How Pikemen Changed the Face of European Warfare

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Pole weapons have been in use ever since men waged war. Most famously by the Spanish Tercios, the Swiss pikemen and the Landsknechts. But already the ancient Macedonian Phalanges were armed with a long pike, the Sarissa, and while the Romans preferred their javelins, pole weapons were on the rise again in the Middle Ages. A wide variety of such weapons was in use, but the pike quickly emerged as one of the most important infantry weapons. By the 16th century, central weapons in hand-to-hand combat such as swords, maces, and axes were largely replaced by pikes and similar but shorter weapons like the halberd. This is how modern historiography explains the rise of the pikeman:
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Our reading list on military history:
Duffy, C., Siege Warfare: The Fortress in the Early Modern World 1494-1660, Vol. 1, 1979. amzn.to/32dvvwM
Rogers, C.J., The military revolution debate. Readings on the military transformation of early modern Europe, 1995. amzn.to/3geVDMM
Rogers, C.J., Soldiers' Lives through History - The Middle Ages, 2006. amzn.to/3j2kQvG
Parker, C., The Cambridge History of Warfare, 2005. amzn.to/32ggn1L
Van Nimwegen, O., The Dutch Army and the Military Revolutions, 1588-1688, 2010. amzn.to/2E3Fc95
Bibliography
Sources
Barret, R. The Theoretike and Practicke of Moderne Warres. London, 1598.
Garrard, W. The Arte of Warre, London, 1591.
Literature
Rogers, Clifford J., Tactics and the Face of Battle, in: Tallet, Frank/Trim, D. J. B. (Ed.), European
Warfare 1350-1750, Cambridge 2010.
Schmidtchen, Volker, Kriegswesen im späten Mittelalter. Technik, Taktik, Theorie, Weinheim 1990.
Ortenburg, G., Waffe und Waffengebrauch im Zeitalter der Landsknechte (Heerwesen der Neuzeit, Abt. 1, Bd. 1) Koblenz 1984.

[@romaaeterna1378]

A pike might not help in online security, but your local Internet provider will give you a huge discount if you bring one.

[@SandRhomanHistory]

How do you think we got our deal with Surfshark? :P

[@srinjoyroychoudhury7034]

@@SandRhomanHistory Can you please make a video on the Medieval French Gendarme Cavalry?

[@mehmetcetin3530]

@@SandRhomanHistory hey did ottomans use pike and shot?

[@RyujinNoKami]

@@mehmetcetin3530 from what i know the ottomans invested more heavily on muskets and cannons and have a rather small number of soldiers using pikes but still uses one handed swords and shields

[@SandRhomanHistory]

@J jap we will cover it somewhere down the line

[@TheWhiskyDelta]

Something major missing: The role of halberds in the pike square. While pike's were OK vs armour they still weren't really the best and nearly every major loss by "pike squares" in the earlier (pre-gunpowder) times were because they were JUST pikes. The true innovation of the Swiss was to combine Pikes and Halberds into one formation, the halberds weren't just situational or back-ups, but they were core and central to the entire strategy of the formation. Offensively the pikes would engage the enemy and disrupt them at which point the Halberds would move between the lines and get into close combat. Defensively the halberds would stop anyone who made it past the pikes. The critical point is that the pike square was a combination of the range and defensive power of the pike and the close combat and anti-armour power of the halberd. The formation was created because the all halberd swiss found that the greatest challenge was breaking into enemy formations especially against long lances and the swiss' own lack of armor. Once in they crushed the enemy. So they started introducing pikes specifically for that sake: a small supporting element for halberds. Over time it was found that you needed a lot of pikes for them to be very good but even a small number of halberds was plenty so the ratio was gradually shifted, though even the latest gunpowder era squares still had 10%ish halberds still. This is also where pike and shot comes from, rather then a sudden innovation "what if we used more guns", the arquebus was specifically employed as a replacement for halberds as the original point of the halberd was to deal with the heavy armour of the era. Guns wern't picked up due to being better then bows, they were picked up as a replacement for the halberd where they were superior at killing plate.

[@williamadiputra2850]

Nice info

[@314jph]

You should have done this video

[@danieldbdb]

You digress. The video is about one weapon. There were many other factors you did not mention that fortunately the author decided to omit. This "true innovation" talk of yours ignores so many local, time and material factors that makes me "twitchy". Your argument might impress the average layman but makes no sense at all. Did you realize the time scope of the video? Or were you not paying attention?

[@TheWhiskyDelta]

@@danieldbdb You sound like someone personally pissed off as if you have a personal investment in the video. In particular you are making a lot of vague statements that sound like they imply something without providing any real arguments, much in the same way that a parent might try to mindlessly defend their child.

[@pepitogrillo3368]

@@danieldbdb He just added some additional, interesting information to the video there’s no need to cry

[@spoolofflarn8760]

"A mere fortnight's worth of training was considered sufficient" haha no kidding... "So what do we do when they're coming at us???" "Hold steady and poke em hard in the face...AND DONT LEAVE THE SQUARE." "Oh...ok. But what if we need to rush at them???" "Hold steady and poke em hard in the face...AND DONT LEAVE THE SQUARE." "Oh, seems easy enou-" "YOU ARE NOW TRAINED PIKEMEN"

[@arya31ful]

"SIR!, We're being surrounded!" "Hold steady and poke em hard in the face...AND DONT LEAVE THE SQUARE." "But sir, they also shooting at us!" "Hold steady and poke em hard in the face...AND DONT LEAVE THE SQUARE." "But siiiiir, our men are dying around us!" "Hold steady and poke em hard in the face...AND DONT LEAVE THE SQUARE." "Shit!, cavalry incoming!" "Hold steady and poke em hard in the face...AND DONT LEAVE THE SQUA-

[@ernstschmidt4725]

elite pikemen (like the swiss) were those who could: Hold steady, poke hard in the face, don't leave the square AND advance together at the same time.

[@ichbinhans76]

@@arya31ful hahahaha

[@bernardfrederic6535]

In the Napoleonic wars, an infantryman fired one(!) practice shot, per year! And nevertheless, they managed to kill many, many people.

[@fbksfrank4]

I’m sure there’s a song or chant one must learn.

[@aidaspelikis4230]

What is stronger when pointy stick? An slightly longer pointy stick.

[@Drebolaskan]

Stick envy, stick envy never changes

[@gordonlekfors2708]

what is stronger than misspelling? not misspelling.

[@cameronking7411]

I wouldn't say slightly when it 6m long XD

[@mortache]

Instructions unclear, conquered all of Greece and Persian Empire

[@chronicthingz]

Learn Grammar

[@pyrrhusofepirus8491]

If I remember correctly, the Spanish and Italians used sword and buckler men called the Rodeleros, to infiltrate and break up pike formations in tandem with the pikemen. They were used for about thirty years and were a kind of specialised unit, and were actually pretty effective in their role from what I’ve read, but possessed vulnerabilities that made them inefficient, like vulnerability to cavalry and that they needed an opening, so were eventually replaced with almost wholly pikes.

[@tercomada]

Además las pijas con las estrategias del gran capitán no eran estáticas, podían defenderse d ellos 4 ángulos o atacar por todas direcciones, además de que cada pikero también era espadachín o mosquetero según las circunstancias

[@buckplug2423]

Same thing in the Ancient Macedonian army - a huge line of sarissas (pikes) supplemented by shields and swords on the side. This way, the cumbersome nature of pikes was offset by having these mobile swordsmen (who nota bene were usually the most experienced soldiers), trained to fight in a loose formation and react quickly.

[@jodofe4879]

The sword-and-buckler men in the Spanish tercios were not replaced with more pikemen, but rather with more arquebuses. Originally, the pikes and arquebuses of a tercio were primarily defensive in nature. The pike protected the formation from cavalry charges, whereas the arquebus protected the formation from skirmishers. The purpose of the swordsmen was to be the offensive element of the tercio and break up enemy pike formations by exploiting gaps created during the push of the pike. The swordsmen would then rush through that gap into close combat, throwing the enemy pike formation into disarray as the enemy pikemen had to shift to deal with the threat in their midst. But as firearms grew in importance and killing power, having dedicated swordsmen for an offensive push became redundant. Firepower alone became sufficient to break enemy formations. Halberds and Zweihander swords were used in a similar fashion to the sword and shield and were similarly replaced by firearms. Pikes remained in use much longer until the bayonet eventually also rendered the pike redundant and the pikemen were replaced with more firearms as well.

[@JonRobert]

Everyone knows the game "Rock-Paper-Scissors." Each element beats the element behind it, in a complete cycle. That same idea is behind the cycle "Pike-Arquebus-Cavalry." Early gun destroys the square from a safe distance. Cavalry rides down gun before it can reload, And pikes stop cavalry.

[@scelonferdi]

Or cavalry runs around in front of the pike and happily shoots them to death...

[@user-s9eu8ce9fw]

@@scelonferdi There would be a shooter inside the pike squad who would fire back at the calvary attacker who shot at them.

[@viktorianas]

This is Age of Empires 2 in a nutshell.

[@tamatoabololoukama7518]

I’ve always wondered why Rome didn’t adopt the long pikes against eastern foes like Parthia and Sassanid. The eastern armies are Calvary based. The Macedonian used similar pikes and were very successful at it.

[@aomine8450]

I dont know if pikes formation with its slow pace would beat parthia cavalry archers. With that pikes they could use shields?

[@Dayvit78]

I haven't seen anybody mention it, but aside from using real historians as sources, the entertaining animations, and addressing the early modern era in general; I just love the music. It sets the mood so well. There is nothing to dislike about your videos! (With nearly 1,750 views, no dislikes yet!)

[@leonardoabuawad6569]

That's true. I basically only watch history videos on youtube and never saw anyone using primary source materials or even just metioning historians as this guy. My congratulations! And your videos are very amusing also. You deserve way more subscribers and views. Cheers all the way from Brazil.

[@Dayvit78]

@@leonardoabuawad6569 Do you watch Military History Visualized? He fully quotes source materials, but his focus is WWII. I love the focus on Early Modern Era - one of the under appreciated periods of history.

[@leonardoabuawad6569]

@@Dayvit78 I didn't know him! Going to check it out right now. I love WWII also. Btw I'm reading a book about it by Steven Pressfield. I highly recommend.

[@undercoverlord]

@@leonardoabuawad6569 For WW2, Mark Felton is king

[@rick7424]

​@@undercoverlordwhen he doesn't plagerize his work.

[@keanuortiz3766]

I love how military history on weapons is just variants of sticks Swords are just sticks but is sharp on most of its parts Spears and pikes are og sticks And guns are just sticks that fire metal sticks

[@molybdaen11]

Also rocks, sticks and rocks are 90% the whole human weaponry.

[@timothysoh1507]

The Budgie Admiral "For millenia, man has faced a quandry: The desire to hit someone, but they're really far away. This has lead progressively to the development of: The thrown rock, the thrown, pointy rock, the far thrown rock, the really far thrown rock, the flying pointy rock on a stick, the refined pointy rock on a stick, the spicy refined rock powered by fire, and, by the end of WWII, the happy fun times refined spicy rock transported by the big metal bird." - Drachinifel

[@anoon-]

Spears were what made humans dominant, bows are sticks with thin sticks that pushed sharp sticks. Tanks are bricks with sticks that shoot stubby sticks. Barbed wire, Wooden wall pikes, shields, knives, crossbow, hell even clubs.

[@reinhardtsanchez7952]

Nukes are just really long sticks that can fly and go kablooey lol

[@bakters]

Airplanes are just sticks that fly... ;-)

[@joaodiaz1740]

This is the channel that made me appreciate how intricate the late middle age - early modern era was. Before watching (all) the videos from Sandrhoman, this period was nothing more than striped flags and clunky empires for me. Offtopic: how do you feel about covering the repercussions of the conflicts between the European metropoles, in constant tug-of-war, in their colonies? The Portuguese empire of "naval-tax-commerce" outposts has always aroused my curiosity, for example. Anyway, great content and cheers from Brazil

[@jurisprudens]

I remember a participant of the Dutch-Portuguese war over Brazil (but don’t remember who) was unhappy about the guerilla tactics used by the Brazilian native allies, saying: “We are not monkeys 🐒, we don’t fight from trees!”

[@alexandermagnus82]

When you find out you're 4% Swiss

[@marcus1992000]

Lol same case great grandfather was swiss

[@Wasserkaktus]

Landsknecht war besser.

[@jgappy5643]

Nah, rather be Spanish...which I actually am😁✌

[@alexandermagnus82]

@@jgappy5643 Break out that montante, bad boy 😩👌

[@TheSulross]

we're all 3 or 4 percent something

[@higochumbo8932]

You did a great job at describing the symbiosis between pikemen and shoot troops, specially when bringing in the impact of the caracole and also how the shoot troops would just take shelter in the square. I hope one day you can do an in-depth explanation at how this all worked in a large scale battle, as in, how the different squares interacted with each other, how the empty gaps between squares were used by friends and foes, whether a compact infantry line would be formed at all just like the romans closed ranks in their "triplex acies" formations, how much freedom the musketeers in the corners of the tercios had to move around or even gather in the front of the square to form a shooting line, how the flanks were protected, how artillery was used and how battles developed in general. That's something I still find quite obscure about this era. The old "linear" battles or even the later Napoleonic battles are much easier to understand.

[@DedMan516]

Get this comment to top

[@christopherg2347]

Pikes - Phalanx 2, Electric Bogaloo

[@MK_ULTRA420]

Bayonet - Phalanx 3, _Ah shit, here we go again_

[@christopherg2347]

@@MK_ULTRA420 The Bayonet is really just turning rifles into spears. I do not think we use them in Phalanx formations.

[@MK_ULTRA420]

@@christopherg2347 It's really only the square formation I can think of that could pass as a Phalanx. edit: Also a bayonet charge could count as a Phalanx at the time. They didn't have to be as long as Pikes or Sarissa when every soldier has a firearm.

[@christopherg2347]

@@MK_ULTRA420 The Phalanx is a particulary densely packed, slow moving formation. Those are not usefull properties in a time with firearms. A Bayonet charge is more like a loose formation spear charge then anything resembling a phalanx.

[@MK_ULTRA420]

@@christopherg2347 The British and Swedish armies during their Imperial eras would use densely packed bayonet charges to get as close as possible to the enemy before shooting. It sounds dumb but apparently it could scare the enemy into a rout if they lacked discipline. It stopped working when Napoleon used cannons against dense formations. By the time of bayonet was invented, using them in battle was rarely a good time for the soldiers involved, hence my first comment.

[@garypautard1069]

I was a member of an English Civil War re- enactment society and one technique our pike used was the Hedgehog. When attacked by cavalry, our pike carriers would circle with pikes pointed outward and non combatants, like officers and drummers, and women water carriers would stand inside . Drummers would bang drums and women screamed loudly, and no horse could be persuaded to enter that nightmare . Good defensive move.

[@mariushunger8755]

Ahh... There‘s nothing more beautiful than the effectiveness of a pointy stick. Well, except for...

[@teaCupkk]

..a pointy stick that goes "BOOM"?

[@clintmoor422]

tanks...?

[@apokos8871]

that girl in the bakery next door holding a pointy stick?

[@NM-wd7kx]

@@apokos8871 i wouldn't harass her, she's been training with the pointy stick.

[@abb5596]

@@teaCupkk they are called shooty sticks

[@mmareviewer.2372]

the pike is not a superior infantry weapon, but it makes infantry units superior when used in proper formations often accompanied by swords, armor and projectile weapons.

[@Alias_Anybody]

15th century: Pike&Shot 17th century: Why not both in one?

[@ShadowReaper-pu2hx]

So it was the Enlightenment Era’s spork.

[@Ghonosyphlaids]

You got your chocolate in my peanut butter!

[@ShadowReaper-pu2hx]

@@Ghonosyphlaids, lol, Family Guy reference.

[@Ghonosyphlaids]

@@ShadowReaper-pu2hx Reese's commercial from the 80s that Family Guy would've referenced

[@ShadowReaper-pu2hx]

@@Ghonosyphlaids, oh ok. Nice I didn’t know it was a commercial before.

[@ReformedThe]

"How pichaku changed the face of Eurpoean warfare" Clicks* Oh pikemen. Makes sense now

[@luska5522]

Pichaku is great

[@Jesse_Dawg]

Pichaku is great

[@icyknightmare4592]

It's surprising that incendiary grenades didn't become very widely used around this time. They certainly existed in the period, and I can think of few things that would crack a tight formation of pikemen faster than cavalry riding up to toss medieval molotovs on them.

[@TheBlobik]

Weren't they a bit heavy to just toss though? I believe with the fuels available you would need a larger amount and heavier container compared to a modern molotov.

[@icyknightmare4592]

@@TheBlobik They definitely weren't as good as anything even semi-modern. Still, it's hard to imagine anything breaking the morale and cohesion of a tight infantry formation more effectively than being set on fire. There's evidence of hand thrown fire bombs as early as the 8th century, and probably even earlier than that. Maybe it's just one of those things that just never caught on at the time. A lot more was possible with late medieval technology than was actually done in the period.

[@fjk1728]

This shows the stupid enemies that the pikemen had, Rome and other ancient armies knew how to fight against phalanxes of pikemen and explode them, the pikemen is a very bad unit if you know how to counteract it, it is slow, unprotected, it depends on the terrain, etc. and more, in 1300 or 1400, brains were missing of good generals at that time ahahaha

[@listrahtes]

@@fjk1728 ,Yep would love to see how a roman army would deal with late middle ages pikemen. The unit cohesion of roman armies was unparalelled, then they had the pilum which would be devastating into such a closed formation and in open battle they had their war machines and high ability to maneuver. I dont see how any pike formation would succeed against that. The Roman Empire died a political and societal death. If they would have kept their power its quite possible that they would rule up to today with how technological open minded and advanced they were

[@firmanimad]

@@fjk1728 easy to comment as armchair generals. The Romans utilized flexible heavy infantry formations to deal with Greek hoplites , which were weaker than renaissance pikemen. The presence of heavy cavalry would also render such formations vulnerable. Especially seeing how the Romans struggled against heavy eastern cataphracts. Innovations don't happen overnight, it also depends on varying contexts l and even socioeconomic factor of the time. This is not Total War.

[@HistoryOfRevolutions]

A shortage of musketeers probably dictated in large measure the final disposition of the Royalist infantry. Most regiments could muster equal numbers of musketeers and pikemen, but no more, certainly not at this early stage of the war, the ratio of twomusketeers to one pikeman required by contemporary theory. To concentrate firepower, Ruthven adopted a style of the Swedish model with each brigade arranged in a diamond formation. The lead battalion placed its pikemen forward with the musketeers directly behind them. In the two battalions to the left and right rear of the point battalion, the pike were located in the center and the musketeers on the outside of the unit. The final battalion was arranged just like the leading formation. In this manner the five brigades of infantry aligned with three in the front line and two supporting in the second.

[@multivitamin425]

The real transition between ancient close combat and modern boomstick combat

[@nobbytang]

This didn't work for the Scots at Flodden as the muddy boggey ground caused it to falter and pike formations still had the same problems as in Greek and Macedonia period... Flanks were vulnerable and terrain determined its success or failure..

[@einehrenmann6156]

Thats why the Swiss were so good. They were able to turn fast to face flanking enemies and were able to run trough hills and forests. They used their weakness as an advantage.

[@captain_alex]

Love that you even show the use of the Flamberge in the fighting animations. Would have been a cool addition to mention it as it is one of the weirdest ways to counter pikes in my opinion.

[@Tareltonlives]

I find it fascinating how the pike evolved separately in multiple civilizations at different times: the Andes, Polynesia, Northern Europe, Central Europe, Northwest America , the Great Lakes, Greece, China, North Africa, South Africa, Iraq, etc . It's a simply concept but you can have a phalanx without it, and you can use it outside of a phalanx (Kiribati, the Pacific Northwest, and Peru used pikes even in their open-battle-formations while the rest of the world was closed ranks in the classic phalanx).

[@HeadsFullOfEyeballs]

I figure pikes can work in open formation as long as there's no cavalry or heavy armour (as in the Americas and the Pacific). Then your guys can just sort of spread out and jab at anyone who gets into range, using their long reach to stab enemies who are distracted fighting someone else, and take control of a lot of ground that way.

[@Tareltonlives]

@@HeadsFullOfEyeballs Basically. The idea was to reach over the guys in front to stab the front line, or to reach over both front lines to stab the guys in the back.

[@Tareltonlives]

@Matt M Well, before firearms the native Americans fought with bows in mass formations. Naturally, to beat that they developed wooden and hide armor and shields, necessitating close combat with spears , stone axes, and clubs. Samuel de Champlain notes the close array of the Iroquois and their armor in his battle with them. He introduce them to firepower but shooting three chiefs dead with his musket. Over time we have fewer natives and more guns as the Europeans brought guns and smallpox . Guns make armor pointless and smaller numbers makes skirmishing tactics pretty vital. You can't afford to take casualties so you fight only when you know you can win handly.

[@Tareltonlives]

@Matt M Let's see, there's the Skulking Way of War, the World of the Native American Warrior, and Native American Armor, shields and fortifications. To be fair, I'm really, really interested in the non-standard parts of military history, the stuff most American history books don't talk too much about.

[@AttiliusRex]

Yes the use of pointy sticks cross civilisations is truly fasciniating

[@HistoricalWeapons]

I love your content and I understand that your channel is about post-gunpowder time period, but when you title the video "rise of pikemen", more focus should have been placed on the ancient pikes/phalanx, or you could of renamed the title re-rise of pikemen etc.

[@VictorJavannn]

i agree bias on the 15th+ century videos should not be shown a video title

[@Kaadilac]

why why why why WHY aren't you more popular. You are interesting, you cite sources well, your animations are... astonishing. You NEED more subs

[@vladimirputout2461]

He will grow. Thats for sure

[@pancytryna9378]

100 000 subs is a lot man

[@AGS363]

The real questions is: Why did the pike disappear for nearly one and a half millennia? It would certainly had its use in the late antiquity and the medieval period.

[@islar7832]

That's what I want to know too, I mean the romans almost never used them, despite knowing very well about their potential and weaknesses...

[@memofromessex]

This is also I want to know. Also, the use of the pike outside of Europe. Armaments hadn't improved since the Iron Age, but they flickered in and out of use, like heavily armoured horses.

[@jaroslawk2010]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Pydna, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cynoscephalae

[@davidcouper7445]

Just a guess, but without shields would they have been very vulnerable to archers until good armour became commonplace?

[@dragon12234]

It's pretty simple actually. Due to developments in ranged weaponry (like better arrows, and the crossbow letting even poorly trained soldiers shoot with the power of a longbow) and doctrines, combined with a rise in much heavier yet still mobile cavalry the pike had become so much more vulnerable. Especially the ranged threat made it much better to exchange the super long pike for a larger, sturdier shield. The pike only really returned in Europe when shields became more and more obsolete due to improvements in armor and firearms

[@ivobednar5608]

This is so underrated channel

[@slothietunion1742]

Swiss guy here: pikes are in our DNA. I get meta-generational flashbacks whenever I use a toothpick.

[@Osvath97]

I would not say they outranged the lances by FAR. The lances were usually 4 metres, but could go up to 6 if the wielder was particularly strong (the length was pretty much determined by the strength of the wielder, medieval manuals instruct to use a lance as big as one can manage). The Polish hussars figured out how to consistently be able to manage 6 metres long lances, due to the hollowness of the lance and other factors.

[@cm275]

Content aside, anyone else notice how VPN services have replaced Raid:Shadow Legends as the go sponsor on KZbin videos?

[@greenrocket23]

I for one welcome our VPN overlords! Jokes aside I would rather listen to advertisement for this type of product than keep hearing ad nauseum about some gacha game I'll never play

[@sarahsidney1988]

Love your videos, they're the most entertaining and educational out of all the history channels on here!!

[@elrohirthehasty]

Just discovered your channel via "the algorithm", and am very impressed with the art and animations!

[@inkbolt9680]

I was hugely disappointed when I started watching and realized the title said “pikemen” and not “Pokémon” like I originally thought and was ready to have my mind blown

[@mmartinisgreat]

The pointy stick always makes a comeback.

[@johnsamu]

It might not be entirely correct to call the bajonet the replacement of the pike. The pike was replaced by the increasing quality, more accurate muskets/rifles and the improved (mass) firing tactics. The bajonet is a secondary/emergency weapon whilst the pike was the primary weapon.

[@bernard3303]

Guns and pikes countered armor pretty well, combined with the fast and low training cost and relatively cheap equipment this made heavily armored knights be less effective. so as the guns increased in quality, armies used cavalry without armored horses and less armored men riding them to make them faster ( taking less shots in the same time ). this made shorter spears effective against cavalry. so by turning muskets into short spears they were able to bring full musket armies.

[@TEXASAXE]

you forgot to mention the Polish Winged Hussars, they Used Lances that where Longer about 5 Meter with a Hollow Core to Brake the Formation, as far as i know later they found a solution for that Problem to but the Polish had a Good Starting point i would say

[@Nerdy_The_Punk]

I am surprised you didn't bring up the Macedonian tactic with giant spears that Alexander the great used to amazing effect. Can't remember what it is called right now which is going to bug me lol. It was alot like the box formation you spoke of and I believe was the first of its kind. They could position themselves so any side of the box could suddenly become the front and guys in the middle held there spears up to prevent arrows from hitting them because they would hit all the spears and lose momentum.

[@p_pattedd5477]

The Macedonian Phalanx (that's the name) is a more linear formation, unlike late medieval pike squares.

[@cliffordjensen8064]

Another nice video. Really enjoyed it. The Medieval pike formation seems quite unlike the ones in the ancient times. They were more of a deep column that fought without apparent concern for their flanks. The ones in classical times fought in long lines like a Hoplite phalanx or a Roman Legion would with great concern for flank security. I also note that they had a large group of halberdiers fighting in the pike square to handle any mounted or dismounted Men at Arms that made it through the pikes. All in all, a very formidable foe.

[@TheChiconspiracy]

The discipline required to face outward in a circle or square on all sides and march/fight like the Swiss did would probably blow the ancients' minds. The halberd support troops would also be a rude awakening as well.

[@petertimowreef9085]

Funny how that's the second time in history where a bunch of guys standing really close to eachother and carrying really long sharp sticks was a major military revolution.

[@biggusdickus819]

@hulladaemon The introduction of arquebuses by the Spanish was a new invention.

[@Tareltonlives]

More than twice actually. Sumeria, Scotland, the Netherlands,,China, Japan, Greece (twice) and Switzerland all before the Tercio

[@ChristnThms]

I think it would be more accurate to say that the "long pointy stick" and "massed coordinated infantry" tactics were dominant throughout most of history, superseded gradually as firearms became less reliant on the pike's protection. If, at any point in history, you had dropped an effective repeating firearm into the evolution of weaponry, all versions of melee infantry immediately fall aside. Even a modern single shot cartridge gun has sufficient rate of fire that a mass of them could stand their ground to a cavalry charge.

[@Tareltonlives]

Firearms really did transition into this during the 19th century, starting with 3-shots-a-minute muskets and ending with machine gun, the era of the bayonet charge being ended by the likes of the battle of Omdurmuran Furthermore, it supercedes bows and arrows as well: the Battle of the Adobe Walls showed modern firearms finally eclipsing the bow. The last recorded pike formation to my knowledge was the battle of Kalelekaʻanae in 1795. Please correct me if I'm wrong if there were still an African group still using it or if it was ever used by the Boxers or Taiping (which sounds unlikely given their emphasize on close quarter martial arts)

[@errata]

I absolutely adore your illustration style man!

[@brukujinbrokujin7802]

One of the benefit of pikes is that a single line of defense can make use of up to 5-6 of pike row. The fifth row can still hit the enemy cause his weapon so long. That means if the enemy use sword he would fight 5 pikemen at once

[@jacobrigby3172]

As far as I understand even in the age of bayonet in the early to mid 18th century some armies still had 1/5 of the infantry carrying a pike in cases where the bayonet was inadequate deterrence against cavalry, and of course the pike still remained as late as the Napoleonic wars as an anti boarding weapon for naval warfare, even in the American civil war pikes were issued to the confederate forces when there weren't enough guns to be issued

[@ansonang7810]

the Romans prefer manuervability over defence. javelin were a very long pike 100-200m 2-4 shots. huge Shields is enough for defense. riot them to the ground and stab them horses werent breed for mounting they were usually used for pulling like chariots and war wagons. warfare mountable horses must have been rare and expensive , until breeds from central asia and Mongolia came to europe 11th to 12th. the introduction of saddles, stirrup,horse training. making horses available until everybody has it like a car you can buy in towns. the charging horse gives you more power than mike tyson's punch , getting hit by a horse is like hitting a motorcycle at 40kmh knocking out armored infantry or rendering them immobile. the pike is mainly psychological to the horse since its not stupid enough to charge to its death. making a group almost unchargble. if however the pike formation been charge by 2 cavalry groups 1st to break its formation 2nd to pick them off. it will be very costly. like in modern medieval fair arena most can afford unmounted fights but jousting will cost a fortune. almost 10x the unmounted cost.

[@kenbb99]

Thank you for citing your sources. Most YT channels just reinforce the stereotypes without any real research or analysis.

[@Tom_Quixote]

3:28 Can we just take a moment to appreciate the majestic cavalry animations

[@Pikazilla]

how to stop computer viruses: pikes

[@JimB.Walken]

The swiss: Our pikemen are the best ever!!! Alexander: Allow me to introduce myself

[@Crashed131963]

It took 2000 years to bring back the Greek Phalanx .

[@andy_NQ]

It's another nice weekend, great video ! :D

[@SandRhomanHistory]

Thanks for the visit!

[@timmeh006]

When 2 pike formations met they din't fight with their pikes. Cause that would mean the entire first rank of both formations would be wiped out on impact. Humans have a tendency to not liking death, its amazing you have to point that out sometimes. What happened was that when 2 pike formations met they would march at eachother and raise the pikes at the last moment. And then slash at eachother with swords. Untill one of the formations broke.

[@Hades-im1ml]

Or stop before walk on the enemy pikes and start to poke and fencing. Clash of pike wasn't people who walk to death.

[@timmeh006]

@@Hades-im1ml have you tried fencing with a pike? It's a really heavy object and more than wiggling it would be hard.

[@Hades-im1ml]

@@timmeh006 OK so your right

[@timmeh006]

@@Hades-im1ml Fun fact, two handed swords like claymores and zweihanders (what just means two hander) were adopted to "invade" pike formations. These swords were used to swipe away the pikes and when the swordsman got closer he'd use the sword as a short stabbing spear. Thats why you often see these grips infront of the guard.

[@Hades-im1ml]

@@timmeh006 I always knew that. But thank you to remember to my mind these information. Yes the ricasso is very useful to use your sword like a spear.

[@denzzlinga]

Makes me wonder no one invented something like a tank to overcome the lines of pike men. Like a wagon with armour plating on the front, pused by horses, to hit the pike men with great momentum and break up their formation for easier attack.

[@kolengkengkongkeng8065]

Hussite Wagon Forts are the closest thing to a medieval tank I could think of.

[@Xandalfo]

Soo nice dass Ihr e Sponsor gfunde händ!! Euche content hets' verdient!

[@SandRhomanHistory]

merci!

[@matthewct8167]

Interesting trivia: the Japanese ashigaru pikemen raised their pikes and hit the enemy with a downward motion where engaging infantry. I don’t how effective that is, but it’s notable.

[@a.h.s.3006]

ooooh, so that's how you pronounce SandRhoman 1:25

[@LongJ22]

Yes, 'cause he is Germanic (either German, Suiss or Austrian). Isn't it?

[@Crashed131963]

The Longbow guy in the rear had the best job.

[@fiddleriddlediddlediddle]

In the beginning you mention how the Scots used pikes. Could you do a video exploring that and other Scottish military developments?

[@oneoneonefour]

How did pikemen, without shields, survive archers? It just seems like all you would have to do is shoot the slow moving pike square and it would break.

[@hmad898]

The same way every unit without a shield survived arrows, by not getting shot. This could be accomplished by being in combat with an enemy unit (they usually wouldnt fire on you to protect their own men) or having the enemy archers dealt with before they got a chance. That or they did get shot and some of them died.

[@QWERTY-gp8fd]

they dont.

[@israeltovar3513]

If 6-14 days were enough to get minimally competent pike formation, how do we take the Eastern Roman commanders' demand for more thorough training? One commander went so far as considering men trained for a full year as still insufficient, and prescribed another year to bring them to satisfactory levels of skill. I mean, for their archers and horse archers I understand it. But the core infantry formations were pikemen, with 4-5 meter long spears(the kontarion) since the thematic army's time. We're the commanders too demanding of their skill? It is true they also had to be competent with sword and shield, axes, sabres, slings, throwing weapons, and their encampment practices... But 1-2 years?..

[@stevenglowacki8576]

The Eastern Roman Empire was gone by the time of this video.

[@evphex]

Many people think weapons of the renaissance are outdated and much less powerful than today’s. Little do they know swords and pikes actually make you disintegrate and explode sometimes.

[@ejb6822]

the pike was not replaced by the bayonet. it was replaced by increased quantity of flintlock muskets and grapeshot field artillery. the bayonet, which at no point had the capability to counter a cavalry charge, replaced the melee sidearms.

Always you have the best videos of early modern warfare, the pike and shot era. The Pikeman was the most important component of all the armies in almost three centuries and this video explain everything too good. It would be interesting see the transition to bayonet, because is the evolution of the Pike.

[@tomcondon6169]

I think I would experiment defending against pikes with noose and target. The target would be held like a small shield, would be struck, and would pin the head of the pike, when a noose would be pushed down the length of the pike a short way. Tightened, there would be a signal, and men behind would drag the pikes from the grasp of the pikers. I wonder about the origin of the British derogatory, "piker."

[@Uberdude6666]

Hey, nice vid! Very good content andinteresting topic, as well as solid bibliography B^) Why did firearms really replace crossbows though? I get why it replaced archers, as it takes significantly more training for an archer to be as useful as a man with a firearm. But crossbows? Surely it's not cheaper to produce a firearm than a crossbow? And it didn't take significantly more training to be able to volley-shoot with a crossbow than with a firearm?

[@golden.lights.twinkle2329]

The problem with crossbows is re-cocking is very difficult and time consuming and the crossbowman is vulnerable when re-cocking.

[@Uberdude6666]

@@golden.lights.twinkle2329 but that is the case with re-loading an early firearm as well, right?

[@stevenglowacki8576]

You still need to impart the energy released by a crossbow yourself, even if you have a cranequin or windlass to help cut down on the amount of instantaneous power needed. Gunpowder weapons get the energy from gunpowder, while any sort of bow has to in the end be pulled back by the user to store the energy delivered to the projectile.

[@quirinoguy8665]

When in doubt, use a long stick to poke it, if things are looking bad use an even bigger stick and poke it, detachable sticks works too as long as it can poke, in the future, advanced weaponry will still be sticks, the aliens may have blackhole bombs, but nothing can beat the quantum tunneling thingy stick teleporting into their position poking them until they're dead.

[@aniruddhbhatkal1834]

Hey, I have been wondering something. How were pikes moved and stored while on the move? Would it have been the same for the Macedonians?

[@TheChiconspiracy]

As far back as the Macedonians, they would construct them as two pieces that you could fix together. This also let them use only the front half as a shorter spear if the situation demanded.

[@dongilleo9743]

@@TheChiconspiracy Thanks for the information. I was wondering how in the world they made the poles for pikes. It seemed like it would be near impossible to find trees that were both sufficiently straight and tall enough to use to make extra long poles, then trim them down to proper size. Having them being able to dismantle into halves would make things simpler. I still wonder how they were able to make them without modern sawmills or power tools.

[@aniruddhbhatkal1834]

@@TheChiconspiracy thank you! But thats still at least two eight-foot long staves... would they use carts to hold bundles of them? Or were there a dedicated group of porters who kept a hold of the spears?

[@TheChiconspiracy]

@@aniruddhbhatkal1834 An individual soldier would carry the two 8 foot sections together over his soldier. I'm fairly certain there is some period artwork depicting this.

[@ovidiu-georgesaghin1378]

Who is the artist or the editor which made those nice ilustration??

[@doolittlegeorge]

The primary advantage was both as a literal *"guard"* or *"at post hook/crevasse"* and then a very easy to understand and thus quickly deployable entire Battlefield Formation ("psychological effect" preventing a martial engagement in the first instance.) Still valued today as a security device around some type of *valued space* or property actual pike men still serve more than just a symbolic role as well in parts of shall we call the matter "Old English." Having said that Napoleonic Canon was the *LITERAL* death knell of pikemen upon a modern battlefield although interestingly Cavalry became a very powerful force during the Napoleonic Wars all the up until World War 2 amazingly.

[@Wisstihrwas]

Pikemen were around all day even in the ancient times. If you think about if the macedonian and later roman phalanx were also pike formations that had its main goal to provide a stable defense, but also fight cavalary in the offense!

[@drakehatcher9399]

Ngl I thought that said Pikmin and almost lost my shit. Like. Go little guys go fuck em up!!

[@dimitristripakis7364]

If I was them, I would experiment with horsemen with many arquebuses each (e.g. 4), then their regiment would go to a position, dismount, shoot their guns, then ride back to safety where they can reload, etc etc. However, I am not sure if the arquebus could remain loaded while on horseback (perhaps the gunpowder and bolt fell off ?).

[@johnnyjet3.1412]

40 odd years ago I fell in love with Halberds - playing with the words - it's a weapon for a footman (enlisted) to kill a horseman (officer)

[@clintmoor422]

Alexander would be proud. Already in ancient times pikes destroyed the persians!

[@apokos8871]

it wasnt really just pikes that won the war. it was the use of combined arms, with archers, slingers, both light and heavy cavalry and light infantry covering the flanks. that was new compared to what the two sides were previously doing, relying only on one or two types of soldiers to win a battle. cheers from greece

[@apokos8871]

@Belmin Hodzic any kind of weapon that the heavy infantry uses is going to be the most important by default. the only exception is when you dont base your army around heavy infantry winning the battle (mongols, normans, irish etc)

[@apokos8871]

@Belmin Hodzic it depends on the context. without the ranged troops and the cavalry it wouldnt have worked against the persians. they would have been shot to pieces. the same way the romans lost to the parthians when they depended only on having superior heavy infantry without enough supporting troops. battles arent fought just by melee infantry, with very few exceptions.

[@liamjm9278]

@Belmin Hodzic Weren't supreme enough when the Romans came.

[@TheChiconspiracy]

@@liamjm9278 The Romans had trouble with falx armed Dacians... the Swiss pikeman and halberdiers would annihilate them.

[@seanriopel3132]

Hey a better microphone and put some fabric or sound absorbing material on your wall to cut out the harmonics. Your sound quality will go way up

[@ptrd4111]

If you think about it, arrows are just small flying pikes

[@ShadowReaper-pu2hx]

Last time I was this early crossbows were still being used. This is my first time watching this channel.

[@Bird_Dog00]

Welcome then. I hope you got some spare time on your hands, for there's a good number of videos worth watching.

[@ShadowReaper-pu2hx]

@@Bird_Dog00, thanks!

[@Not-Just-Cars]

then thats before 500 BC by the chinese or the greeks

[@Skanderbeg911]

Please a video about the tactics of the janissaries and the battle of Lepanto.......

[@savagex466-qt1io]

Everyone who works for Bethesda and is working or has worked on the Elder Scrolls needs to watch this. Please have spears / pikes in your next game.

[@raphlvlogs271]

were halberds used in a way similar to the pike?

[@TheChiconspiracy]

As long as your opponents don't have longer weapons than you (like pikes and lances), halberds are actually a more versatile weapon. Aside from just thrusting, they can hook enemy weapons, shields, and limbs in addition to delivering a strong overhead blow in a formation.

[@verward]

whar I don't understand about pike and shot, is why muskets were require for that? Why did no one think to do something like that with crossbows?

[@jamie_d0g978]

At least in the tercios they use crossbows in the beginning. ejercitodeflandes.blogspot.com/2012/06/ballesta-ballestero.html?m=1

[@lukeb1663]

They did for sure. The reason that there was a large transformation of warfare for the pike and shot was because the shot part of that was about 10 times more effective than any other ranged weapon at piercing armor. Even the most powerful crossbows at the time couldn’t compete with the hand cannons (very apt name imho) for pure power. As mentioned in the video, the armor of the time period improved a lot which made the necessity for a weapon that could negate it more prevalent. The pike became more necessary due to the unwieldiness of the hand cannons of the time period which required a considerable time to reload and had a somewhat limited effective range which allowed them to be closed down quickly by enemy cavalry which, since the ability to mount horses, have always been a key component of any army or military force.

[@keanuortiz3766]

Not sure, but i think its because of the gunpowder's advantage in armor penetration and the sound of guns in a volley tended to scare the enemy forces

[@Daylon91]

Great video and I like your style of drawing/animation. Cheers from Canada 🇨🇦

[@mpalfadel2008]

The difference between a pike formation and a sarissa phalanx is?

[@alexsacco776]

Whom do you serve? SandRhomaaaaaaan

[@octaviodiaz630]

Of course they are beautiful. They have +22 Cavalry attack bonus

[@NoPantsBaby]

My boy! That ad segway got me all hot.

[@bogdan3907]

Something that should be mentioned is that this refers only to Western european countries, with armies more or less static. Eastern european countries, forced to fight against much more mobile armies, such as the tatars or the turks, never used pikemen.

[@peter-bu5tz]

Swords:everyone arguing what is the best kind of sword Pike/spear/halberd: ‘pointy pokey pokey’

[@Esper320]

Real video starts at 1:33 🤫

[@hungvu262]

6:31 i like this section of music

[@TheBlobik]

Western Europe: Infantry: lets get long pikes, so that cavarly cannot charge effectively Cavalry: *diminishes in role and importance* Eastern Europe: Cavalry: Lets get longer lances then. Infantry: But then they will be too heavy for you to wield! Cavalry: So lets make them thinner and from lighter wood. Infantry: But then they will break on first impact! Cavalry: Ok, then we just make them single-use, bring with us a lot into battle, come back to wagons after charge, get new ones and charge again. Oh, and lets attach wings to our saddles / backs, they look cool Infantry: **

[@Crashed131963]

Hard to believe calvary was a important thing up to 1914. If a 12 foot pole stopped them ,a gun that shoots 100 yards is even worse.

[@py8554]

Could these pikemen from late Medieval age beat the Roman legionnaires, who beat the Macedonian phalanxes?

[@gabrielnguyen5580]

I mean they got plate armor and guns

[@gabrielnguyen5580]

Also what age of legionaire

[@molybdaen11]

I do not think so. The gunners would be a pain to the Roman's for sure. On the other hand, the Roman's had pillums and small field artillery like the scorpion as well as superior numbers thanks to they good economy. Also they legions were professionals with jears of experience (at least at the earlier times of the empire ).

[@RazacoReal]

Been binge watching your episodes lol

[@HappyBacon777ttv]

A question for the historians. Why does it seem like we went from spear/pike formations in the early Greek times, to sword and shield formations during the Roman times, and then back to the spear/pike formations during the middle ages as seen in the video.

[@EricDaMAJ]

Greek phalanx pike formations of Alexander the Great were quite formidable. But also slow and inflexible. The Romans once used pikes too. But in their relative isolation they developed a system of weaponry and unit organization that was much more flexible after fighting other Italian tribes in hilly terrain. Their throwing spears were specially designed to pierce armor and shields but with bendy shafts near the point. If they missed they hit the ground and bent so they were hard to throw back. If they hit a shield or armor they could not easily be pulled out, forcing the enemy to stop and struggle with it or discard their shield (Greeks carried shields along with pikes). The Roman short sword was optimum for follow up attacks by stabbing unprotected Greeks from behind the square Roman shield. Especially if they could attack the pikes from down hill and get under the points. Which the Romans did when they could. Roman maniples were smaller sub units in their Legions that could operate semi independently to rapidly flank or even strike the rear of the Greek phalanx. Units in front of the wave of pikes were in danger. But if other units attacked from the flanks and rear the pikes had to stop to present their points in all directions in defense. Marching cohesively in a pike formation going one direction is hard and slow. Marching with parts of the formation facing each direction more so with guys waking backwards or sidestepping. Marching like that as you're getting pelted with spears and stabbed at vexing in the extreme. Roman legionaries weren't as packed together except for certain specialized formations. So a legionary could actually see much of what was going on in his immediate area determine if he was winning or losing. Pikemen are packed together and the ones five or so rows back can't see much or hear much over the battle. So if things seem to go badly enough they might start to freak out even if they're actually winning. They definitely will if they wind up stepping over lots of comrades impaled by Roman spears. If panic spreads in the phalanx and men start to run, they're doomed. Even so, the Greek phalanx could still inflict defeats on the Roman legions if they were well led. But at the time they weren't. Greece's kingdoms and city states fell to the Roman Empire and their armies disbanded. When the Western Roman Empire decayed it imported Germanic tribes wholesale into the army in such numbers teaching them Roman tactics or equipping them with Roman arms became impractical. The Germans brought their military tactics - cavalry, long swords, standard spears. The Romans themselves forgot much of their own military heritage. They were also a lot more reliant on various catapults, ballistae, etc. When the Roman Empire fell only the Germanic military traditions remained. These over time morphed into the familiar militaries of the Middle Ages which relied on peasant levies, some men at arms, archers/crossbowmen, and - wherever possible as much as possible - heavy cavalry. Cavalry became especially important when Viking and Arab raiders attacked throughout Europe, as only they were fast enough to respond to such raiders. Ironically the Eastern Roman Empire didn't fall til hundreds of years later. But it also relied on Germanic military tactics and weapons and later Persian, Arab, and Mongol, and Turkish ideas. It never looked back on its own past for military inspiration even as it drifted from Roman culture to become the fully Greek Byzantine Empire. I will speculate that they were so pious in their Christian beliefs they didn't believe the pagan past had anything to tell them except heroic stories. But also they were much closer to the steppe and deserts where nomadic horse archers could shoot up a phalanx or even a Roman legion with relative impunity. The later Middle Ages brought a little more disposable wealth and literacy to Europe. A lot of classical literature survived to include books about Alexander the Great and his phalanxes. If you live in places that aren't particularly wealthy like Medieval Switzerland or Scotland, a little desperation, literary inspiration and a forest can be pretty handy when mounted knights show up. I'm sure there's some expert that can explain why what probably started as an improvised tactic became a mainstay so I'll leave that to them.

[@armorbearer9702]

Amazing! This is like Total War Warhammer. Pistoliers are used in a similar way in the game.

[@Perichoresis777]

Excellent video.

[@vonclaren1]

There are no "V" there are only "W" - This guy

[@patriciusvonkempen9810]

Well to call Schmidtschen an expert. Well He IS a bit dated by now and i think His Books Could be better sourced.

[@joeljanssonhernstrom1819]

What’s the name of the painting in the background at around 5.50? I recognise it but I can’t quite place it

[@SandRhomanHistory]

the last tercio by ferrer-dalmau

[@rs061290]

It helped a lot with the musketeers during battle!!!!

[@joaocoelho1029]

Seriously, the guy who invented the bayonet needs a posthumous Nobel Price. It's the kind of brilliant idea that seems obvious after it's concieved.

[@teecee1827]

Huh. Could you specify the novel prize thar person should get? Cause I don't think either peace, medicine or any of them for that matter would be applicable (even if the Nobel prize could be given posthumously)

[@rymic72]

It was the second time they had done so but there was an 1800 year gap in the prominence of their usage

[@RyujinNoKami]

Will you do a breakdown on the battle of Nagashino in feudal Japan where the Oda-Tokugawa Alliance uses the western tactics of pike and shot warfare to defeat the Takeda army