Fauchard
A fauchard is a type of polearm weapon, which was used in medieval Europe from the 11th through the 14th centuries. The design consisted of a curved blade put atop a 2 m (7 ft) long pole. The blade bore a moderate to strong curve along its length, however unlike a glaive the cutting edge was only on the concave side. This made the fauchard blade resemble that of a sickle or a scythe. This was not a very efficient design for the purposes of war, and was eventually modified to have one or more lance points attached to the back or top of the blade. This weapon is called a fauchard-fork, but is very often erroneously referred to as a guisarme or bill-guisarme since it superficially appears to have a "hook".
Later fauchards gained an ornamental outgrowth on the back of the blade and a prong on the back end. These grew in size until some examples were almost too heavy to carry, let alone use.[1]
References
- ↑ Dean, Bashford (1916). Notes on Arms and Armor. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 139. Retrieved 18 August 2015.