How Greatswords Beat Pikes in Battle - Or Did They?

Part 1 (Yes, Giant Swords Existed, BUT...)
   • Yes, Giant Swords Existed, BUT...  

The Landsknecht ("servant of the country", a German mercenary) is mostly known for his flamboyant outfits and the iconic Zweihander, AKA greatsword, a large two-handed sword. On the battlefield they supposedly used those to chop pikes and break up enemy formations. The evidence we have for this is surprisingly limited though.

So let's take a closer look at some historical depictions and written reports from the 16th and 17th centuries. I also added some personal speculation and an improvised demonstration for visual reference. Take it with a grain of salt, as I'm not an expert on military tactics of the time. I did as much research as time permitted, (which is linked below) but there may be things I've missed.

More thoughts on cutting polearms
   • Sword vs. Polearm - Can You Just CUT ...  

The foam greatsword I used as a prop is the Doppelsoldner by Calimacil
http://calimacil.com?aff=55


** Time Stamps **

00:00 - 01:02 Introduction
01:02 - 01:48 The Pike Square
01:48 - 02:38 What is a pike?
02:38 - 03:55 "Academic" fencing masters & skill vs. battlefield chaos
03:55 - 04:41 Spadone vs. polearms
04:41 - 08:10 Evidence for chopping pikes with greatswords
08:10 - 09:36 Shock troops, discipline, unit cohesion
09:36 - 10:17 More realistic movie battle: Alatriste (2006)
10:17 - 11:42 Pike squares: Not homogenous! - Mixed weapons
11:42 - 13:02 How pikemen might keep themselves safe
13:02 - 19:30 Practical demonstration (sword charge / binding pikes / cutting in confined space)
19:30 - 21:21 Conclusion / outro


** Sources / Links **

The article on The Spadone Project
https://thespadoneproject.com/2020/03...

Landsknecht: The ‘Garishly’ Effective Footsoldier Of 16th Century
https://www.realmofhistory.com/2019/1...
Pikes: A Versatile and Deadly Weapon

https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/201...

Alatriste: Battle of Rocroi
   • Alatriste: Battle of Rocroi  

HEMA group doing 20 vs 20 pikemen fight
   • 20 vs 20 Pikemen battle formation  

High res picture of "Bad War" by Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...


** Music **

Outro:
"Highland Storm" by The Slanted Room Records
https://theslantedroom.github.io/stev...
Used with artist's permission


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