Ahlspiess

Drawing of an ahlspiess by Wendelin Boeheim

The ahlspiess (or awl pike) was a thrusting

guard (a circular metal plate) to protect the hands. Large numbers of these weapons have survived and are kept in the arsenal and museums of Vienna as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art

.

Some ahlspiesse have thicker spikes which are round and much shorter than the usual form. These are seen in 14th-century illustrations, suggesting that they may have been the precursors of the longer type which came later. These shorter forms are also known by the Italian term candeliere, which refers to a round candlestick of the period that had in the center a small pricket or spike that held the candle in place. An excavated and partially restored candeliere is present in the collection of the castle of Grandson in Switzerland. There were also forms of the ahlspiess which lacked a rondel guard and these were known as "breach pikes".

The ahlspiess is depicted in numerous pieces of

Der Weisskunig

of the early 16th century in an illustration entitled "The Battle Against the Blue Company" and is shown being carried by a Swiss soldier.

The ahlspiess was used in other countries as well, including England, and was a popular weapon along with the

pollaxe in tournament

foot combat among armoured knights.

References

Shafted Weapons in Medieval and Renaissance Europe: The Evolution of European Staff Weapons Between 1200 and 1650 by John Waldman (
ISBN 90-04-14409-9
)

See also

References