Bardiche

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This is a page about the "long poleaxe." For the regular poleaxe, see pollaxe.

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A bardiche, or long poleaxe, is a type of polearm that was used in medieval and renaissance Europe, especially in Eastern Europe and Russia. 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. Much like the lochaber axe, 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.

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 Danish axe, in some respects, than to a true polearm. Depending on the design of the particular weapons in question, at times a bardiche may greatly resemble a voulge.

In Russia and in Poland this weapon was used to rest handguns upon when firing. It was standard equipment for the Streltsy corps (foot, mounted and dragoons) and also for the Polish infantry.