VERY INTERESTING: PIKES

 Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about 

Pike Weapons

A Pike weapon consists of a sharp spike that is attached to a very long wooden pole that is anything from 16 to 20 feet long and usually made of Ashwood. The spear is very similar to the pike weapon but is shorter in length and has a different head.

The Pike is a two-handed weapon, rather than a one-handed weapon. Pikes were also known as long spears used for thrusting actions in medieval times, medieval infantry mainly used them. In England soldiers that used Pike, weapons were called Pikemen.

Who used Pike Weapons?

Infantry also known as foot soldiers used Pike weapons, they were also called pikemen in England and various other names in different countries, etc. The pike was a very hard weapon to use and pikemen had to be really strong to be able to lift and control the pike, also different pike formations had to be mastered that became more advanced as military battle tactics advanced.

Pike Square Formation

Pikemen held their pike weapons upright as they marched then lowered them at an angle from the ground up in a defensive formation as the enemy attacked.

Pike weapons were not common in early medieval times but became popular medieval weapons that were commonly used in the high and late medieval periods. The Scots used Pike weapons during the wars of independence, the Flemings who were Germanic Dutch people used them to great effect, and they were effective weapons that kept the enemy at a distance that was used for a long period of medieval history.

Pikemen Armor

Pikemen wore armored protection that consisted of a corselet, breast, and backplates which connected to thigh guards called tassels and they also wore an armored helmet.

Pike Weapon Training

Soldiers that used pike weapons needed to be very strong and soldiers with stocky builds usually made the best pikemen, they would usually pray first thing in the morning followed by stamina and strength training drills practicing various pike formations, they repeated the drills and even practiced their bloodthirsty battle screams.

Pike weapons – medieval battles

Pike weapons were used effectively in many famous medieval battles such as the battle of Bannockburn in 1314 and throughout the Scottish wars of independence. The Flemings who were Germanic people used pike weapons in the battle of the Golden Spurs to great effect.

However as medieval warfare tactical awareness developed opposing armies found ways to defeat the pikemen by using archers, especially crossbowmen to bring down the pikemen from the sides and flanks, they would then attack the remaining pikemen ranks with their own men at arms.

Pike weapons | battle formations

Pikemen were usually packed into tight fighting formations of men that would hold their pike weapons at an angle to create what in effect was a spear or spike wall, this made an attack by mounted Knights and cavalry charges virtually impossible as they would be unable to overcome this wall of steel spikes.

English longbowmen effective against Pikemen

However these tightly packed Pike formations also created their own problems, they left soldiers vulnerable to attack from crossbowmen and longbowmen, any archers could have a field day bringing down soldiers within a pike formation. Pikemen started to wear better Armour to try and nullify these kinds of attacks, but this was still not really effective. The pikemen could then be finished off by knights and foot soldiers.

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking