Editing Polearm (section)

=====Halberd=====
{{Main|Halberd}}

A ''halberd'' (or ''Swiss voulge'') is a two-handed polearm that came to prominent use during the 14th and 15th centuries but has continued in use as a ceremonial weapon to the present day.<ref>Oakeshott (1980), pp. 47–48</ref> First recorded as "hellembart" in 1279, the word ''halberd'' possibly comes from the German words ''Halm'' (staff) or ''Helm'' (helmet), and ''Barte'' (axe). The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on a long shaft. It always has a hook or thorn on the back side of the axe blade for grappling mounted combatants. Early forms are very similar in many ways to certain forms of [[voulge]], while 16th century and later forms are similar to the [[pollaxe (Polearm)|pollaxe]]. The Swiss were famous users of the halberd in the medieval and renaissance eras,<ref>Douglas Miller : The Swiss at War 1300-1500, Osprey MAA 94, 1979</ref> with various [[canton (administrative division)|cantons]] evolving regional variations of the basic form.<ref>Oakeshott (1980), p.47, fig 6</ref>