Voulge

The Adoration of the Magi from the Livre d'heures d'Étienne Chevalier 1455). The leftmost character is holding a voulge

A voulge (/vuʒ/; also spelled vouge or wouge) is a type of polearm that existed in medieval Europe, primarily in 15th-century France.

Description

A voulge would usually have a narrow single-edged blade (sometimes with a secondary edge on the back) mounted with a socket on a shaft. The weapon could additionally feature shaft reinforcements called langets and rondel protection for the hands at the base of the blade.[better source needed] Troops that used the weapon are called voulgiers. It is a weapon noted to have been used by the franc-archers and is also depicted in artwork of their creation.

Late XV century depiction of men on foot holding voulges from the Chroniques de Froissart

There is a popular erroneous definition of the word voulge in modern times, which refers to a pointy cleaver-like weapon blade attached to the shaft with two hoops like a bardiche. This definition is incorrect and started in the 19th century with Viollet le Duc, and the weapon in question is an early form of halberd.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ French: couteau de brèche, German: kuse, Italian: coltello da breccia

References

  1. ↑ "vouge". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. OCLC 1032680871.
  2. ↑ Depreter, Michael (2011). "L'artillerie de Charles le Hardi, duc de Bourgogne (1467-1477). Reflets des réformes d'un prince". Bulletin de la Commission royale d'Histoire (in French). 117: 106, 109 – via Persée.
  3. 1 2 Waldman 2005, pp. 183–188.
  4. 1 2 "Historical European Polearms and other Weapons: The historical Voulge - what is this polearm?". Historical European Polearms and other Weapons. 28 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  5. ↑ Sargeaunt, Bertram Edward (1908). Weapons: A Brief Discourse on Hand-weapons Other Than Fire-arms. London: Hugh Rees, Ltd. pp. 23–24.
  6. ↑ Waldman 2005, pp. 16–17.

Works cited