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WABUKAN Arsenal · Axes · Europe

Bardiche

A long-bladed axe on a short pole, used in Europe from the 14th to the 17th century and standard equipment of the Russian streltsy.

Bardiche
Bardiche WABUKAN illustration

Also known as

bardiche, berdiche, bardische, berdish; berdysh

Origin and history

A descendant of the medieval sparth or Dane axe, the bardiche proper appears around 1400, though manuscripts show very similar weapons from about 1250, and its use began in early 14th-century Austria. Unlike the halberd it has no back hook and no spear point. In the 16th century it was associated with the streltsy, the arquebusiers of the Tsardom of Russia, and it was also standard for the infantry of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Bardiches were imported into Scotland in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Martial arts that use it

Seen in traditional practice, historical reenactment and demonstrations; no art page on WABUKAN yet.

Construction

A long, cleaver-like blade, usually over 60 cm, fixed to the pole by two sockets or by one socket and a lower fixing at the base of the blade. The shaft was one of the shortest of all polearms, rarely over 1.5 m, so the weapon relied on the weight of its blade, which makes it closer to the Dane axe than to a true polearm.

Basic techniques

Training

Axe training starts with grip, stance and footwork, then the basic cutting lines practised slowly in the air or on a padded target with a wooden or rubber trainer. The hooking and blocking uses of the head and the haft come next, in paired drills at controlled speed.

Safety

Use wooden or rubber trainers for partner work and keep live axes for solo cutting under supervision. Check that the head sits tight on the haft before every session, keep a clear space of at least two weapon lengths and never swing towards people.

Legality (general information)

Swords, knives and other edged weapons are regulated very differently from country to country (and sometimes from region to region): owning one at home is often allowed, while carrying it in public, buying it under a certain age or importing it may be restricted or banned. Practitioners usually transport them cased, out of reach and straight between home and dojo. This is general information, not legal advice: check the law where you live.

Did you know?

A popular story says the streltsy rested their guns on the bardiche to fire, but Wikipedia notes there is no evidence for this.

More weapons

Poleaxe Francisca Lochaber axe Dane axe Tomahawk Tabar (tabarzin)

Sources

Original WABUKAN text, written from these cross-checked sources (facts, not sentences).

  1. Wikipedia — Bardiche