanced. Later, pikemen served as protection for musketeers - fighters armed with last word then military equipment.
The heavy pike began to lose its combat significance only after the appearance of mobile artillery on the battlefield, around the 17th century. First, a light pike (up to 3 meters long) took its place, and then it was completely replaced by the bayonet.
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Once you decide to fight for fame and fortune, then be prepared for numerous battles. They require solid preparation - you must be confident in both your combat skills and the strength of your squad.
Types and features of weapons
Each type of weapon includes several items of the same type, and if you have developed skill with this type of weapon, you can use any of them. What type of weapon you choose is up to you, but some items require special handling.
- One-handed weapon. This type of weapon maintains the perfect balance between strong blows and solid attack speed, and in addition, it allows you to take a shield in the other hand and cover yourself with it. Some one-handed weapons have a very short range, such as sabers and épées. The size of such a weapon makes it practically impossible to parry enemy attacks.
- Two-handed weapon. It has a longer range and deals more damage. Such weapons are intended more for attack than for defense: the enemy can be killed with one or two blows, but for this you will have to give up the shield. Most notable Two-handed weapon- this is a claymore. It has excellent range and impact power, but is limited to mounted use.
- Polearm weapon. Such weapons are very long and give the owner an advantage over the enemy, whose weapon has a short range. Most types of such weapons are capable of breaking shields to shreds.
- Bows. The bow allows you to hit a target from a long distance. The speed of shooting from a bow is much higher than from a firearm, and if you develop the “Powerful Shot” skill and skill in handling bows, you will not be inferior in the amount of damage caused a skilled shooter With firearms. Nice bows can only be used with the minimum value of the Power Shot skill.
- Firearms. This perfect weapon for those who prefer to fight at a distance, but do not want to mess with bows. Firearms must be manually reloaded after each shot by simply pressing the attack button a second time. Most firearms are restricted for use while mounted.
- Exist double-barreled options such weapons. Their main advantage is the ability to fire 2 shots in a row, which comes at the cost of a long reload. While reloading a double-barreled weapon, you must not move, otherwise it will be interrupted.
- Grenades. The weapon is unique in its kind because it allows you to fight at a distance and kill several enemies at once with one grenade. Grenades vary in size, which corresponds to the amount of damage they deal.
Injuries
There are three types of injuries:
- Slashing. Applied with sharp blades such as sabers and axes. Slashing weapons do the most damage.
- Stabbing. Inflicted by point-point weapons such as spears, piercing swords and arrows. Piercing weapons are best at penetrating armor.
- Crushing. Inflicted by weapons that strike and break without causing open wounds, such as clubs and hammers. Crushing damage can also be done by a horse by trampling an enemy. With a blunt weapon, you can beat the enemy until he loses consciousness, but at the same time he will remain alive, and then you can take him prisoner. Like piercing weapons, blunt weapons penetrate armor well.
If you have enabled the “Show Damage” option, then with each hit you will be shown the damage you have dealt or received, which can be very useful in training.
The amount of damage you deal and receive depends on several factors. First of all, of course, it depends on the damage indicator of your weapon - it varies from half to maximum. For example, if a club deals 20 damage, that means it will deal between 10 and 20 damage each time it hits. If you are proficient with this weapon, the damage will be closer to the maximum. The damage dealt is also increased by your skills: Slam affects melee weapons, and Slam/Throw affects long-range weapons.
The game "Fire and Sword" uses a physics model that takes into account the speed of your weapon and the direction in which it is pointed when calculating damage. The result of these calculations will be designated as “additional speed”. If you move to the left relative to the enemy, you will deal more damage with a blow from right to left (in the direction opposite to the enemy's movement). Most types of weapons will deal more damage in the mid-strike stage: for example, a spear will pierce an enemy better not on the first hit, but after you apply some force. Your bonus speed can be positive (then the damage will be increased) or negative (then the damage will be reduced), and it can double the damage of your hit or negate it.
The extra speed is extremely important for ranged weapons. During the flight, the ammunition will lose its initial speed and, therefore, cause much less damage.
It is also important where you hit the target. Usually the blow lands in the place you are looking at, so if you want to hit the legs, aim for the bottom, and if you want to hit the head, aim for the top. A hit to the legs will generally do less damage than a hit to the head.
Enemy armor reduces the damage you deal. After processing data about your skills, weapon quality and impact speed, the game will display “base damage”. Armor has a protection parameter that reduces this damage: from cutting damage the value from half to the maximum of the protection parameter is subtracted, from piercing or crushing damage - from a quarter to half. For example, if the armor’s defense parameter is 20 and a cutting blow is dealt to it, then it will be 10-20 units weaker. If a piercing or crushing blow is applied to such armor, it will be weaker by 5-10 units. In addition to direct protection from damage, armor also provides some percentage protection.
Melee
In close combat, you need to properly use a shield or place blocks. The condition of the shield must be constantly monitored, because even the strongest of them can only withstand a limited number of blows.
If you don't have a shield, then you can only parry enemy attacks with weapons using the right mouse button. At a time, you can parry only one blow from one side (from above, from the side, etc.). If you are fired upon by a long-range weapon, you will not be able to block these attacks. In order to block an attack, you need to carefully monitor the enemy and what kind of blow he is about to deliver, and then immediately block.
It usually takes time to strike - you need to attack in such a way as to bypass the enemy's defense, be it a shield or a weapon. You should not attack chaotically and hope for luck - this will only lead to you getting wounded. The main thing in battle is patience. Wait for the enemy to lower his shield or stagger back, then step forward and deliver your blow.
Fight at a distance
Archers and marksmen with firearms cannot carry shields, as they must hold the weapon with both hands. To fire a long-range weapon, face the target and hold down the left mouse button. A crosshair will appear on the screen - a large white ring that will gradually shrink. If you shoot with a bow, then you need to release the left mouse button at the moment when the ring shrinks to a minimum: after waiting too long, you will get tired of holding the bow, and your hands will begin to tremble. In order to get more time to aim, you need to develop archery skills. When using firearms and grenades, you can aim as long as you like because you don't have to keep the bow drawn at all times.
Grenades are affected by gravity - meaning the further you are from the enemy, the higher you need to aim to hit them. Here you will find it very useful to zoom in on the camera (hold down the Shift), because this way you will see where the fired projectile will hit, and you will be able to correct the course. The grenade flies slower than arrows and bullets and describes an arc. It has a shorter range.
If you shoot from a bow at an enemy who has a shield, and he sees you, then he can simply cover himself with his shield, and your shot will not hit him. The shield can be broken by methodically shooting at it, but this will take a lot of arrows, so in this case it is better to use two-handed swords or axes.
The invention of firearms influenced the development of a new tactical maneuver using shooters - the so-called linear formation. Firearms take a very long time to reload, but with a simultaneous salvo from several shooters, they can inflict quite significant losses on the enemy. It is better to place shooters on hills, which provide a tactical advantage over enemy troops.
Fight with a horseman's spear
Horseman's spears and most other polearm types can be used for a mounted special attack. To do this, you need to accelerate your horse to high speed, take the spear under your arm and pierce the enemy with it at full gallop.
What does this require? First of all, your horse must be able to accelerate to medium speed or more, since this blow will not be possible on a lame mule. Also, your horse must be agile enough so that it can, if necessary, perform a maneuver and help you hit the target more accurately. Well, of course, you will need a polearm: a horseman's spear, a pike, a pitchfork and much more will do. It is preferable to take a longer weapon, since although a short weapon deals more damage, with a long weapon you can reach the enemy before he hits you. DO NOT PRESS THE ATTACK BUTTON! The pike strike is automatic if you have the right weapon and enough speed. As you approach the enemy, you will need to turn your horse to hit the enemy with your spear.
Fight on horseback
When attacking an enemy on foot with a one- or two-handed weapon (not a polearm!), it is best to strike at the moment when you are driving past, and not when the enemy is slightly ahead. While riding a horse, you will only be able to wield two-handed melee weapons with one hand, which will reduce your attack speed and damage output. Spears in mounted combat are used a little differently - when you are ready to strike, you can direct the tip in any direction using the mouse.
Enemies can also be trampled by a horse, which can be very useful in battle. If a horse hits an enemy with its hoof at a decent speed, it will cause crushing damage and can knock out the enemy, so you will be able to capture him. If the enemy has a shield, then the horse can push him with his shoulder, and at this moment you can strike before the enemy closes again. Please note that if the enemy on foot is armed with a pike, you won’t be able to attack him just like that, because he will reach you first. If your horse receives a strong blow to the chest with a spear, it will stop, and if you are also surrounded at that moment, then you can find yourself in very great danger.
Fight with horsemen
It’s good to advise how to trample an unfortunate infantryman with a horse, but what to do if the infantryman is you? The strength of a war horse is its speed. Therefore, in the fight against the rider, you need to use any features of the terrain: hollows, steep hills, rocks that will prevent the horse from accelerating. It is best to engage in battle with mounted warriors in the forest or in shallow water. The second important point is the use of polearms. Having received a strong blow from a spear in the chest, the horse will stop or even fall. The main thing is to calculate the moment when the horse rushes towards the tip of the spear; it should be placed as far as possible in order to inflict maximum damage at the maximum safe distance. If you wait too long, you won't have time to position your spear properly, or the horse will stop early and its rider will attack you. If you put out your spear too early, the blow will land in the void, the horse will not stop, and you will be knocked down and trampled.
Wagenburg
If the army pursuing you outnumbers yours, and the fortress is still several days away, you can set up a camp and build a Wagenburg - a defensive structure made of carts. It is not so easy to take it unceremoniously; it will allow a skilled commander to save soldiers, and will also force the attackers to suffer serious losses or completely discourage the enemy from attacking you. But be careful: the enemy you are pursuing may also build a Wagenburg, especially if his army is smaller than yours or he has many archers.
Attacking such a defensive structure head-on is pure suicide, especially if the defense is held by a squad good shooters. But Wagenburg is extremely vulnerable from the rear, which must be remembered by both attackers and defenders. To defeat the enemy who has taken refuge in Wagenburg, you need to quickly transfer shock troops behind enemy lines or occupy the high ground around Wagenburg, if the terrain allows, and with the help of your best shooters, reduce the number of defenders of the improvised fortress.
Sieges
Having gathered a large army, you can try to besiege one of the enemy cities. When you decide to besiege a city or fortress, you will need to choose one of the following actions:
- Prepare ladders for assault. You can attack the enemy fortress using ladders, but in this case you should remember that you will suffer the main losses from the shooters on the walls. Therefore, at the forefront of your attack, it is better to place warriors who are reliably protected and equipped with good shields. After you capture the walls, place your shooters on them to destroy enemy reinforcements. The time it takes to build stairs depends on how high your engineering skill is.
- Call the defense commander to a meeting. It may happen that the enemy is exhausted and ready to surrender, or maybe a selfish military leader will agree to open the fortress gates for you for a lot of money. In any case, it is worth sending a parliamentarian for negotiations.
- Poison the water in the city. If you're willing to do anything to win, try poisoning the city's water source. Not a very ethical act, but it helps to significantly reduce the forces protecting the city.
- Blow up a wall with a mine. For good engineer The walls of the fortress are no obstacle - a little gunpowder and skill will make a huge hole in the wall. After this, feel free to attack those who have taken refuge inside.
- Wait until tomorrow. By waiting a day or two during the siege of a fortress, you can achieve capitulation, especially if the besieged's supplies are running low.
- Lift the siege. If you fail to take the fortress, you can lift the siege and go replenish the army.
In the comments to the previous post, they doubted the lameness of the sword and expressed confidence that with its help they could easily cope with a spear:
give me a normal sword and I’ll stupidly chop off the tip of the pike from the video, and then hack the enemy to death. [...] A sharp entrance, passing by the tip and slashing the spearman as you wish.
However, this is all theory. If you wish, you can probably write counter-objections to these objections. Let's turn to the manuals. Namely, to John Silver and his work "Paradoxes of Defense" (1599), where he evaluates the advantages of different types of weapons against each other:
I will begin with the worst, imperfect and unsuitable weapon, which is not worth mentioning, but which is now in great esteem, so it cannot be omitted. This is a rapier, as well as a rapier and a dagger.1. A one-handed sword has an advantage over a rapier.
2. The sword and dagger have an advantage over the rapier and dagger.
3. Sword and tarch have an advantage over sword and dagger, or rapier and dagger.
4. Sword and buckler have an advantage over sword and tarch, sword and dagger, or rapier and dagger.
5. A two-handed sword has an advantage over a sword and a tarch, a sword and a buckler, a sword and a dagger, or a rapier and a dagger.
6. A battle axe, halberd, black bill, or similar weapon in weight, used in guarding or combat, is equal in battle and has an advantage over a two-handed sword, sword and buckler, sword and tarch, sword and dagger, or rapier and dagger.
7. A short pole or half-pike, forest bill, protazan or glaive, or other similar weapon of ideal length, has an advantage over a battle axe, halberd, black bill, two-handed sword, sword and tarch. And also against two swords and daggers, or two rapiers and daggers with gloves, and for a long pole and a Moorish pike.
8. A long pole, Moorish pike or javelin, or other similar weapon longer than the ideal length, has an advantage over any other weapon, short pole, Welch hook, tarantula or glaive or other similar weapon, although too weak for two swords and daggers, or two swords and bucklers, or two rapiers and daggers with gloves, because they are too long to stab, strike and turn quickly. And due to the long distance, a fighter armed with a sword and dagger will remain behind the enemy with such weapons.
9. The Welsh hook or timber bill has an advantage over all other types of weapons.However, it is clear that in battle, among the variety of weapons, many people and horses, the sword and tarch, the two-handed sword, the battle-axe and the black bill, as well as the halberd, are the preferred weapons and more dangerous in attack and force than the sword and buckler, the short pole , long pole or forest bill. The sword and tarch best protect infantry from thrusts and blows from a battle axe, halberd, black bill, or two-handed sword. Much better than the sword and buckler.
Let's try to simplify this and rewrite it from best weapons for the worse. Well, Silver's bias towards Italians and Italian weapons is known, so his words about rapiers can not be taken seriously. We will combine one-handed swords into one category. Weapons “longer than the ideal length” can be excluded because... it is exclusively for the building. In addition, if you take it into account, then it will not be possible to create an unambiguous rating due to cycles (sword< двуручный меч < боевой топор/алебарда < короткий шест/полупика/копьё/глефа < длинный шест/пика < меч). Насчёт валлийского крюка и лесного билла я не знаю, что делать. С одной стороны он пишет, что длинный шест/пика превосходят валлийский крюк, протазан и глефу. С другой, что валлийский крюк или лесной билл "обладают преимуществом перед всеми другими видами оружия". Думаю, просто удалим.
As a result, we get (from best to worst):
1. Spear/half-pike/thrust/short pole, glaive/forest bill.
2. Battle axe, halberd/black bill.
3. Two-handed sword.
4. One-handed sword.
Yes, the sword sucks.
P.S. Silver also has some thoughts on the benefits of height and range:
A discussion between a student and a master about the advantages and disadvantages between a tall man and a short man, if both know their weapons perfectly.Student: Who has the advantage in battle, A tall man or a short person?
Master: A tall man has an advantage for the following reasons (23): he reaches further, and the weapon is suited to his height accordingly, so he needs to make less movement with his legs to get into the line of attack, where with a quick movement of his hand he can hit or thrust. At the same time, a short person cannot reach it. Also, due to the longer stride length of a tall person, retreating with correct steps takes him away from danger faster, and these are the advantages of a tall person over a short one.
A tall person has an advantage. He can fight, by virtue of his nature and skill, with greater ease than a short man, because a short man is forced to take a longer stride to get close enough to attack effectively. When entering the line of attack, the short fighter is forced to skillfully defend himself, because while he is approaching, the tall man can, by nature or skill, attack. At the same time, if a low person makes the slightest mistake, he will be in danger of injury or death. A tall person can naturally (24) and safely look for a target to attack without using special protection at all. It can also create a threat to the enemy, forcing him to defend himself with all the skill that he has. And all this he can do, thanks to the length of his arms, long stride, short course and long reach, with great safety, pleasure and ease.
For these reasons, a high man has an advantage over a low one, despite the noble science of defense, the most perfect and good.
The idea of using a stick to lengthen the arm, and a stone tip to weigh it down and increase its destructive power, gave rise to one of the most common and effective types of weapons - the spear. It appeared in the Stone Age and from that time on became an indispensable attribute of a hunter and warrior.
Lord of Battle
Having taken up a spear for hunting, man immediately adapted it for war. A long shaft with a point at the end made it possible to keep the enemy at a considerable distance. The spear was lighter than baton. And besides, it could be thrown. Working with a spear did not require amplitude movements. This made it possible in battles to build fighters in ranks with spears pointed forward, Macedonian phalanxes and Roman legionnaires, walking in battle formation, they swept away everything in their path. Often even the enemy could not get close to them. cavalry, also armed with spears.
An army that did not have spearmen in its composition was practically unable to meet the enemy in close combat. The spear dominated the battlefields from battle on foot or on horseback, and ending with the banners of the winners fluttering on a raised pole.
Refraction of copies
The spear became the first weapon used in duels. Homer's Iliad contains descriptions of single combats with spears, for example the fight between Hector and Ajax.
Hector struck the center of Telamonides’s shield with his spear,
However, it did not penetrate the copper; the tip bent.
Ajax flew into the shield and pierced it right through with his lance.
The eager Hector recoiled back towards the enemy.
A blunt tournament spear, devoid of a metal tip, served as the main weapon during knightly competitions. Despite its apparent harmlessness, it posed a serious danger to a knight who went to the lists to “break spears” with a conditional enemy. During a collision with an armored horseman, the tournament spear broke, and if the knight did not throw it away, the sharp flake could cause a serious wound to the enemy.
In 1559, at a tournament in France, Gabriel de Montgomery mortally wounded King Henry II. The flake of his spear upon impact threw up the visor of the royal helmet and, piercing Henry's right eye obliquely, came out behind the ear. A few days later the king died in terrible agony.
Many battles were preceded by duels between horsemen and spears in front of armies lined up for battle. In 1380, a mortal battle between Peresvet and Chelubey began Battle of Kulikovo.
Fluttering like a butterfly, sting like a bee
The spear tips had a sting-shaped, triangular, quadrangular, diamond-shaped or leaf-shaped shape. The tip was put on the shaft and served as its natural and reinforcing extension. In addition, the spears had a sultan - a colored tail made of horsehair fluttering in the wind, which was attached near the tip and served not so much as decoration, but to absorb and retain the blood pouring from the enemy’s wound onto the shaft. The shaft, stained with blood, slid in his hands, preventing him from delivering an accurate and strong blow.
The spears had different lengths depending on the tasks being solved in battle. The shortest spear was approximately the height of a man, and the longest exceeded 5 meters. Chinese flexible spears had a red tassel that distracted the enemy's attention with its fluttering movement. In Europe, horsemen's spears were equipped with a cup that covered the hand, and the free end of the spear was sometimes balanced by a metal counterweight.
Khopesh - a type of bladed weapon Ancient Egypt with a sickle-shaped blade, something between a sword and an ax. They can chop, cut, stab and inflict deep wounds on the enemy, similar to sabers.
IN Ancient Rus' the spear was the most common type of weapon. It was used as a striking and piercing weapon. Its length was about 2 meters, and the tip had triangular shape. The staghorn was also a native Russian weapon - a long spear with a heavy tip shaped bay leaf. Subsequently, the spear began to be used more often when hunting large animals.
Cossack pikes, intended for fighting in the saddle, had a metal insert along the shaft in order to withstand a chopping blow in a defensive position sabers. The fighting technique with such a pike required honed skill and was suitable against both foot and horse fighters.
Nightmare on the pole
Warriors have always dreamed of a universal weapon on the battlefield. So that it hits like an ax, cuts like a knife, and stabs like a spear. The desire to combine a spear and an ax, or a spear and a sword, led to the emergence of numerous types of polearms. They were created specifically for military operations and had no economic purpose.
The Japanese naginata, which is a curved sword mounted on a shaft, significantly expanded the samurai's arsenal of combat operations, allowing him to fight several opponents at once due to the rapid rotation of the weapon and the interception of hands. Even women learned the art of naginata fighting in Japan.
There were legends about the Chinese staff of the Shaolin monks, which had an ax at one end of the shaft and a sickle-shaped blade at the other. According to legend, it was armed with the founder of Chinese martial arts, the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma, who single-handedly crossed the path from India to China in 475. Subsequently, the Shaolin monks, forced to confront the cavalry on foot, invented many types of polearms - all kinds of halberds, bidents and tridents. The blade of the halberd, like a shovel, was often used to scoop up sand and throw it in the face to the enemy.
In Europe, combined polearms appeared much later, when knights wore heavy armor. Unlike the Asian ones, in this weapon the cutting and piercing parts were separated. The ax was not a continuation of the shaft, but was located on the side so that it could be used to cut down a horseman in armor. In addition to the axe, such axes and poles were equipped with hooks for pulling the rider from the saddle.
Frozen symbolism
The age of the battle spear, born in the Paleolithic era, turned out to be surprisingly long. Infantry armed with spears was effective on the battlefield until the 18th century. And cavalry pikes were successfully used in the First World War and the Civil War.
The spear has organically entered into numerous symbolism of different eras. Veiled by time, the name and image of the spear are often found in objects that are well known to us and yet remain unrecognized. So, for example, one of the suits is still called spades playing cards. And the name of the coin “kopeck” comes from a small monetary unit introduced into circulation under Elena Glilskaya, the mother of Ivan the Terrible, since it depicted a horseman with a spear. The image of a spear can often be seen in the metal fence of palaces and parks. The javelin throw is included in the program of all athletics competitions.
The battle flag - a symbol of military honor, valor and glory - is a reminder to every soldier, sergeant, officer and general of their sacred duty. Its shaft is almost indistinguishable from a spear. Like a spear, it has a pointed tip and hands.
Spear like warrior weapon, did not bypass religious symbolism. The spear helped the Greek goddess of wisdom Athena win in her dispute with Poseidon, and therefore she is always depicted with a spear in her hand. The holy spear of the priest Peter Bartholomew brought good luck to the crusaders and helped them win. The spear of Gaius Cassius Longinus became a sacred relic Christianity.
Saint George, who proved by the strength of his body and spirit his superiority over his pagan tormentors, is canonized by the church and is depicted with a spear in his hand, piercing a dragon. St. George the Victorious was an integral part of the coat of arms Russian Empire, and today it is decorated with the coat of arms of Moscow.
The Order of St. George is awarded to military personnel who have shown the greatest courage on the battlefield. Because Saint George, armed with a spear, is the patron saint of everything armies.
There are two types of spears: throwing and melee.
An ordinary spear consists of a wooden shaft and a metal tip, the shape of which can be very diverse.
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History of the spear
The prototype of the spear was recently discovered from observations of modern apes. Female chimpanzees in some herds systematically used sharp sticks when hunting small animals.
The simplest spear primitive man It was a straight, planed and sharpened stick made of hard wood, approximately the length of a person. As a rule, the tip was burned for hardness. The oldest specimens known to modern man are 8 copies from Schöningen (Germany), 300 thousand years old. In Ethiopia, in the Gademotta location, spears with stone tips dating back 280 thousand years were discovered. A spear from Lehringen (de: Lanze von Lehringen) in Germany dates back to 115-128 thousand years old.
Spears began to be equipped with tips made of stone or bone in the Middle Paleolithic era. They were divided into throwing and melee.
Throwing spears for a long time decisively prevailed, since they allowed for dual use - after all, they could also deliver blows. Therefore, even in the age of metal, right up to the transition to combat tactics in close formations, and among some peoples even after, spears remained universal. Typical examples in this regard are the ancient German frame with a soft iron tip and the early medieval Frankish angon.
This new weapon spread throughout Europe slowly: in Sweden, light pikes were adopted at the beginning of the 17th century, and in Russia - only at the end of the 17th century.
The light pike, however, no longer provided completely satisfactory protection from cavalry - the prerequisites for its adoption arose only when pikemen began to fight cavalry together with musketeers. The spearmen blocked the attacking cavalry, and the musketeers shot the horsemen from behind them. With the advent of bayonets at the end of the 17th century, the role of pikemen began to be taken on by the musketeers themselves, formed in a square, and infantry pikes began to fall out of use. In 1700, they had already been withdrawn from service in France, but during the French Revolution they were removed from arsenals and had some use due to the shortage of guns.
Outside Europe, 400 cm long pikes were used for chariot fighting in China.
The pikes successfully stopped the cavalry, but they were poorly suited as an offensive weapon. Therefore, halberds, reeds and similar weapons were used to attack stopped cavalry. The most effective non-firearm weapon against cavalry in the hands of plate infantry was the halberd, which combined the properties of a spear, a long ax and a hook for throwing a rider.
Cavalry spears
Among the eastern cavalry, the spear competed with the bow and saber, but in medieval Europe the heavy and long spear was the main weapon for the first strike. True, in an oncoming cavalry battle, after the first clash, the knights usually threw even unbroken spears and continued the sword fight. In battle with spears, the advantage was given to the one who reached further, therefore the knight's spears constantly increased, eventually reaching 440 cm in length with a weight of 4 kg or more. If a light cavalry pike reached only a meter in front of the horse’s head, then a Western European heavy cavalry spear reached 2-3 meters.
It became difficult to strike with such a long spear, and, as in the case of the sarissa, the rider could only direct the blow. This was especially evident in the 15th century, when, with the spread of plate armor, the cavalry spear, like the infantry pike, began to rest against the current of the cuirass in a combat position. And even without cuirass - the European seat itself, being as strong as possible, which is necessary for fighting with spears, did not allow the rider to turn in the saddle. The knight's spear operated at heading angles of plus or minus 45 degrees.
From the 14th century, spears began to be glued together in the form of a hollow tube and received a conical shield that protected the hand. Hollow spears weighed less and broke more easily, which became especially important when they were thrust into the current. The expression “breaking spears” has since become synonymous with knightly combat.
The cavalry spear was designed for only one blow. After all, in battle, the rider moved past the target at a speed of 10 m/s, and taking into account the addition of velocities during an oncoming attack, even 20 meters per second. On the one hand, this led to a huge increase in the blow, and on the other hand, having delivered a piercing blow with a spear or sword, especially if this blow reached the target, the rider not only had no chance to pull out his weapon, but also found himself in a bad position. A weapon stuck into the ground or into an enemy acquired dangerously fast movement relative to its owner. A broken shaft seemed preferable to a broken arm, or even a neck.
Horsemen were so accustomed to the fact that after a blow with a spear they still had a club in their hands, that when in the 16th century pikes began to be replaced by pistols, this principle was preserved: pistols of the 16th-17th centuries had a weighty “apple” on the handle and after a shot they turned into a club .
When fighting on foot, knights often used their cavalry spears as one-handed spears. Actually, such a spear had to be held with one hand. But due to its excessive length, the cavalry spear turned out to be not a very convenient weapon for the infantryman. Due to its fragility, it could not perform the functions of a pike.
In the East, the spear underwent a different evolution. In Arab times, on the contrary, there was a tendency to shorten it. But the tip increased, becoming wide, flat and often curved. Being made of damascus, it acquired, if not chopping, then cutting properties, and now did not break off in the wound, but turned out of it. This feature made it possible to equip the spear with a durable shaft and make it reusable.
