Medieval Weapons: The Pollaxe (AKA Poleaxe)

[@jukahri]

"I am a gentleman, this is a gentleman's weapon" _Gently splits your skull open with a giant axe._

[@texasbeast239]

Gently...AND MANLY.

[@chillshock2144]

It's an elegant weapon from a more chivalrous time.

[@buttered__toast_2899]

@@chillshock2144 *Republic Commando theme plays*

[@GallopingWalrus]

Man, I cannot get enough of that brigandine.

[@mrmarmellow555]

@Gallop...WALRUS Thatz STRAIGHT UP FINE! ..PS..LOV DA COOKING VID'Z MATE! H.NY. Frome YO5.iwi DOWNUNDER🤗😘💂😎👸

[@crozraven]

Yeah, I also really love Brigandine armors.

[@puckingfickles]

Do we know which one that is specifically?

[@crozraven]

@@puckingfickles I believe the specific type called "Brigandine Leeds"

[@Gimpzomg]

It looks so clean and spiffy and functional!

[@Jtbrahh]

I gotta say, the pollaxe seems like it would be a better weapon for fighting monsters than a sword

[@Robert399]

Jake Williams Better for sure but I still think you’d be insane to use anything but a bow or javelins (or spears which you’re comfortable throwing). (P.S. unless it’s specifically a monster where you need to chop things off, like a hydra, but that’s the exception plus you ought to choose your weapon for the target)

[@Haannibal777]

Robert R Apply poison on your weapon of choice and you have a dead monster.

[@Robert399]

@@Haannibal777 That's even stronger support for a ranged weapon above anything else.

[@justiciar1964]

If I were some fantasy world adventurer, my go-to weapon would be some 2-handed axe. When you make a living killing, sometimes it needs a good clean poke, and sometimes it needs to be cloven to pieces with more heft than a sword can give. You know, large pieces being severed completely, lest the wounds repair.

[@NamelessKing1597]

@@justiciar1964 Daneaxe

[@six2make4]

The Pollaxe is probably my favorite weapon, it somehow manages to look both brutal and stylish at the same time and it's just a beautiful example of weapon design and really underrated when it comes to fiction, be it stuff like DnD to movies to books. Although I guess I can kinda understand the reason they may not be used much in movies/TV is due to the same reason they don't fight much with them in reenactment.

[@supremeovernerd]

I had (still have one) but my old man cut the shaft in half, thinking it would improve it (it didn't) he let it get all rusty too.. One of my favourite archaic weapons, the force you can get even into strikes that start with a feint is incredible

[@minoadlawan4583]

A poleaxe is the perfect mixture of brute and finesse.

[@thatchannel195]

The classic man at arms with the sweater gambeson

[@eddgrs9193]

And jeans, because rebel.

[@taintedmyth0s636]

Jokes aside, I totally could see a poorer man-at-arms using a thick woolen shirt/tunic in place of a proper gambeson for economic reasons. Can't say anything defending the jeans though lol

[@Spider-Too-Too]

@@taintedmyth0s636 to maintain good mobility

[@Ake-TL]

Tainted Myth0s wasn’t that the case in early medieval period and earlier

[@bakters]

"sweater gambeson" Actually, why not? It's warm, cheaply made, breathes well, fire resistant. Plenty of advantages for your typical garrison duty. The gambeson was surely an expensive piece of kit, you wouldn't want to wear out unnecessarily. When I started writing this post, I thought I'll find "a" reason why sweaters could sometimes be worn under armor. Now I'm almost thinking that common clothing like sweaters was what was usually worn, while a proper subarmails was kept safe in a drawer stuffed with bug repelling herbs.

[@TheNinjazorz]

Matt looks more like a Nilfgaardian soldier than anyone in the Witcher show.

[@Kr0noZ]

Except if they used Brigandines like this in the series Nilfgaard wouldn't look half as dumb...

[@joseph9n6]

Hehe that nilfgaard armour in the show was shite 😂

[@weisthor0815]

the mighty ballsack armor

[@TheNinjazorz]

@@Kr0noZ exactly my point

[@fingavominga2983]

@@joseph9n6 looks like only the imperial fighting instructor gets to wear cool looking armor.

[@FrederickApollyon]

I used to think swords were the coolest when I was a kid, and as I grew older and started watching Matt, Lindybeige, Metatron and Shad I really started appreciating the spear and eventually a poleaxe. Now I just want one. Also I want books and fantasy works where the hero uses one and dunks on sword wielders.

[@taintedmyth0s636]

Spears do beat swords, after all. Source: Fire Emblem

[@NamelessKing1597]

Best weapon for a Dwarf, devastation with reach. It makes more sense for them to have spears but hammers and axes are more iconic. why not all 3 in one?

[@RedXlV]

I've long been disappointed by the absence of poleaxes in fantasy settings.

[@ProjectThunderclaw]

I used to be big on that, too, but I've grudgingly come to accept that swords usually make the most sense, given that most fantasy takes place in the context of a journey, or else in a civilian context. Poleaxes are great, but I wouldn't want to be lugging one up the slopes of Mt. Doom or dragging it around the Red Keep, you know? ... actually, now I _do_ want to see a story where the protagonist is constantly hauling a poleaxe around. Getting caught on the dungeon roof, knocking over the duke's pot plants, awkwardly resting it on the table when they're trying to eat...

[@sapphyrus]

As he describes, poleaxe is a knightly weapon though so it's on the cool scale of swords unlike regular 'plebian' axes. I'm not an axe person normally but poleaxe gets a carte blanche from me.

[@IISocratesII]

God i love Poleaxe's, they're the perfect marriage of the commanding brutal aesthetic and ornate beauty

[@Regolith86]

Last time I was this early, shield walls were still a valid battlefield tactic.

[@DecoyJayc]

Still is in Hong Kong

[@chaos_omega]

Ah, nuts. I'm not that early! Just discovered gunpowder...

[@tigershark8867]

@Rex Francorum Congratulations. You explained the joke.

[@tigershark8867]

@Rex Francorum Yeah, most memes tend to die after like a month or something. Sometimes they can live for an extra 2 months if they're lucky.

[@Ake-TL]

Tigershark88 or T Rex 1000 or they can ascend to become” not old, classic “

[@jrd33]

Excellent video, Matt. And full marks for managing to say "it's going to stop your hands being able to easily slide up and down the shaft" without smirking. That's dedication!

[@taintedmyth0s636]

3:04 His style of joke delivery always catches me off guard. It's so fluid and doesn't sound like a joke before or after he says it. There's no lead up and no pause afterwards, just in and out with no mess.

[@T1JumpTIX]

You see pollaxes with no langets snap at that exact spot in sparring, from heavy swings that are blocked. The momentum of the axehead can break the weapon thats why those are there.

[@texasbeast239]

19:35-21:02 Matt says exactly that.

[@rolfs2165]

@@texasbeast239 Matt say _that_ they snap in that point, but that he doesn't know _why._ To which @T1JumpTIX provided an explanation. ;)

[@texasbeast239]

@@rolfs2165 - OK, I rewatched and I see what you're saying. I think he really knew the reason, but in the moment he forgot the precise lingo of the physics principle going on there. I think it was on the tip of his tongue. Or on the edge of his blade, so to speak. ;)

[@texasbeast239]

That said, I am fascinated how the langettes and rivets can do such a great job at securing the weapon head to the haft, precisely because so much dynamic inertia does build up during a swing. Do they get loose and have to be re-tightened often? Do they strip out the wood regularly?

[@T1JumpTIX]

My guess is you replace or reshaft the pollaxe after any major combat event and likely with other polearms too. You can’t really fix a wood shaft and have it be as reliable as a new one, minor cuts/chips in it or slight stripping of the outter layer of wood can be a liability, especially a liability you don’t need when your life depends on your weapon working properly. It’s likely a big reason why swords are brought along as sidearms because your pole weapon will likely be lost or break during intense combat. Long story short my assumption is that the Rivets or langets themselves realistically only need to secure the axe head for a single event of combat ie. two armies clashing in the field or a foot combat tournament event.

[@markfergerson2145]

That bit about the weapon breaking about a third of the way from the head looks to be related to the way chimneys tend to break about a third of the way from the bottom, and pencils doing the same thing if pressed too firmly. The term to Google is "bending moment". I loves me some physics with my weapon critiques. ;>)

[@CanalTremocos]

​@HAYAO LEONE As someone that has tried to save 3 bucks by using a random bough on my farming billhook instead of a straight machined handle I'm afraid I have to say that no, they don't.

[@E1337N3SS]

Thanks for that. I learned something new.

[@AnimeSunglasses]

Where he gestured looks too be more of 1/4 the way down the shaft to me. Either one could easily be a node of vibration, where the shaft flexes most when you hit something with it.

[@megalonoobiacinc4863]

i mean, when you chop wood you can miss and hit the shaft instead of the blade, and if you use a lot of a force you might create a weak point in the wood. I imagine with a much longer poleaxe and with a lot more force, if a simple wooden shaft hit something solid you might easily damage it

[@camilstoenescu]

Badass underrated weapon.

[@ethang9932]

Its what I would pick if I was a knight.

[@satanbrony9235]

@@ethang9932 same

[@znanystreamer9170]

@@ethang9932 Me too. A poleaxe or possibly a warhammer.

[@k0vert]

"It secures all of this offensiveness to your shaft" is all I need to hear

[@petrkinkal1509]

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@foggy808]

Does my head in that Matt doesn’t have as many subs as other historical/sword KZbinrs when his expertise, delivery, humour and amiability are top of the fuckin game. Cmon people

[@a-blivvy-yus]

Definitions: "Pole Axe" - an axe on a pole. "Poll Axe" - an axe used when going door to door collecting voter responses.

[@RedXlV]

An effective way to get the responses you want, to be sure.

[@JohnnyWishbone85]

The poll poleaxe was once more commonly used, but as the demographics of poll-workers in Western Europe and the Anglosphere have changed, the need for a smaller, handier pollaxe has meant that the larger, heavier poll poleaxe is mostly a ceremonial item in this day and age. In Eastern Europe, however, the poll poleaxe has remained at the forefront of polling culture, and among Western aficionados of poll memorabilia of that region, Pole poll poleaxes are highly sought-after collectors' items.

[@a-blivvy-yus]

@@JohnnyWishbone85 I feel like I learned something just now. I'm not sure I like this feeling. O_o

[@foobar201]

While riding the donor cycle of course.

[@akaniotevanos9861]

@@JohnnyWishbone85 U w0t m8?

[@tamlandipper29]

When I was a kid we thought 2020 would be cyborgs and flying cars. Actual 2020: poleaxes.

[@gabriel300010]

arguably more awesome

[@ITBEurgava]

@@gabriel300010 agreed

[@00Trademark00]

2030: Cyborgs in flying cars fighting with pollaxes.

[@neilwilson5785]

Good thing too. I am glad it turned out this way. We also have flying cars as well now, and smart prosthetics for disabled people. It's quite good really.

[@MrVelociraptor75]

@@00Trademark00 A Pollaxe gives you the necessary leverage to deal a wounding blow to an armoured target (aka a Cyborg) ;)

[@Andrei-n]

I cant help myself but i see the sign of Nurgle in that perforation

[@trpdrspider8372]

Brothers, pass the flamer. No, the H E A V Y flamer.

[@seangannon6081]

You know a weapon was very effective when even the super soft toy versions are exceptionally dangerous to use.

[@mickaleneduczech8373]

Amazing how much that gambeson looks like a modern sweater, LOL.

[@erikgranqvist3680]

Even blunted, you could easily break someones arm with any misshapp.

[@angeryfluuf6514]

Thank you for the information on pollaxes being knightly weapons. I'm a writer and I was looking for a weapon for my antagonist so this video helped me out a lot!

[@rascally_ryan]

“Hello! I’m Matt Easton, and I’d like to introduce you to my offensive shaft...” 😉😄

[@ArkadiBolschek]

Let me show you its features!

[@gfhjkfghj4208]

Langets - securing all the offensiveness to your shaft since 1199.

[@morridune]

yeh and apparently we're allowed so slip our hands up and down it..

[@2Axiom]

"You need your hands to be able to easily slide up and down that shaft"

[@xlaythe]

@@kdolo1887 I prefer the butt, honestly.

[@walterdegenhardt959]

Finally my favorite weapon gets some love now all we need is a sparing video with poleaxe

[@amang1001]

There is one on KZbin with Dr Tobias Capwell in a pole axe tournament... he gets dinged pretty good almost got knocked out

[@mitcharcher7528]

Check out the channel “Pursuing the Knightly Arts.” They do a lot of armored pollaxe combat, including a really great series on Le Jeu de la Hache, my favorite source.

[@walterdegenhardt959]

Cool tks will do

[@7dayspking]

@@amang1001 Where can I find it, what's the title?

[@amang1001]

@@7dayspking tournament of the Phoenix - pollaxe 02.mp4

[@divanavitch]

I do buhurt in the IMCF. You were totally on point. I’ve had my bell rung very well. Lol. Great video brother. Lots of love from Canada 🇨🇦

[@galinor7]

Fascinating. How many times have we been to a museum and simply not had this level of detail available and left dissatisfied. Really, I once went to a castle, (It should remain nameless), and asked about a melee demonstration later that day and the guide said what's "melee" I don't know that word. Now, I know that sounds impossible but it actually happened to me. Then we get channels like this and it's like meeting some else who loves all this as much as you do and actually knows more, and we are safe in the knowledge that all this history won't be forgotten. Thanks.

[@Alakazzam09]

So langets also disperse impacting forces over a greater area of the shaft, helping preserve its integrity. I think I get it now, makes a lot of sense when you put it in *context!*

[@NevisYsbryd]

Black and dark grey clothing beneath darker armor definitely suits you.

[@joanignasi91]

Agreed, makes him look like a medieval judge Dredd

[@kevingooley9628]

@@joanignasi91 I would totally read that comic! Someone get Games Workshop on it 😆

[@charlottewalnut3118]

El Bearsidente cept he has not ball skin armor

[@arpioisme]

Matt easton is from DCEU confirmed

[@NevisYsbryd]

@@arpioisme Captain Context?

[@alextrio3995]

One thing I really love about Matt's videos is how he's totally serious and informative the whole time. The. Whole. Time. I watched this video to get information about the pollaxe. And he delivered it without any tomfoolery. Even though he at one point was talking about sliding your hand up and down the shaft. He kept it serious and informative.

[@judofry]

Forgot how satisfying watching your vids are, it’s technically educational so I don’t feel guilty watching during down time at work

[@nicolag5254]

Brilliantly explained, much appreciated when you underline they were not necessarily new inventions, but just something getting handy for the new age/situation/armour

[@crocutable]

I love the combination of brigandine armor over very comfortable sweater, and you score so many points for having a wahaika on the wall there!

[@Tommiart]

With that kind of lever arm, a full blow would be more akin to a car accident where the brain is actually bounced around inside the skull because of the rapid acceleration/deceleration of the bone in relation to the soft squishy bits. 😁

[@7dayspking]

No, more like a really good punch. Huge difference between a maybe 1 kg piece of iron being smashed into your head at maybe 100 km/h and your entire body weight being propelled like a projectile at 50, 80 or 100+ km/h. If we're talking about being hit by a car that's a tonne and a half wall of steel slamming into you at about the same speed as your 1 kg poleaxe head. A full force hit from a polleaxe can produce just enough force to slightly alter your balance mostly if it's landed on the side of the face. The acceleration of the head would be comparable or lower than that of a punch depending on well braced the target's neck was for the impact. The length of the polleaxe allows it to be swung very quickly but provides poor leverage, you're relying basically on the weight of the head almost throwing it like a projectile. If the head is well braced it could overcome most of the polleaxe's momentum, if the person is caught off guard the greater velocity of the polleaxe might allow for greater acceleration of the head. The most powerful blow with the polleaxe is the thrust but it's also the slowest, a good thrust can push someone onto the ground.

[@7dayspking]

@@eddard9442 What do you believe 300 kg of force means, why do you believe that? 'the leverage with this would be substantial'. No. Good leverage happens when effort is used to move one end of a lever a long distance to push something a very short distance. The poleaxe works in the opposite way, you shoulder which is bearing the entire load moves a very short distance to move the poleaxe a very long distance. The further away you move from the shoulder the less leverage you have. If you don't believe me put 100 kilos all on one end of a barbell, grip the opposite end of the barbell and try to lift those 100 kilos. This represents striking with a poleaxe. Now place both hands just underneath the weights and lift the barbell, this represents a punch. Remember what I said about levers earlier? The further away something is swung from the shoulder, the larger it's arc will be. The outstretched tip while swung will always be traveling faster than the hand that is swinging it. This is not true for thrusts, the hand and the tip of the weapon travel at exactly the same speed.

[@rotwang2000]

Hit a limb and it probably knocks it out for a while if not cause a break or dislocation. Torso impacts would probably knock the wind out of you. Head impacts from the top may lead to skull fractures and spine compression while side head impacts make me want to throw up just thinking about it.

[@7dayspking]

@HAYAO LEONE Sarcasm?

[@7dayspking]

@@rotwang2000 'knocks it out for a while'...how do you think that works, wtf? Sure a fracture to the shins or forearms especially seems plausible with a really solid poleaxe hit. 'torso hits wind you' ehhh, you really need to dig in to wind someone and the armour prevents that. The injuries you suggest to the head are plausible if unlikely. Hits to the side of the head will be little more than uncomfortable unless they cause a fracture, eye damage, cuts or make you groggy. A hard, clean solid hit could definitely do those sorts of things.

[@GoldenChild27]

Love polearms, especially the pollaxe is my favorite weapon, please continue with the polearm material!

[@PRKLGaming]

I really liked your scutum video. I was wondering if you could do a comparison between Roman and Gaulish arms and armor one day. Cheers!

[@mrmarmellow555]

Hey What ABOOT GAULISH AN ROMAN SCOTIUM PROTECTION!! LOL😜😆💕

[@taintedmyth0s636]

I thought you said scrotum at first xD

[@stoker1931jane]

After reading Toby Clements four novels in his "Kingmaker" series ('Winter Pilgrims', 'Broken Faith', 'Devided Souls' and 'Kingdom Come') set during The Wars of the Roses. I really got even more interested in historical armoury & weapons & warfare. In the way which Clements wrote about a certain Pollaxe: that particular fierce weapon almost started to feel like, yet another "character" throughout the long narrative. So thank you very much for these informative uploads - especially this one. Makes me want to read those books for a third time. Greetings from The Netherlands.

[@thomaszhang3101]

Wow I was searching frantically for Pollaxe techniques and your video came up 😅 Thank you so much and I really look forward to your video on “Weapons of 15th Century Common Soldier” to complete your previous video on “Armour of 15th Century Common Soldier”.

[@cycadaacolyte6349]

I always love how modern the Sallet and Brigandine combo presents.

[@-Thunder-Warrior-]

It's rare to see Saltzpyre so calm, but he gives a good lesson here.

[@suckdickman6316]

Hurry up lumberfoot!

[@-Thunder-Warrior-]

Silence Elf!

[@ronnoe6708]

That is one beautiful weapon. I wish we had more videos about the poleaxe but most people think "medieval weapon" automatically equals "sword". I love swords but they aren't the perfect weapon a lot of people seem to think they are.

[@LifestyleLabUK]

Great video, Matt! Thank you very much! Two questions, if I may: 1. How breakage-resilient would the wooden shaft be against blows by a) swords (should be fine, I guess) and b) other heavy-headed pole weapons? 2. (in line with the 1st) Were there historical examples of full-steel poleaxes?

[@scholagladiatoria]

I have never seen a fully steel pollaxe - the shaft would have to be hollow, else it would be so heavy that it would be too slow to make an effective fighting weapon. The shorter maces, axes and hammers that have steel shafts are normally either very narrow, or they are hollow. Wood can be broken, but in normal use it would be unlikely for a pollaxe shaft to break - probably more likely for a sword blade to break (as they sometimes did and still do).

[@LifestyleLabUK]

@@scholagladiatoria Many thanks for your reply!

[@freeman35423gs]

Great overview! I like the way how Matt smiles when he talks about killing other knights with this weapon :)

[@perezsantiago25]

Cheers from Argentina Matt, keep up the good content!

[@magnuslauglo5356]

Such a terrifying, beautiful, beast of a weapon.

[@PalleRasmussen]

In "Eastern Style" viking reenactment, I have taken a full force blow from a Daneaxe directly down on top of my helmet. I was glad my much taller friend was behind me with a shield above me to take much of the blow, it still staggered me a bit, not from being knocked out (tried that a couple of times from a one-handed axe as well in "Western Style"/"Freestyle" Viking Reenactment), but from the amount of force going into my knees and heels.

[@psemek8000]

I love how he explains how devastating it is to get clocked on the head full force with a poleaxe even when wearing a helmet and he concludes with this "Its like getting punched really really hard in the head" Thank you.

[@hellequingentlemanbastard9497]

Holy Cow, he's wearing a cable-knitted Mail-shirt under the brigandine.

[@Robert399]

Hellequin, Gentleman Bastard My god they’ve gotten lazy. They couldn’t even be arsed to spray paint it!

[@shellbackbeau7021]

Great video Matt, I really enjoyed this video.

[@DSPZulu]

To be fair to The Witcher, a lot of the enemies use pole-arms. The sword-heavy thing is specifically a Witcher thing. They aren't fighting people in armor, remember, for the most part. Theyre fighting monsters. (They aren't soldiers). The soldiers in the setting tend to use pole-arms (particularly in the games, the soldiers you see almost always have a polearm as their primary weapon).

[@MushVPeets]

Thing is, almost by definition, a _monster_ tends to be something larger than you, with superior strength and longer reach... You generally want to fight monsters with spears, or other really long pointy bits. People killed boars and mammoths and other big furry monstrosities with spears, not swords.

[@Pentagathusosaurus]

The witchers have to travel a lot to find their monsters though, I imagine carrying a long old polearm everywhere would be fairly impractical. Though I suppose a witxher could carry a spear head and have it fixed to a shaft in whatever town he finds a contract.

[@syberslade3878]

Plus Witchers use magic on the other hand . I mean a free hand is really important for them

[@geraldwalker6101]

Ahh the old " It's not mine it's a friends" excuse.

[@KageNoTora74]

When I was involved with the SCA I served as a retainer to a pair of south paws who fought in shield walls with poleaxes. These were rattan with closed cell foam, duct tape and bicycle tire "edges" since live steel wasn't allowed (this was before the prominence of HEMA). Blows weren't pulled and armor requirements were strict.

[@Quodge]

The more I look at that poleaxe the more I realise just how terrifyingly beautiful it is..

[@42astrutsen]

"...It secures all the offensiveness to the shaft." Quote out of context. :P :D

[@Darlos9D]

"It DOES make the head more effective."

[@blackopsbear2626]

Greater penetration which we love on this channel lol

[@Nosirrbro]

The pollaxe has always been one of my favorites for sure, I considered picking one up a few months ago but went with a Scandinavian greatsword (XVIIIe) instead.

[@Earth2Stephen]

Excellent video (as always). Thanks for all the great content!

[@matthewcreaks2147]

I did not realise poleaxes are a knightly weapon, that will be useful to know for writing!

[@MrTimebomb12]

Another important factor in the development of poleaxes being used more commonly in Europe was the proliferation of the arquebus and musket. Formations such as the Spanish tercio square relied on the defensive power of pikes in order to compliment the offensive power of the firearm, poleaxes were just as good as pikes at keeping the enemy at bay and handling cavalry attacks albeit at a more aggressive and close quarters manner.

[@Ptah-Tatenen]

The thumbnail looked quite wonky in my opinion but the video was really great. Really informative. Definitely my fav weapon.

[@simpson6700]

one of the most beautiful weapons, if you ask me.

[@dr.fabricecognot4892]

Thanks for the mention mate ! Very nice vid as always !

[@punchysonichu5395]

"Much like the pommel, incidentally. Very similar to how a pommel is used" Ah, so you THROW the end of your pollaxe at people. Very clever!

[@LS-sp5hr]

Turns out I was too late to make this joke

[@HomicideJack187]

End them rightly, sir.

[@jlburilov]

Very pretty weapon. The wall looks great too.

[@MarcusArmstrong037]

25:37 Slightly off topic, but a good note for comparison: In Sengoku period Japan, we see the exact same thing. The Samurai would carry a primary weapon (often a spear or a bow), and then a katana and wakizashi/tanto as their backup weapons. And again, wrestling would be an unarmed option as well (in their case, jujitsu).

[@MC-vf4qo]

This would be a lot better nilfgaardian Armour, than what was used in the show. Someone should send this to the Witcher's costume designers

[@charlottewalnut3118]

MC anything would be better than scrotum armor

[@piperar2014]

They don't want Nilfgaard to look cool. Viewers aren't supposed to like Nilfgaard.

[@LS-sp5hr]

Matt looking badass in this great video

[@confusionsboy8527]

Great Vid. You seem very knowledgeable about the subject, really learned something.

[@Kai9456Jojo]

An Poleaxe its very versatile medieval polearm, is like a fusion between axe, spear spike and hammer. The hammer normally is used for break armors and shields. The spike for disarm enemy, hurt him and break his defense. The spear for impale. And Axe for attacks in vertical or horizontal.

[@Sharklops]

@scholagladiatoria - Adam Savage did a great tour of the Met's Last Knight exhibit of armor connected to Emperor Maximilian. In it there were these almost clockwork mechanisms that would launch a knight's shield airborne and bursting into pieces when he was struck in the joust. If you have any more information on that kind of thing I'd love to see a more in depth video on it. Here's a link to the part I'm talking about: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jorCg5-af9t2jdU

[@LiqnLag]

Seems most have no idea about Pollaxes and it's great to see you educating. The other weapon largely ignored, though more of an ancient one, was the dangerously accurate sling.

[@deathbyastonishment7930]

Hey mate, to the best of my knowledge the sling wasn’t particularly accurate. By that I mean it was less accurate than the bow. Even modern practitioners can’t attain the same accuracy as an archer

[@LiqnLag]

@@deathbyastonishment7930 Try a staff sling and you'll understand why even the Romans used them.

[@somerando1073]

@@deathbyastonishment7930 They can be very hard to get good at, but if you've been slinging since childhood like those from the Balearic islands and Rhodes, you can be deadly accurate.

[@gracesprocket7340]

From experience of carrying (thermoplastic) pollaxes to venue, the cutout in the blade can be used to mate two weapons with the side spikes through the cutout, allowing them to be bound together or stacked more neatly than if they are solid. Much easier than trying to juggle a bunch of loose polearms and (assuming sharps, which mine are not), the maul protects the edge of the axe to a degree. I can't say that is an original purpose, but it definitely 'works' with the modern thermoplastic heads. Carried at the trail and at the weapon balance point, they are trivial to manhandle paired like that.

[@theguyrightthere9056]

"Weapons for greater penetration, which we love on this channel"

[@johnknotabuc]

Dear Mr. Easton, I quite enjoy your Videos

[@UnclePutte]

Supremely comfortable to lean against, works fairly well as a pole for fishing too.

[@flaviusstilicho1239]

The poleaxe has always been my favourite weapon since I was a child.

[@okin_rezresua1715]

I allways knew you secretly were a Nilfgaard sympathizer...

[@retrofuture1989]

Nothing like watching Matt Easton slide his hand up and down the shaft of a poleaxe.

[@gregorflopinski9016]

If the main complaint is that it’s too dangerous, the I’d say It’s doing it’s job

[@martinpurrio1730]

Soo, can the cue be screwed off? Asking for a friend.

[@mallardtheduck406]

I like your Duck!!!

[@davidtuttle7556]

@@mallardtheduck406 AFFLACK!

[@harrylangton3206]

Me too

[@martinpurrio1730]

Mallard the Duck Thanks, I just hope this was no typo. 😁

[@NamelessKing1597]

Spike of mass destruction?

[@SnoW-pk9zo]

I'm feeling the new back ground

[@gcfournier3386]

That poleaxe looks so freaking cool

[@zizkazenit7885]

Great video! More medieval stuff plz

[@TylerDurden-oy2hm]

That looks like a patu to the left of the shield on the left....a fearsome weapon used by Maori...good to see it included!!the taiaha is super effective too

[@LordSolfan]

I really enjoyed that blooper, thanks for including it! ;)

[@Iceaxehikes]

It's raining just outside those doors. Sky is grey. People are drinking ale down the street at the Red Dragon Pub.

[@dimitrizaitsew1988]

I really liked the blooper part!

[@kevinthayer1750]

Having cleared acres and acres of brush and trees with an old, heavy (spine well over 1 cm thick), hand forged brush hook, I think I can form a hypothesis about handles breaking on pollaxes and similar sized arms. If you look at the pollaxe, or a brush hook, there is a lot of mass located beyond the point of attachment to the wooden handle. If you chop down trees with your brush hook, and the trees are too large to take down with a single diagonal swing (more than 2.5" or 6.3 cm for an open-grained sapling), you risk breaking your handle. Much of the mass of metal on a brush hook is well past the eye, and its inertia tries to carry it around the far side of the tree you're chopping. This will eventually stress the handle within 8" or 20 cm of the eye to the point that it snaps. The closer to the handle you engage the blade on a massive object, the sooner it will snap the handle. On the other hand, striking a solid tree too far out on the hook creates an abrupt application of leverage that stresses the handle. The direction of the slightly diagonal fracture in a brush hook handle lets you know two things: (1) The manner in which you misstruck. (2) You should have used a different tool for that tree. I would love to find a brush hook with langets, and see what difference they make when clearing saplings.

[@Leifr57]

actually me and my pals ordered a few of blunt ones from a czech maker,but quitted with usingt heim very fast,even blunt it revealed to be an armor destructor,proof that it was efficient back in time!

[@firstlast822]

"You can make a blunted hammer." Yes I agree, you can make a blunted hammer.

[@Szujhinzu]

"UP-UP" - the sound you make when a sword hits your helmet

[@sanguisdominus]

I'm jus' sittin' here wondering where he got that coat of plates, haha, it looks awesome.

[@LivingManuscript]

I can't say for sure, but it looks like one from Armor Services Historical. Even if it isn't, they make really good ones too anyway haha

[@crozraven]

it's a type of historical "Brigandine Leeds." Although idk where to buy that specific type brigandine armor.

[@thoughtheglass]

ArmStreet also sell a similar looking one

[@charlottewalnut3118]

Sanguis Dominus forge of svan makes a good looking one

[@alexandersarchives9615]

I’d recommend checking out SteelMastery and Master Uley’s website.

[@janwojtyna3392]

Other than the fact Geralt is using longsword/bastards against unarmed opponents in one on one scenario. Love the episode now I am waiting on one about so called Czekan. Something that can be regarded as shorter end poleaxe with no top spike

[@Noble713]

"either to greater penetration, which we love on this channel" -- LOL....subbed.

[@jackdoe663]

That thing looks cool as hell. I want one.

[@robertvecchiarello4863]

The metal barbs on the axe head and the plate over the shaft are not for decoration. The polearm shaft is slammed on the top of a shield. The polearm user then steps back dragging the shield away while tilting the back of the polearm up as to make the polearm horizontal. Now with the spike between the shield and body the polearm user lunged forward thrusting the spike into the body neck or head of the off- balance defender.

[@99IronDuke]

Good video. I always think of the pollaxe as the main weapon of the English knights and men at arms of Agincourt, the close in, hand to hand, balance to the English warbow.

[@ajm2872]

Ah, yes... the exceptionally rare SuperDry brigandine 🧐

[@zenhydra]

The poleaxe I commissioned from White Well Arms has a cup guard at the termination of the langets, sliding one's hand isn't a factor anyway. I love it. It's a beast of a weapon, and they were willing to make me a pseudo-historic combination of Chinese ge (dagger-axe) and a European crow's beak. It's one of the most fearsome looking weapons I've ever seen, and the guys at White Well Arms were able to turn my Photoshop concept image into a nearly perfect physical match.

[@AnimeSunglasses]

"...it secures all of this offensiveness to your... shaft." Matt Easton, January 2020 Dear God, I love it here...