Polearm

The versatile polearm combining axe, spear, and hook

The halberd is a two-handed polearm that unites an axe blade, a thrusting spike, and a hook (fluke) in a single head, about 150–200 cm long and 2.5–3.5 kg. One weapon thus performs all three actions — cutting (axe), thrusting (spike), and hooking (fluke) — and 14th-century Swiss mountain infantry developed it to meet armored cavalry. Metal strips (langets) ran down the haft so an enemy could not simply lop the head off by cutting the shaft. It was the core infantry anti-cavalry weapon of 15th–17th-century Europe and, above all, the emblem of the Swiss mercenary and the German Landsknecht. The sharp hook opposite the blade pulled riders from the saddle or caught a gap in the armor to drag them down.

A polearm with a curved single-edged blade

The glaive is a medieval European bladed polearm: a curved, single-edged blade of 45–60 cm mounted on a wooden shaft 180–210 cm long. Specialized for cutting rather than thrusting, the curved blade delivers deep slashing wounds, and many variants feature a hook on the spine to pull mounted warriors from their horses. The weapon was particularly effective for infantry facing cavalry or defending narrow chokepoints such as gates and bridges, and was widely used across 14th–16th-century Europe — most prominently in France, Italy, and Switzerland.