What is a spear fight called? The Spear: From the Stone Age to the World Wars of the Twentieth Century. Fight with a horseman's spear
Pollex fighting technique
The technique of fighting with dueling axes or hammers was simple and effective. One side of the ax could be used to chop the enemy, the tooth or hammer of the butt could be used to deliver blunt blows, and the long tip could be used to stab the opponent. The weapon was held by the shaft with widely spaced hands, which made it possible to deliver strong blows, quickly manipulate the weapon and parry the enemy’s blows with great force. Right, dominant hand the ax was held by the shaft about eighteen inches from the axe. This leading hand was often protected by a round guard, reminiscent of a spear guard. The second hand remained unprotected, since blows were not delivered to this place of the shaft. The blows were parried in the same way as with a club or like a good old rifle during a bayonet fight. The blows were delivered, as a rule, rather slowly - in fact, each blow had to be delivered slowly and very calculatedly.
Here are the names of the parts of the pollex:
dague (piercing thorn at the top)
maillet (hammer head)
bec de faucon (curved tenon)
la croix (top of the shaft and entire head)
queue (spike on the lower end of the shaft)
Demy-hache (middle part of the shaft)
We can also distinguish five types of protection - upper, external, internal, lower external, lower internal. There are also four main racks - middle, reverse, lower reverse suspended. These racks will be discussed in detail below. The middle stance is the basic “spear stance.” Note that the pollex's croix is held crosswise to make it easier to block the maillet's blows. The leading attack from this position is a thrust with the upper spike. The reverse stance is popular among fighters who prefer cutting techniques. It is very aggressive and allows you to deliver both an upper blow with an ax and a thrust with the lower end, while providing good protection. Additionally, it does not allow you to "link" the croix of your weapon. The lower reverse post appears in several illustrations by Talhoffer. She looks deceptively open and unprotected. However, from it it is surprisingly easy to both attack quickly, for example by thrusting with the lower end and hitting the hammer (blade) from the side, and move to the opposite position by simply raising the back hand. The hanging stance is an example of an excellent defensive stance, offering side maillet strikes and under-spike thrusts as attacks of choice. From a suspended stance, you can quickly move into a middle stance by lowering your back hand to your hip. If the front hand will go upward, the movement of the head in a large circle will end with a powerful blow from above with a hammer.
During the 15th century. based on the study of the principles of fighting with a sword with one hand, a theory of such fighting was created; Numerous “battle books” have been written on this topic, full of vivid depictions of methods of wielding weapons. (Image 15) Many techniques used elements of acrobatics, although the blows were parried with swords. In addition, the battle retained many elements of pure strength martial arts. The knight had to be able to grab the enemy's hand holding the sword, grab the enemy's neck with his hand holding the sword and hit him in the ear with the head of the hilt. After this, the knight passed the cross-shaped guard between the enemy’s knees and with a sharp jerk knocked him to the ground. Very often the knight grabbed the sword by the blade, approached his opponent and hit him in the face with the head of the hilt of the sword or sword. Sometimes the knight used a small round shield worn on his left hand to parry blows, in other cases they used a dagger taken in his left hand, and sometimes the knight simply wrapped his left hand with a hollow cloak. This method of fencing became especially widespread in Spain, where, starting in the sixties of the 15th century, additional devices appeared on the hilts of swords to protect the fingers from the enemy’s blade.
The expression to which we owe the appearance of the word “rapier” was also born in Spain. In the second half of the 15th century. new way fencing made it possible and even necessary to carry weapons without armor. In the 70s XV century In Spanish literature, a new expression “espada de ropera” appears, which literally means “costume sword,” that is, a sword worn with ordinary clothes. The French adopted the word "ropera", denoting a way of carrying weapons, which they called "rapiere". This custom spread to England, where the weapon was called a rapier. In Germanic countries, the piercing sword was always called “degen”, which, in fact, meant “stabbing sword”, and the Spanish word “rapier” was never used there. In duels, competing knights had to fight with the same weapons - spear against spear, sword against sword, ax against ax, etc. But in battles everything was different. In battles, the sword could be countered by a mace, an ax or anything else. The vicissitudes of the battle were such that sometimes the knight found himself armed with only a dagger. Therefore, in the preparation of a warrior, great attention was paid to ensuring that he knew how to wield all possible types of weapons and could repel blows from any type of weapon.
Image 15. Fragment from the book of Talhoffer, 1467.
Spear fighting technique
The long spear is too large and weighs too much to be held suspended in the hand. The weapon must be held under the right hand and the shaft pressed tightly to the chest. The shape of the chest is such that a spear pressed against it and pointed forward is deflected to the left at an angle of thirty degrees, so that if the spear is held tightly, otherwise it cannot be held, it will not be directed exactly forward from the right side of the knight. In the Middle Ages, the spear was held exactly this way, obliquely, diagonally, so that its sharp end was directed into the gap between the warrior’s body and the horse’s neck, while the tip of the spear was turned to the left. The knight should have taken care that this angle was not too obtuse, since in this case the force transferred to the blunt end of the spear located on the right threatened to knock him out of the saddle in the event of a collision. We are no longer talking about the enemy, who is trying his best to do the same with the end of his spear at the moment of impact. The force of the impact when the two heavily armed and armored horsemen collided was enormous, and all the speed and weight was concentrated in the tiny tip of the spear. Often the shaft broke upon impact. When did they replace chain mail? metal armor Made of hardened steel, shields were no longer used in jousting. Smooth, polished, rounded steel plates perfectly deflected and reflected the most powerful impacts. Overlapping individual metal plates were performed in such a way that, in any direction of the blow, the tip of the spear would not fall into the gap between the plates and would not tear the armor.
In order to conduct a duel correctly, constant practice and dexterity were required - greater than in all other types of combat. At the last moment before the collision, it was necessary to group, stand up in the stirrups and, at the moment of delivering the blow, quickly move forward with the whole body. At the same time, hold the shield tightly at such an angle that the enemy’s spear slides over it and deflects to the left. In addition, it was necessary to figure out at the last moment exactly where the opponent wanted to strike. If the blow was aimed at the head, then it had to be tilted so that the spear slid across the helmet. All this required unprecedented skill and excellent reaction.
The methods of teaching spear fighting were simple. The main thing that was required was to accurately hit targets with a spear while galloping. The best known exercise was the exercise with a target post, which was a rather ingenious device. It consisted of a pillar dug vertically into the ground, on which a board rotated horizontally, to one end of which was attached a target, usually in the form of a Saracen, and to the other a bag of sand. The height at which such a horizontal crossbar was located, rotating around the axis of the post, was approximately seven feet. If the target was hit correctly, that is, in Right place, then the crossbar rotated a quarter of a circle and stopped; if the blow was delivered incorrectly, then the crossbar described a semicircle and the sandbag hit the knight passing by on the back.
A less sophisticated but more practical way of training was loop training; on a branch tall tree hung a noose made of rope or some other material. It was necessary to hit the noose with the end of the spear at full gallop. They did the same with a piece of cloth. If you want to try this now, you can use an empty tin can or any other small target that is difficult to hit with a spear and will remain on the tip if you hit it successfully.
Sword versus spear - who has a better chance?
The spear is perhaps the oldest of all existing species weapons. Its peers from the Stone Age are only the ax and the knife, but the ax and the knife are, first of all, tools, you understand. Remove the skin with a knife, cut out the digging stick and the shaft for the same spear with an ax...
A spear is only a weapon. It's not good for anything else.
Subsequently, the spear was transformed into different types of weapons: into a long infantry or cavalry pike, into a throwing dart, into a protazan, and so on, but all this is not important to us now. Specifically, this article refers to the most common infantry spear - a leaf-shaped iron tip, a shaft about 2 m long.
Yes, everything below applies to one-on-one combat. Army combined arms combat is completely different.
Fight with sword versus spear
Are you honest or the truth?) Given a choice, I would prefer to fight with a halberdier rather than with a spearman. A spearman is an extremely inconvenient opponent for a swordsman.
The worst option for a swordsman is if the battle is without armor and shields. It is extremely difficult to even deflect a spear attack with an ordinary one-handed sword.
In combat, the spearman makes short thrusts with back-and-forth movements. Yes, he can swing it like a battle pole, but this happens more often in movies, in a real battle it makes no sense. If he uses a spear as a pole, it will be easier to kill him than to kick a puppy.
He, logically, mainly stabs. The tip of the spear is thrown forward at least a meter, and sometimes more - depending on the length of the spear. At the same time, it is steadily directed towards your stomach or chest, and... The most unpleasant thing is that it is almost impossible to fight it off with a sword!
Any blow directed from above only deflects the spear down and slightly to the side. As a result, if it went to your chest or throat, it will go to your stomach. And this is worse. This is a slow and very nasty death.
The only relatively acceptable variant of a spear attack for a swordsman is if the lunge is directed at his head. Then it is a little easier to deflect it by placing the sword from below and trying to deflect the blow to the side.
It is very difficult to cut off the tip of a spear in battle. This only happens in movies, and you shouldn’t hope for it. Deflecting with a one-handed sword is even more difficult if the spearman holds his weapon with both hands. And this is how they most often act, usually spearmen are not shield fighters (although in different eras it happened, of course, differently). Even a strong blow with a blade on the shaft will not always allow you to knock the spear to the side enough to break into the near zone and reach the enemy with the tip. This, of course, if you are opposed by an experienced warrior, and not a mug - yesterday from kindergarten. Even a long, bastard sword against a spear with its simple tactics of “back and forth, thrust and retreat” has... I would say, unimportant.
Usually a spearman holds a weapon with both hands - and the distance is such that you can’t reach it.
What to do?
Hit your hands. But keep in mind that when the spear is in the swing stage, the hands of its owner are near the body - you cannot reach them with the sword. The spearman knows this vulnerability of his very well; by the way, he won’t just turn his hand to you. Therefore, the only, but extremely dangerous, chance is to deflect the spear while lunging while it is in motion. But for this you need to control the distance very well and have an ideal eye. In fact, you will have to measure the distance with your eye so that the spearman is just a little bit away from you...
Achtung! The spear strike is fast! Very fast and short, most people don't even realize how much! In fact, in most cases it is not even a blow, but a poke that is barely noticeable to the eye. And that is why this poke is extremely dangerous. In battle, the spear moves like a shuttle - back and forth, with calculated, economical movements. You'll catch it. The amplitude is extremely small...
From personal experience, by the way: at one game I held my own with a bastard sword against three swordsmen with ordinary blades, but the only spearman, not particularly experienced, defeated me in four seconds...))
Even the bastard sword does not have enough blade length to reach the spearman. Even to his hands.
The right remedy
The best remedy against a spear is a shield. This kind of shield is normal, the closer to the armored door format, the better. A small round buckler won't give you much of an advantage.
If you take a spear attack on your shield, you can manage to get within the distance of a thrust or strike with a blade.
More two-handed sword works well. Just not a one-and-a-half piece, but a terry spandex or a zweihander. So they can keep the spearman himself at a distance; he won’t be able to do anything with such a fool.
You can also try the same technique that I described in the article “Sabres - butt forward,” but, honestly, I don’t recommend it. Firstly, it is extremely inconvenient to use a classic straight sword. Secondly, and here there is a risk of not being able to make it in time, this technique refers more to the “techniques of desperation”, when they try with all their might to find countermeasures using the usual weapons... Although if it comes down to it, and I have to fight with a spearman, then in the absence of a slasher I I'll try that one))
Oh yes... If you have strong plate armor, then you can try to exchange with the spearman for a weapon. Take a hit to the armor. Just keep in mind that he is guaranteed to pierce chain mail, and even lamellar... I wouldn’t bet on him. We need a good one here plate armor. As a last resort - brigant.
But on metal the tip of a spear can slide down into the thigh...
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 different types 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. One-handed sword has an advantage over the 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 lance 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 weapons, 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 battle ax, 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 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 image of a warrior works of art, dedicated to antiquity or the Middle Ages, is canonical and easily recognizable. He holds a sword or sword in his hands, the more impressive the better. Meanwhile, the real workhorse war”, which has gone through fire and water, remains in the shadows. A combat spear, the main weapon from the Stone Age, which did not lose its relevance until the twentieth century.
Heroes equipped with last word, still could do almost nothing with a group of spearmen in order of battle. Spear at almost all times, even with the spread firearms, was the main weapon of both infantry and cavalry. This weapon has not undergone fundamental changes over its long history, unlike the same firearms. The short spears of ancient Egyptian warriors, in principle, are not much different from the weapons of a medieval spearman or pikeman of the New Age.
The emergence of copies
The first spears appeared in the early Stone Age. As soon as a person learned to make a chisel with which it was possible to sharpen a wooden stick, the weapons of primitiveness change. The spear, or rather the fort, became the main companion of the people of that era.
Essentially it is a straight stick, sharpened at one edge and with a burnt end. But it is more convenient than a club in many respects. Later they begin to make stone tips on these sticks.
The fastening could be of two types. Either the tip was tied to a stick using ropes or sinews, or the tree was split, and the tip was inserted into the resulting split, also tied with tendons or rope to be sure.
The spear was a universal weapon.
For hunting or military clashes that were already taking place then, it was used both as a melee weapon and as a . To increase range, a spear thrower was invented. It was a long stick with a branch at the end.
The spear was inserted into this stick, the end was on the branch, after which the hunter sharply threw the spear thrower forward. Thus, the leverage increased, and the spear could fly a distance many times greater than from a hand throw.
The spear for hunting gradually became a separate branch; the differences with military weapons were more than significant. The combat spear, in turn, also changed, and new varieties of it appeared.
With the advent of metalworking, spears received a new lease of life. Metal tips, more advanced, made spearmen more effective in the ranks. It becomes possible to make wide blades at the tips to inflict terrible wounds, or, conversely, narrow ones, but with greater penetrating ability.
The main combat unit becomes a group of warriors bristling with spears.
This formation, known as the phalanx, lasted for thousands of years. The infantry, covered with shields and putting out spears along the front, marched towards the enemy.
The blow was strong and irresistible. The cavalry did not even dare to think about attacking the phalanx head-on, since the spears reliably covered the infantrymen. There were also disadvantages to this system.
Only the first two ranks were active, starting from the third rank, the fighters simply did not reach the enemy, entering the battle in the event of the death or injury of the fighters of the first ranks and pressing on them to move forward.
In addition, the use of the phalanx required constant adherence to formation and level terrain. Otherwise, a horseman with a spear or bow could make a hole in the ranks, widening which was a matter of a few minutes.
Over time, the spears transformed, lengthened, and sarissas appeared. This 8-meter type of spear provided even better cover for the warriors and allowed fighters from further ranks to engage in battle. In addition, raised vertically or at an angle, such spears protected the infantry from fire, changing the trajectory of the arrows and knocking them down.
Warriors were trained to use a spear from childhood.
Spartan warriors began to master this art from the age of 7, and nomadic peoples from the age when a boy could hold a weapon in his hands.
In principle, a spear almost always consisted of several parts, namely:
- shaft, or ratovishche, wooden rod;
- cassock or horsetail, on some types of spears, consisting of horsehair to absorb blood;
- a tip, which in turn consists of a feather, a sleeve and, in some types, a neck.
If we consider weapons by time periods, the medieval spear differs significantly in its design and use from the hastat spear of antiquity or the cavalry lance of the 20th century.
The difference is in the material, the method of attaching the tip and, finally, in the shape and size of the spear tip itself.
Distributing copies
The type of weapon in question was suitable not only for infantry. From the moment man tamed the horse and created the first prototypes of mounted warriors, we can talk about their arming with spears.
Of course, until the invention of stirrups, it is difficult to talk about the effective widespread use of spears by cavalry. There are exceptions in history.
The Macedonian Geitar, a rider of Alexander the Great's personal guard, was armed with a short spear.
The famous cataphracts, used by the Parthian kingdom and many states of the Caucasus and the Black Sea region, also used spears.
The tactics for using spears to stirrups by cavalry were as follows. The mounted warrior either held a spear under his armpit or tied it to the horse's neck. Use a spear in mounted combat, especially on high speed, which was the most effective tactic, was dangerous for the rider himself.
The infantry also could not do without spears. Important role The Roman army played a role in the development of this type of weapon. For the first time, legionnaires receive spears as their main weapon, but they still have spears. They transform into pilums, heavy projectile weapons used before attacking.
The peculiarity of the pilum is that the tip is forged from metal on longer length. Getting into the enemy's protective equipment, the pilum got stuck in it and bent, preventing the enemy fighter from fighting in full force. A legionnaire could step on the shaft and bend the shield to the ground.
Stirrups made a real revolution in military affairs. Heavy cavalry comes to the fore, using spears for the first and often decisive blow.
The infantry, in order to protect themselves from cavalry, adopts pikes, lighter and longer than the spears of the previous time.
The tactics of using them against horsemen is to have the first row rest their pikes on the ground, creating a palisade through which a horse cannot break through; the second and third rows hold the pikes in their hands, almost blindly stabbing both the enemy’s infantry and cavalry.
Spearmen still form the backbone of the world's armies. The throwing spear, called sulitsa in Rus', also remains in service.
The rise of combat use
Spears and pikes were used almost non-stop at all times, but they showed the greatest effectiveness in antiquity and during the era of the birth of firearms. Gunshot decided main problem spears, short firing range or inability to reach the enemy at a distance.
From the 16th century, united formations began to form, where warriors armed with arquebuses and muskets were covered by pikemen. The pinnacle of such tactics can be called tercios, Spanish regiments of combined spear infantry with musketeers and armed bladed weapons warriors.
Cavalry also actively uses this type weapons. Light samples and a long knight's spear can be distinguished. The latter were several meters longer than the first and were used to break through enemy infantry formations.
The first, best known as Cossack spears, or otherwise pikes, served not only for thrusting, but also for fencing.
There are many references to how the Cossacks beat enemy horsemen and infantry with pikes.
This also made it possible to use the pike many times, unlike knightly spears, which often broke in the hands. The Cossack spear, unlike the heavy peaks of the regular cavalry, was lighter and shorter.
In total, from the development of the spear and pike the following types of weapons emerged:
- a halberd, a pike with a small hatchet and a hook for pulling the rider off the horse;
- knight's long spear - tournament pike;
- protazan, a spear with a wide blade and a cross to hold the body at the tip;
- than that of the protazan, intended for hunting;
- a trident and a pitchfork, a spear with three or two tips to disarm the enemy.
In addition, there were ersatz spears, such as knives screwed or otherwise attached to a long shaft.
The long spear obtained in this way was often used to arm militia units.
Decline of the era of copies
With the improvement of firearms, pikes and spears are becoming obsolete. The invention of first baguettes, and then bayonets, made it impractical to arm a significant part of the fighters with pikes and spears.
TO early XIX century, this weapon remains with a few branches of the European armies, the lancers and the Cossacks.
Sergeants and officers still have halberds or protazans in some places, recognized by all as anachronisms, more decorative details than military weapon.
The peak remained in service for another century. During the First World War and subsequent Civil War peaks were already considered an anachronism and were almost never used. They existed in service with the Polish army until 1939. Last thing combat use the peak in the equestrian formation is mythologized.
According to sources, the Polish cavalry attacked German tanks with peaks at the ready. However, this is not confirmed, with the exception of a couple of cases when cavalrymen thrust spears into the viewing slots of Wehrmacht tanks rushing towards Warsaw. After that this weapon can be seen in the hands of reenactors and people from the film industry.
Spear in history and culture
The use of the sample for such a long time could not but leave a mark on the culture. The most famous and valuable spear in Europe is considered to be the spear of Longinus, a Roman legionnaire who, according to legend, mortally wounded Jesus Christ.
Modern historical films increasingly pay tribute to the importance of this type of weapon.
Many films are written on the basis of historical and artistic literature, describing both tactics and features of the use of spears and peak battles. Stories related to the Spartans and Macedonians, Spanish Tercios and Cossack units reveal the importance of these weapons, their role on the battlefields of past centuries.
Video
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 weapons - a 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 mortal combat 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, 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 percussion and piercing weapon. Its length was about 2 meters, and the tip had a 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 universal weapon on the battlefield. So that it hits like an ax, cuts like a knife, and stabs like a spear. The desire to cross a spear and an ax, or a spear and a sword, led to the appearance numerous types polearm weapons. 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 organically entered into numerous symbolism 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 metal fence 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.