The Value of the Pike Emerges When Used Correctly

The pike might be one of the simplest weapons ever devised: a long pole with a sharp end. But when used alongside other pikes, its effect can be nothing short of devastating.
From the Series: World of Weapons: Weapons for All bitly.com/33tqvV1

[@TVmadness3]

"lets test the effectiveness of the pike formation" *gets charged by lone 70 year old male*

[@HanSoloxcs]

Well he's white, so the ground he walks on is apparently privileged. Just sayin'

[@eldorados_lost_searcher]

Look at some of the stuff Mike Loades has done. Trust me, if they didn't get those pikes up, they'd be in trouble.

[@mrquestionmark7895]

Mike Loades is a man to be feared. The man had arrows shot at him while riding on horse back to show parachutes made of silk could stop arrows.

[@wilms2328]

If a 70 year old started charging me out of nowhere I'd be scared too

[@stephenkenney8290]

Well if the formation can't stop an old man it certainly isn't stopping an actual charge!

I wish the old guy would've just broken through the line with a vicous battlecry and started whaling on the unaware participants.

[@eldorados_lost_searcher]

If they hadn't got those pikes up, he would have.

[@raphlvlogs271]

The pike was hugely effective in history, but they were very underrated in modern pop culture.

[@twerk_it_like_nae_nae7979]

The only movie pops to me is 300, yeah very underrated.

[@Quetzietse]

Because they are a weapon for the masses, not for the heroes.

[@polarbear6479]

because its more interesting to see close range brawling than watching men smack sticks at each other, even if that is what happened most of the time

[@eureka5635]

@@polarbear6479 Just sounds like a skill issue of the director.

[@IrregularrAF]

@@polarbear6479Alexander did a pretty good job depicting the brutality of a massed pike formation pushing into combat, especially in the final battle at the end of the movie. I imagine it's pretty hard to choreograph it without people actually getting injured since a walking spear wall was literally death at one point in time.

[@MrEnjoivolcom1]

Ashamed a 60-70 year old man can run faster than me.

[@nawfsidereviews6029]

😂😂

[@TheMan-je5xq]

That’s no normal old man that’s Mike Loades

[@rafitohornero3850]

Now imagine old celtic warrior charging at roman formation. They probably stronger because their food is not toxic like in our time.

[@Bauernwher]

@@rafitohornero3850 yea yea

[@user-ot3rz7hs9f]

@@rafitohornero3850 and they have no clothes🗽

[@eldorados_lost_searcher]

Leave it to Mike Loades to charge a pike formation just to prove a point.

[@hiyukelavie2396]

But why Just throw their javelins at them Or simply pelt them with stones until they give up

[@TheDebater94]

@@hiyukelavie2396 that's why the pikeman would have cavalry support who could ride down lightly armored archers or slingers.

[@hiyukelavie2396]

@@TheDebater94 And that's why skirmishers have their own cavalry to screen them against enemy cavalry

[@vanpallandt5799]

@@hiyukelavie2396 armour in ancient period plus as said screening skirmishers and light medium infantry called Peltasts. In Pike and Shot period..well Pike and Shot. Both of you are slightly incorrect re cavalry..usually deployed on flanks of army to take on and seek to beat the enemy cavalry to allow it to turn in to attack infantry from side of rear. Less common that cavalry and pike units are mixed up together or that cavalry are in the centre

[@dpeasehead]

And comes close to getting the point, or two or three of them.

[@junjie2525]

amazing how a 70yr old man can be so fascinated by a wooden pole with a pointy metal end. Also amazed at how enthusiastic the volunteers were

[@vanpallandt5799]

its good to be enthusiastic - see my image..group of us 50/60 yo guys who are enthusiastic and fascinated by toy soldiers. Others are same about football and others about women..is any one more of a real mans hobby than the others

[@biffgrimes.8345]

Age is no barrier to enthusiasm and it shouldn't be

[@akbrahma7739]

If this wasn't enough the Dutch and the Spaniards put muskets in between. Imagine being a proud cavalier charging only to get shot and your steed skewered.

[@apokos8871]

in between? the sleeves of arquebusiers were on the sides for the Dutch, or in the corners for the Spanish. the muskets were deployed alone in a skirmish line for screening. putting gunners in between was done in the Italian Wars by the French and Germans until they understood that it doesnt really work

[@InqWiper]

If you charge into pikes you deserve to be shot and skewered.

[@henrytang7025]

Horses don't charge into pikes, the pikes are a deterrent.

[@silverhawkscape2677]

That's where the winged Hussars came in. Got pikes? We'll just make out lances 1 meter longer.

[@theprancingprussian]

The gunmen were in squares which took turns firing so you got like 10 shots each 5 seconds with better accuracy They would retreat in the middle of the pike formation

[@MadMamluk88]

Spears/pole arms are the most underrated weapons of ancient and medieval warfare.

[@stephen5174]

It is interesting how the pike got a second leg in the renaissance after not being used super widely since Alexander the Great

[@James-wd9ib]

My third leg is a pike named Alexander the Great

[@ReuterL]

@@James-wd9ib It doesnt last long, does it

[@kaiza9184]

@@ReuterL 😄😄😄😄😄

[@shastasilverchairsg]

For just 150 florins, you can get your very own pike militia*. Get yours today! *Upkeep, weapons, and armour upgrades not included.

[@giftzwerg7345]

wouldnt you not rather get mercenarys?

[@noobsquad8301]

I love how we can still record and preserve the history back 1000 years ago and til today and the future

[@MB-rn4zk]

It is the nature of humanity to record it's past and look back at what we have and continue to improve on works of our ancestors.

[@jacobsalmi5582]

@@MB-rn4zk standing on the shoulders of giants. When it comes to war, nothing is more invaluable than the tactics of the survivors. Humans still go through natural selection through this, better armed and trained societies stay longer than those who do not.

[@solortus]

The Macedonians conquered the known world with this

[@giftzwerg7345]

i mean the known world was lager, and aleander wanted to conquer more, but they did conquer pretty mutch everything that was worth the sweat and blood

[@jonh9561]

You could defeat these with a large pencil sharpener!

[@josevinicius6908]

Lol hahaha

[@cordongrouch9323]

Too time consuming.

[@creditsunknown7974]

YOU FOOL YOU WOULD ONLY MAKE THEM STRONGER

[@MrMacavity]

The value of the pike is known to many fishermen also

[@colmhain]

Here's the deal, folks. If it wasn't effective, it wasn't used. Not for long, anyhow.

[@zone8848]

I think he can talk about toothpicks and still make it sound lethal.

[@JB-po4ue]

He moves good for his age.

[@creditsunknown7974]

1:06 Mikel, leader of stick patrons Vs The Pike People

[@User-1147]

*Testing the Pikemen Formation by conducting a frontal attack* *gets charger by single old man*

[@ReviveHF]

52 Roman Legion dislike this.

[@tehlulzpare]

Mike Loades is a gem. He’s in so many of the documentaries I used to watch. He’s done this pike thing several times! He’s….always been energetic. Historians with vigor and energy are a blast to watch.

[@micahbush5397]

And those are fairly short pikes. Imagine adding in a third and fourth row of even longer pikes.

[@nodscelott2558]

Imagine he pulls out a gun halfway down the run, and then the narrator goes: "The group failed to take into account that its the year 2020, where firearms are the norm - rendering the pike formation useless."

[@BlommaBaumbart]

Firearms were the norm back when the pike was primarily used too. It was bows and bills in the middle ages, pikes and muskets (and canons!) in the Baroque era. So it can't be that useless with guns, although I couldn't say why.

[@user-jd1vs9tc6z]

​​@@BlommaBaumbartPike=oof horse ; horse=oof gun ; Gun=oof pike

[@Monika-ok6lp]

Oda Nobunaga: I gonna bring this to the clan Other daimyos: *cry with their katanas

[@user-jd1vs9tc6z]

"Gun goes brrr" -Oda Nobunaga, Battle of Nagashino colourized

[@dontbestupid6664]

Thats cool that you showed us this.

[@gareththompson2708]

To really demonstrate this you would want an equal number of reenactors armed with swords to try to break through the pike formation. Polearms beat swords on almost any occasion, yet people think medieval soldiers mostly fought with swords.

[@mucsalto8377]

medieval soldiers mostly were poor peasants without any practice, weapon or armor. So this was a very cheap way to make these people useful in war.

[@shorewall]

@@mucsalto8377 Medieval Pikemen were not peasants without training. They were highly sought after mercenaries. Look up Pike Warfare in the middle ages.

[@DrXarul]

And a Thousand Pikes were flashing by the rising of the moon.

[@justin_isaac_rada44]

Spears to polearm weapons are considered the king of all weapons due to being low-cost, simple to mass produce, it requires wood and less metal, it has reach advantage that depends on the right length needed, can be specialized, versatile, effective in numbers, and it is simple to train. These polearms are underappreciated to know the true value of these weapons for the footsoldiers and other advantages needed for their purpose.

[@Ness_12]

It's funny to think that, even with the pikes before them, the landsknechts with zweilhanders charged amd broke some pikes

[@ColinTherac117]

Might have something to do with wearing full plate armor while doing so. You can pretty easily curl up to protect the weak points and barrel into the formation. Once in, then you get to work disrupting the enemy pikes while your mates end them rightly.

[@dpeasehead]

@@ColinTherac117 Some pike formations were more than ten ranks deep. That's a lot of cutting and hacking while fresh points are constantly being lowered in front of you and thrusting and darting at you like snake heads while you tire and overheat. I'd prefer to use an arquebus from the safety of my pike square and save the two hand and the hand and a half hand swords and halberds to impress the ladies at parades.

[@shorewall]

Those soldiers with Greatswords were called the "Forlorn Hope" for a reason, and often consisted of condemned criminals, because they would most likely die in the attempt.

[@davidthelander1299]

I imagine very effective against cavalry

[@BAAWAKnight]

That's the main point. In fact, the front rank is "charge for horse".

[@jacopo952]

we have all played age of empires

[@jessepasley5429]

What kind of wood was used historically for Spanish and Dutch pikes?

[@trygveblacktiger597]

I mean historically we have learnt that Pikes are very good weapons but best when supported by others. Its why Pikes and muskets dominated the battlefield of the 1500-1650s.

[@thedrinkinggamemaker9749]

Alexander be like: DO IT PROPERLY!

[@adivtayudhatama3926]

A horde of pikemen lined up together in defensive stance is cavalry's worst nightmare

[@AmazingNatureRelaxation]

🌺Very cool clip. Will have to show this to my boys. Thanks so much. -H

[@Curas1]

Whats the diferrance between a pike and a spear ?

[@trogo3402]

The spear is for throwing or stabbing. The pike is for poking out and defending

[@memeoof5942]

Pike are usually longer and spears are half the length

[@nonna_sof5889]

A pike is a type of spear too long to effectively fight with out of formation. Like the guy said at the beginning, if you're alone with a pike all someone has to do is go around and you're better of dropping it and drawing your sidearm. A spear is short enough to be effective when you're alone, though it's still better in formation.

[@chuckhainsworth4801]

A pike belongs to the class of weapons that are useful only when employed in a formation, with other weapons present to provide defense. Pike were typically backed by musketeers, and shorter melee weapons. Pikes are extremely vulnerable to infantry, who can move between them men. Pikes were generally used as blocking terrain for cavalry.

[@mace8873]

A pike is a predominantly freshwater fish that hunts primarily by sight, it has a slender body and is an excellent ambush predator capable of short bursts of tremendous speed, a spear is a pointy stick you use to poke holes in things. Sometimes you throw them. You could say the two have absolutely nothing in common. Sorry guys, I just had to, you all explained the difference so well I had nothing more to add.:-)

[@suvarnavishwas1032]

Very good

[@bryanjames7528]

King Philip used the pike with conjunction with cavalry, slingers, archers and other light infantry. Alexander inherited it n conquered the world. Later Macedonians neglected to use those other troops and by the time the Romans fought them the pike phalanx was obsolete. It became more prominence during the Middle Ages with the Swiss pikemen.

[@houser2094]

The part where the old man was charging towards them must've been scary, because it looked like he wouldn't stop or maybe it's because i lm watching this in 1.5x

[@Chief_5]

These are going to come in handy for the zombie apocalypse.🧟‍♂️

[@PortmanRd]

Great weapons if the terrain compliments them. The first wave of pikes at Flodden caused some considerable chaos in the English ranks, but the rest? Well that's history as they say.

[@jonb914]

I think it would be more interesting to put their formation between a bottle neck so they can't be flanked and and send in an equal number of experienced HEMA fighters with swords and shields

[@13gladius28]

Yes the pike formation is absolutely awesome when dealing with frontal assault but if the enemy feigns a frontal attack while suddenly attacking from the rear the pikes may not be able to do a 180 fast enough.

[@Leopold3131]

13Gladius 2 There were formations to address that. The “hedgehog” will defend all sides, although none as strongly. It is essential pikeman training.

[@mace8873]

@ 13Gladius 2 Pike formations, at least how they were used here in Europe from the 16th century, didn't have a "facing" until they felled the pikes, and the formation could easily face in another direction within seconds, by simply raising their weapons and lower them in a new direction, they didn't have to move the whole formation around to do that. Of course an attack to the rear of a formation already engaged in another direction would be catastrophic, but if we're only talking a pike formation and for example, a cavalry formation charging in from a new direction, the pikemen stood a very good chance of fending them off. But, when the pike made a substantial difference on the various European battlefields, they were never alone, several other arms were placed in supporting roles on the flanks, and mixing halberdiers into the pike formation was common, what I'm trying to say is that it's pretty much impossible to engage a pike formation from the rear, unless it is otherwise occupied, the speed with which they could face a new direction isn't that relevant.

[@vanpallandt5799]

that why a line of battle stretches over hundreds of yards and is secured on flanks by cavalry, light infantry or impassable terrain...and why the enemy look to do flank marches

[@13gladius28]

A famous Roman victory was won by a clever general attacking pikemen from the rear after which the pike was no longer used. I know it's hard but try to understand that

[@shorewall]

@@13gladius28 Any formation, if attacked in the rear, will suffer. The trick, for all infantry, is to not be attacked in the rear.

[@LampiTheTroll]

Wow Littlefinger survived! 0:37

[@vagodinfir1636]

XD

[@boki102409]

Their formation looks really like the classical phalanx any inspiration given to the Dutch Swiss the Scots.

[@BAAWAKnight]

(Properly) the middle rank (charge) would be directly behind and touching the front rank's (charge for horse) feet, buttressing them. Same with high charge rank with respect to charge. And yes: a massed wall of pikemen at their respective charges is terrifying to try a frontal assault on.

[@shorewall]

Yeah, in the Middle Ages, when they had men with greatswords to run in and try to disrupt the pikes, they called them the "Forlorn Hope" (Basically the Suicide Squad), and consisted mostly of condemned criminals.

[@nicholaswalsh4462]

The true effectiveness of the pike is its reach. When properly arrayed in close order, a pike wall simply cannot be breached from the front. The pikes are so tightly packed and there are so many of them that any formation in front of them will be chewed apart. The best way to deal with pikes is to have missile troops with slings, bows, or crossbows to attack them from afar, breaking up their formation and leaving them vulnerable to a charge. Alternatively, you can send cavalry around the flanks or the rear and hit those areas where they are most vulnerable.

[@luchyan]

01:13 ahí tuvo que parar porque casi le da un infarto al viejo por estar corriendo xd

[@aaronfield7899]

A knight's worst nightmare.

[@FlyingOsprey4418]

Why is this news it has been known for ages

[@fitrianhidayat]

Why is this news?

[@JRico-xm8qw]

Who would win: Nobles with swords trained in warfare since birth, mounted on the strongest steeds or Sum bois with sharp stix

[@scottabc72]

Sharp stix wins if the training is adequate and soldiers keep to formation. This is why knights as the basis of European armies were already on the way out before guns were very effective.

[@erwin669]

Depends on how long the knights' lances are. One of the reason why the Polish Winged Hussars was so effective was that their lances where about 16 feet long which out-reached the pike by several feet.

[@MrRalphaztigable]

My eyes hurt watching this

[@stevedjurovich194]

That be Will Sherman in there, I believe?

[@mymanmarty8433]

Groovy

[@mmercato7174]

Swiss Pikemen

[@tunch90]

Those are not pikemen, they are feudal spearmen without any blacksmith upgrade

[@kennethbutler9164]

Ride now!! For Rohan!!

[@finba4515]

Pike

[@captainnyet9855]

long stick!

[@sagnikmajumder3957]

Spear

[@Connor.SG-1Ring]

Favorite unite in Rome Total War.

[@jbr496]

I'll stick with the mini-gun!

[@ottohumpmachine9407]

Where did he find these rejects? What are they, the LARP Gryffindor quidditch team?

[@shorewall]

They are beginners, to illustrate the point.

[@watchthe1369]

Thorn hedge made of steel.

[@DBT1007]

Yes, pikemen is a good barrier. And also a good sacrifice. Basically pikemen are the lowest rank people. Their lives not worthy that much. Nobles usually will be a knights and as swordsman. Some choose to be marksman. Marksman Knight.

[@b.h.abbott-motley2427]

Nobles & other high-status people fought with pikes in period. James IV of Scotland fell at Flodden Field 1513 while fighting on foot with a pike, as did many other Scottish nobles. At least by Raimond de Fourquevaux's time in the middle of the 16th century, the first few ranks of pike formation tended to have the best men in the best armor. Etc.

[@MbisonBalrog]

But then how do pike fight pike.

[@dpeasehead]

Often and with great brutality, until one side or the other gives way, or a suffers a fatal gap opening in its formation.

[@biffgrimes.8345]

Love this guys passion ,but and l may be wrong didn't the Romans best the pike ?

[@shorewall]

The Romans beat the Macedonians, who used the pike. But that didn't make the pike useless. It just meant that the Romans won. And they lost plenty of times to pikes too. For example, against Phyrrus of Epirus.

[@loyalsmith4096]

❤

[@mariuszmichaek5586]

No problem for Polish hussars.

[@The_Bookman]

Always too short

[@toaofaotearoa2146]

Honestly these tactics will still work today in certain situations police could even use these for riots shield wall with spears or pikes dear anyone to run at it guarantee someone will get poked in the eye

[@prestonowens4594]

I’d like a show that analyzes the uses, historical significance, and efficacy of a bunch of old weaponry like this. I’d like to see something on halberds and other long weapons. I’ve noticed for instance that in a lot of Chinese period films, the heroes wield some type of spear with a kinda curved blade which is usually decorated with a tassel near the spearhead. What’s up with that?

[@williamapodaca8614]

Naginata or something similar

[@eldorados_lost_searcher]

Check out some KZbin channels. Here are a few HEMA channels: Thegn Thrand (mostly goes into specific weapons and their effects) Scola Gladiatoria (mostly swords, but also spears and shields, goes into detail on analyzing the material and cultural contexts that affected how and why people used different weapons and equipment) Metatron (armor and weapons, split between European and Japanese, also languages) Unfortunately, they don't have a chance to try out large formations and their effects on usage of weapons. But it's a starting point.

[@mrquestionmark7895]

Look for Mike Loades stuff, he really goes into to detail about weapons.

[@aidanwilliams7447]

Cant we just run around?

[@fitrianhidayat]

Actually you can. That's why they usually also have cavalry

[@MaximusYeet]

Wow this was very cringey.

[@jake81611]

Definitely shows that the medieval pike formation was very diverse in gender

[@gimenezjuancruz1446]

Cierra España! Santiagoooooo! Los tercios españoles siempre en la historia demostrando la garra que tuvo algún día el imperio Español

[@colmcorbec7031]

And could also work against Corona to keep the other savages away!

[@dg7815]

Ooh edgy. Of course it's mostly rich white Spring Breakers, Security Mom hoarders, and conspiracy nuts who (ironically) think the virus is a hoax that you should be using them on.

[@marcelogeka]

It's a joke, right? Hahahaha

[@groot7517]

Gun : 😪😴

[@nonna_sof5889]

They were actually important before bayonets were invented. Pike and shot being a common formation in the early modern period.

[@ArcanisUrriah]

@Junjun Depends when you are talking about....Ancient Greek phalanx? No, no guns. English Civil War? Yes, definitely had guns. Pikes have a very long history.....

[@ROBSHOTZ]

Not so good against the long bow