I would love to see a response video from you. Yes the poleaxe was very close to the longsword. The longsword only wins for three reasons. 1. When I fight against longswords with polearms it often ends messy in close combat, where you have to use a wide grip with the poleaxe for close quarter. Sometimes you get stuck and the sword is constantly poking to the gabs. Most of the time the longsword hits more often and feels more nimble in halfsword than the variations of poleaxes. 2. There are different forms of longswords with spiked crossguards or spiked pommels. Late 15th century longswords with with narrow tips and diamond shaped blades are also good for piercing armor gabs with less flexibility. These variations counts in my category of longswords, too. 3. More historical sources and paintings of knightly duels to the death show the longsword or their variations, than poleaxes. Mayby it's a tradition for judicial duels, but I think it has also a practical purpose. Yes the falchion is the most theoreticaly thing in my list. There are many different forms of falchions. I know that they are often not heavier than arming swords, but the weight distribution can be a small factor. The most important thing for me personally is the possibility to use the flat side on falchions and messers. Many battle paintings show falchions in battles striking against armor and I don't think that they all lie too us. In some of them you also can see swords used correctly in halfswording and daggers poking, so I think they don't following a picturial tradition blindly. So I hope they can also be used effectively in duels. Even when I only testet my hema/buhurt variants with a weight of 1,3 kg in harness fencing.

Please do!!. Your insights in this subject would be amazing! Though this current list seems to be perfect as it is. Greatsword and Longsword being 1 and 2 feels right for some reason

@@North_sea_empire_Vikingthat’s a bit of an unfair generalisation, he uses historical sources and hema/re-enactment combat experience

@@North_sea_empire_Viking " *a theory* " What you mean is a hypothesis. A theory, to be called that, needs to be already tested and shown to work. Also, a hypothesis can be narrow in focus, while we expect for theories to be more general.

@scholagladiatoria I brought up using the mace with Talhoffer's dueling shields or Shadiversity's spiked pavise to @dequitem.

Also the Todd's Workshop testing of rondel daggers was impressive especially against un-hardened plate, which a lot of steel armor was back then.

or a misericorde or even better a bollock dagger

What about a poniard

For series of duels with rules that dagger thrust in weakspot is instant kill and most deadly techniques and attacks are banned droping main weapon is not a problem. I imagine that in battle nobody lets go of their main as long as possible, especially if it has some anti armour part like halberd spike. If not, comrade with one can deliver the final blow.

Absolutely, mayby I change my mind in a view years 😉

That's even harder to decide!

Those Landsknecht loved polearms. Maybe the logic was they didn't need armor if they had massive pikes. But I imagine a rapier is the favorite in unarmored combat. It's so fast and one poke can end the fight.

@@bryant7542 " *they didn't need armor if they had massive pikes.* " Pikes are way cheaper than armor. Pikes fit "everybody", so they are easier to replace. You don't need a helper in order to put the pike on. So forth. I mean, just because some other people did not use full custom fitted kits, does not mean they weren't the most effective protection on the field of battle. I believe that even today a full custom fitted modern armor would work the best, especially against shrapnels or frags, so often dropped by the drones. Those poor kids just can't afford it. That simple.

​@@baktersthat and if an Artillerie shell or rocket Hits you no armour in the World could save you, so they are droping unnecessary armour to make space for more sensible equipment

@@bakters Landsknecht clearly didn't care about cost. They went into battle as drippy and colorful as possible. They were mercenaries that everybody wanted to buy... Except the Swiss I believe.

so kind, thank you!

A true knight.

keep in mind these guys score hits and not killing each other, them hitting armpits is probably "good" for score, but in reality hitting mail in armpit with longsword/greatsword might be completely different story

*changes skyrim kit*

@@favkisnexerade Maile in armpits can not be too dense and thick, because it'd restrict mobility too much, so it's either dense and thin, or the rings are thick but big. Thrusts with a longsword are two-handed, so quite strong. I mean, there is a fair chance that the point will go in deep enough to wound the other guy. Now he's in pain and bleeding. That's a major power shift in a duel. A fair "score", so to speak. I rather feel like they overrated the dagger. While I understand that they don't try to use full force, it doesn't look to me like the blows they showed would penetrate a decent maile. Here I could agree, that a "scoring hit" wouldn't be necessarily all that effective in a real fight.

@@bakters If longswords were enough, Ahlspiess wouldnt exist. Rondel dagger (or other anti mail daggers) can penetrated rivited mail with two handed push, you can find Tod's video "anti armor dagger vs mail" He scored high lighweight weapons and scored low anti armor weapons, which should tell you he based weapons based on their ability to score points, rather than their ability to injure people. If I'd be asked to score hema sabers I used based on score, I'll score 670g parise italian saber much higher than 900g utility military saber, but when I am thinking what I would get my hands on if robber cones minto my house, I'll take heavy saber.

@@bakters It's not that easy to land a solid blow in the armpits on a trained knight who knows that his armpits are one of his very few weak points. Real life knights were far more trained than the average guy who does HEMA as a hobby. I'm not saying you can't do anything with a sword, just that it's easier to take a pollaxe and bash someone. Swords are the archetypical knightly weapon, and knights had to train with swords anyway. If knights still ditch the sword vs armored opponents for some other weapon, there's probably a reason for that.

Their are much more sources if you take texts about actual duels and paintings of them too.

It can absolutely complete in the top weapons and it was a long time my personal number 2.

Fiore is not the only source that exist. As an example Monte wrote about knight and men at arms that they mainly used estocs on foot and on the horse but ye pole arms are the way to go

@@vaderksy4730 yeah, I looked at some of the early Liechtenauer sources too but my school is Italian so Fiore’s easier for me haha. I also flipped through that French “play of the axe” book recently which is different but also super cool.

​@@vaderksy4730 it seems to me an advantage of the estoc is that without edges its easily reversed and used as a mace, though the hilts of examples I've seen don't appear to be optimized for this.

As this video briefly mentions, medieval & Renaissance Europeans did frequently use spears for the duel in full armor, but as part of weapon sets (such as spear, longsword, & dagger, sometimes involved a shield as well). In German lands, sources indicate that people often threw their spears but didn't always. Die Blume des Kampfes, for example, shows a range of ways to use a spear in the armored duel.

also, another point that often gets overlooked when people talk about ths spear being the "king of weapons" is that most people, even on the battlefield, were not wearing full body coverage heavy armor!

@@deadslashkillNeither was Pyrrhus, he likely wore a breastplate, greaves and a helmet and that’s it, but he still threw the spear away.

There already is a video about the best helmets.

Then we probably would have to include other long weapons like the Billhook, and how billhooks, pikes, poleaxes and halberds complement in formation.

It's also notable that when real-life people spar with pollaxes, they have to be really careful, even when wearing plate. Whereas if people spar with swords while wearing plate, they're noticeably less careful. Just look at sparring videos and you'll see what I mean.

​@@90Rushmost of those polearms were longer, and intended as battlefield weapons for use by lesser-armpred opponents primarily against similarly armored opponents but with strong capability against a fully armored opponent too. Whereas a polaxe is shorter and specialized as a weapon for use by maximally armored knights or men at arms.

Good choice!

I included them in the category of longswords and twohanded swords, depending on their dimensions. But yes I like them two.

Yes there are some pictures of knights with twohanded swords in sport duels. A big problem with many twohanded sword is, that they often not well balanced.

hello algaegaming!

​@@dequitemand inconvenient to pack around though same with a poleaxe

Danke.

I am glad you have interest.

I will make a video about shields soon.

Thanks but when I don't have time to think about my sentences, it's absolutely garbage. I can't speak free. That's why my videos are so scripted and I don't do reaction videos or interviews. It would be a shame for me.

@@dequitem Yeah I understand. Those scripted videos are really great anyway ! 😄

I am the king?😱

I'd think basically a rondel dagger on a stick for a spear, especially after the Todd's Workshop testing of rondel daggers against un-hardened plate which a lot of lesser armor was. For a dagger there were a lot of other daggers like the bollocks dagger that had similar blades but different hilts.

@@j.f.fisher5318 got me lookin' up a BS dagger.,🤣🤣🤣😭😭😭 After a minute: Oh, *that* dagger🤣🤣🤣

Defending my armpit!

I will make a video about shields in two weeks. 😉

Arms-armor (not arms & armor)

Sounds like a good opportunity for a falcons beak as a poleaxe. But I like the idear of a warhammer and dagger already in your hands, mayby I have to try it in a free fight.

@@dequitem That would be awesome if you did that!

use a giant wooden club in one hand and a tower shield in the other

I like your decision!

😂 Love it!

Interesting. Please write me again if my next video about shields will change your opinion to shields.

@@dequitem Will do! 😊

The billhook is for me one of the polearms in terms of weapons for armored combat. But when the pole is to long it doesn't work that well. I have to make a new list in some years! But now I will collect some more data's.

@@dequitem good to know. Thanks for responding!

I thought about it to. I ordered a Kriegsmesser for myself to test it. So I will mayby make an update in a fey month!

@@dequitem oooh that will be interesting.

I never filmed in England!

On the battlefield it's the absolute best weapon for knights. It's my personal top 2.

Shieldvideo coming soon. I included the estoc and other duel specialized swords in the category of longswords and twohanded swords based on their length.

@@dequitem : I see! I looking forward to the shield video. Thank you!

Don't compare cheap mail made in India with historical mail from solid rings! But of course it's possible, but most of the time you need much more force than most people think!

@@dequitem it wasn't cheap maille but hand made with rings from cap a pie.

Melee 😂

The poleaxe can absolutely be on top. But if you miss with the poleaxe the sword is much faster and can thrust you much better in closed combat. That's why I put the long sword over the poleaxe. Several tests show me that swords are much stronger than most people would believe.

Best long range weapon but u need a secondary!

Spears are overrated as hell because all those "Spear best weapon, poke poke, lol" memes mostly only take into account its use in warfare amongst common soldiers who aren't particularly armored. For that they are a great weapon and is basically why it is so ubiquitous. This video right here is about armoured duels amongst Late Medieval to Early Modern knights. Entirely different story.

@@mekingtiger9095 Spear-type weapons in the 7-10ft range saw limited use on Europeans battlefields approximately 1450 & on. Partizans, boar spears, glaives, & the like hung around in modest numbers, but the pike & halberd/bill predominated for military use in late-medieval & Renaissance times. (Two-handed spiked maces, lead mauls, & similar likewise appeared in significant numbers now & then, probably filling the same role as the halberd/bill.)

@@b.h.abbott-motley2427 That is interesting. Could it be because armor in general was starting to slowly become more common and affordable by that point? I know for a fact that brigandine and then breastplates were the most common one for infantrymen at that point in time depending on which specific period. Contrast that to earlier periods of the Middle Ages where any kind of personal protection besides maybe a shield was a very rare sight overall.

@@mekingtiger9095 Armor was very common by the late 15th century. At that time, Pietro Monte wrote that most every soldier wore some sort of armor. As you say, infantry often wore brigandines. The prevalence of armor played a role. The 1548 military treatise Instructions Sur Le Faict de la Guerre mentions how partizans aren't great against armored soldiers, stresses how halberds shouldn't be too light, & only allows for a modest number of partizans in the proposed army. Many European militaries of that period copied the Swiss, & they mainly used pikes & halberds (plus a small number of skirmishers with crossbows or firearms). Military theorists generally thought shorter spear-type weapons insufficient against cavalry. In a tight infantry slugfest, there often wouldn't be room to use a 7-10ft spear, while a halberd/bill (especially if on the shorter end) would still be useful.

We don't stop hitting the head. It's absolutely OK in our sport. But you make a fair point with the poleaxe, that why I prefer the Zweihänder over a longsword.

Thanks@@dequitem I'm very surprised. That seems too dangerous to be worth it. I had heard that the sport limited mace weight and head hits with bludgeoning weapons.

I was referring to my own armor (1450 - 1500).

@@dequitem yup, when comparing arms and armour, only items from the same period can fairly be compared, as older/newer items are generally at a disadvantage/advantage respectfully and therefore a fair evaluation cannot be made, nor a fair conclusion reached.

I would love it too, but I don't know if he would like my criticism on his armor, it's not very accurate!

Absolutely!

Yes I am German.

Now I needed 5 hours 😂.

Flails are terrible weapons in duels. If you don't belive me, than wait for my next video!

@@dequitem I look forward to seeing the results and difficulties