Quote Originally Posted by Brainfart View Post
Is there any documented or implied use of mounted use of polearms (not including lances and spears) in Europe? I know the Chinese used glaives on horseback, but I can't find any references to European horsemen using such weapons.

I'm unable to get my hands on copies or images of most of the treatises, so that's pretty much out of the question. I'd thought to check Le Jeu de la Hache, but my French is practically nonexistent and I can't get my hands on images of it anyway.

While searching, I did come across references to a 'Warbrand' polearm/sword thing in the Maciejowski Bible. The problem is that calling it a polearm might be really stretching the term, since it looks a lot like a scaled-up kitchen knife.
Not as such. The use of glaives on horseback seems to be limited to China, Japan, etc. Not sure exactly why though.

Mind you, as Michael says you can fall into the weapon terminology trap on this one. For example, are spetums and ranseurs really and truely polearms, or are they really fancy spears with party tricks?

And the Maciejowski bible is a scary place to get weapon information from. It's chock-full of WTF stuff that nobody's found physical versions of, and illustrations of weapons being used in ways nobody else does. You get the feeling the original illustrators were a little enthusiastic about their work and not quite as connected to reality as you might wish.