German Pike, ca. 1600

Description

Prior to the widespread use of firearms, the pike was the primary infantry weapon in medieval Europe, and tactics were dictated by its use. Before pikes were in widespread use, the mounted knight ruled the battlefield and infantry was usually at its mercy. While pikes have their origin in ancient times, it wasn’t until the Swiss re-adopted them for use in the 14th Century that they became a dominant force in warfare. Forming pike squares, where each side bristled with these long spears, they were impervious to cavalry attack. While they were still vulnerable to artillery, artillery was used primarily in sieges at the time and rarely appeared on the open battlefield. As firearms gained use, it was common to add musketeers to the pike squares to counter this. Even after firearms made the pike obsolete, the tactic of forming squares bristling with sharp points continued well into the 19^th Century when infantry fixed bayonets to ward off cavalry attacks, a tactic widely used during the Napoleonic Wars. This pike features a broad hand-forged triangular head of flattened diamond section with strong medial ridge; integral conical ferrule and long side straps for mounting on its hand-hewn round wood shaft. The pike, as used from the 14^th through 17^th Centuries, was originally about 15 feet long, but this example has a shaft that is only 74” long, as these rarely survive with a full-length shaft. Metal shows hand forging and scattered light pitting and age staining. Length of metal 32 1/2” (82.5 cm), overall length 80 1/2” (204.5 cm). Price includes shipping in the Contiguous United States.