The Alabarda was a Spanish version of the Halberd. It was the Medium-Range weapon of Hernán Cortés.
Stats[]
- Head Length: 30 inches
- Length: 8 feet
- Weight: 6.25 lbs
- Oak and steel
Description[]
Like the Halberd, the Alabarda combined an axe, spike, and blade into one piece on top of a long wooden pole. It differed from other halberds in that the spike was unusually long, and the axehead had a concave blade.
Uses[]
The Alabarda was used for chopping and thrusting with the ax and spike, while the hook was used to pull riders from horseback.
In 1599 the Dutch replaced halberds with pikes, which were longer yet still effective against horses. This led to a gradual decline of the use of halberds throughout European armies. Those armies that still used halberds would use designs similar to the Alabarda: focusing on making the halberd more like a pike and reducing the weight of the axehead.
Test[]
The alabarda was pitted against the Bardiche of Ivan the Terrible. The two weapons were tested against a ballistics gel torso on foot as well a dummy in the opposing warriors armor on horseback. The bardiche completely destroyed the gel torso, but failed to get the armored dummy on horseback, while the alabarda was able to kill both. The edge was given to the alabarda due to lighter weight, flexibility, and reach.