A bardiche , berdiche, bardische, bardeche, or berdish is a type of

polearm A polearm or pole weapon is a close combat weapon in which the main fighting part of the weapon is fitted to the end of a long shaft, typically of wood, extending the user's effective range and striking power. Polearms are predominantly melee we ...

used from the 14th to 17th centuries in Europe. Ultimately a descendant of the medieval sparth axe or Dane axe, the bardiche proper appears around 1400, but there are numerous medieval manuscripts that depict very similar weapons beginning c. 1250. The bardiche differs from the

halberd A halberd (also called halbard, halbert or Swiss voulge), is a two-handed polearm that was in prominent use from the 13th to 16th centuries. The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on a long shaft. It may have a hook or ...

in having neither a hook at the back nor a spear point at the top. The use of bardiches started in early 14th-century Austria. In the 16th century the bardiche was associated with the

streltsy The streltsy (, ; , ) were the units of Russian firearm infantry from the 16th century to the early 18th century and also a social stratum, from which personnel for streltsy troops were traditionally recruited. They are also collectively kno ...

arquebus An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier. The term ''arquebus'' was applied to many different forms of firearms ...

iers of

Imperial Russia Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * ...

established by

Ivan the Terrible Ivan IV Vasilyevich (; – ), commonly known as Ivan the Terrible,; ; monastic name: Jonah. was Grand Prince of Moscow, Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 to 1547, and the first Tsar of all Russia, Tsar and Grand Prince of all R ...

Description

The blade varied greatly in shape, but was most often a long, cleaver-type blade. The distinction was in how the blade was attached to the pole. The bardiche blade was attached to the pole either via two sockets (one at the top of the pole and one lower, at the base of the blade) or one socket at the top and one surface mount at the base, effectively mounting the heavy blade to the wooden shaft. This construction is also seen in Scottish polearms, such as the Lochaber axe and Jeddart staff, and bardiches are known to have been imported into Scotland in the 16th and 17th centuries. Depending on the design of the particular weapons in question, at times a bardiche may greatly resemble a

voulge A voulge (also spelled vouge, sometimes called a couteau de breche) is a type of polearm that existed in medieval Europe, primarily in 15th century France. Description A voulge would usually have a narrow single-edged blade (sometimes with a seco ...

. While the blade was often very long for an axe (usually exceeding 2 feet (60 cm)) the shaft was one of the shortest of all polearms; rarely did it exceed 5 feet (1.5 m) in length. It relied more on the weight of its heavy blade to do the damage than a swing from a long pole. This makes the bardiche more similar to the Dane axe, in some respects, than to a true polearm. File:Recordofeuropean03lakiuoft 0159.jpg, Several medieval battle axes including a 15th-century Austrian bardiche File:Psalter-Hours of Guiluys de Boisleux, Morgan M.730, fo.14v, 1246-1250.jpg, Illustration from the Psalter–Hours of Ghuiluys de Boisleux, 1246–1250 (Morgan Collection, MS M.730). The man on far right carries what appears to be an early bardiche.

Use

01 108 Book illustrations of Historical description of the clothes and weapons of Russian troops

In pre-imperial Russia and the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

, this weapon was used to rest handguns upon when firing. It was standard equipment for the streltsy (on foot, mounted, and

dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

units) and also for the infantry of the Commonwealth; a shorter version was invented by

John III Sobieski John III Sobieski ( (); (); () 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696. Born into Polish nobility, Sobieski was educated at the Jagiellonian University and toured Eur ...

, ruler of the Commonwealth.

References

External links

The Pitt Rivers Berdiche (catalogue reference 1884.21.53)
{{Pole weapons European weapons Medieval polearms Renaissance-era polearms Renaissance-era weapons sv:Stridsyxa

Description

Use

See also

References

External links