The early Medieval period was a time when most armies and soldiers carried spears. They were excellent weapons for combat and ones that often today are over looked with the modern focus on swords. The armies of the Carolingians, Lombards, Rus and Norse all had traditions of warriors having their sear to hand at all times and our 12th Century spear is a good example of this type.
The sturdy steel head is mounted on an ash haft. The spearhead has three decorative rings on the socket just above the side lugs. The lugs allow the spear to parry and control an opposing weapon much as a sword guard would. Spear combat would be a fast and agile interaction between opponents consisting of thrusts, binds and strikes. It was as a deadly as a sword fight and a challenge to even a seasoned warrior.
Side view of Spear Head
Nathan Clough, Ph.D. is Vice President of Arms and Armor and a member of the governing board of The Oakeshott Institute. He is a historical martial artist and a former university professor of cultural geography. He has given presentations on historical arms at events including Longpoint and Combatcon, and presented scholarly papers at, among others, The International Congress on Medieval Studies.
Craig Johnson is the Production Manager of Arms and Armor and Secretary of The Oakeshott Institute. He has taught and published on the history of arms, armor and western martial arts for over 30 years. He has lectured at several schools and Universities, WMAW, HEMAC, 4W, and ICMS at Kalamazoo. His experiences include iron smelting, jousting, theatrical combat instruction and choreography, historical research, European martial arts and crafting weapons and armor since 1985