[Rob Sully]

Hi i have a question about the larger polearms such as halberds and billhooks etc. I can only find images of the heads which doesn't help my query.

Is there a rough length range for these weapons or did it vary too much to answer even generally?

As halberds are longer than poleaxe etc did they ever have a butt spike or would it be useless? Or was there ever any counterweight or reinforcement of the butt end, i.e. langets?

many thanks

[Benjamin H. Abbott]

Writing at the end of the sixteenth century, Sir John Smythe and George Silver recommended 5-6ft total length for bills and halberds intended for the press of battle. Based on artwork, however, many sixteenth-century halberds tended toward the 7-8ft range. Smythe considered this length ideal for skirmishing in loose formation but undesirable in a melee.

Various authors recommended butt spikes. Expect on pollaxes, it's unclear how common they were in practice. One sixteenth-century writer - Smythe I believe - mentioned that staff weapons often had iron hoops/bands on the butt end to protect the wood.

[Phil D.]

Here is a pic or re-enactors using shorter length pole arms.I don't know how common they may have been but seem very practical...

[Elling Polden]

Looking at sources, and from experience, there are basically two kinds of polearms:
"Personal" polearms, for melee fighting, and "full lenght polearms".

The first ones, like Benjamin describes, are generally around head height, Typically about 6 ft. This includes polaxes, short helbards and long hafted daneaxes.

The later are spear length; Silver gives a rule for their length that puts them at about 9ft, the same as his half pike. In Silver's work, these include glaives, partisans, and similar weapons. But, to add to the confusion, it was not uncommon to mount helbards on full length shafts. I have seen references to Landsknecht helbards that are more than 3m long...

As for buttpikes, they can be practical on personal poles, as these are short enough to effectively use the cue. On a full length, however, you have the point forward at all times, and simply going for your backup is a better and more practical idea.

Another major factor here is that personal polearms held head forward are to sluggish to effectively parry spear thrusts. Which links their popularity closely with heavy armour.

[Benjamin H. Abbott]

[Rob Sully]

Sorry for the late reply that was all the info i needed and more.

Many thanks