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344:). They could be used, depending on construction and tactics, to make slashing or stabbing attacks, and with their uncommon appearance and considerable strength could have a psychological impact on an unprepared enemy. However, like most polearms, their disadvantages were weight (which could quickly exhaust the user) and slow speed. After the
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have frequently been used as a weapon by those who could not afford or did not have access to more expensive weapons such as pikes, swords, or later, guns. Scythes and pitchforks were stereotypically carried by angry mobs or gangs of enraged peasants. The process usually involved reforging the blade
157:
from which it is likely to have evolved, but the war scythe is otherwise unrelated to agricultural tools and is a purpose-built infantry melee weapon. The blade of a war scythe has regularly proportioned flats, a thickness comparable to that of a spear or sword blade, and slightly curves along its
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of a scythe at a 90-degree angle, strengthening the joint between the blade and the shaft with an additional metal pipe or bolts and reinforcing the shaft to better protect it against cuts from enemy blades. At times, instead of a scythe blade, a blade from a hand-operated
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edge as it tapers to its point. This is different from farming scythes, which have very thin and irregularly curved blades, specialised for mowing grass and wheat only, unsuitable as blades for improvised spears or polearms.
244:
Hussite warriors, recruited mostly from peasantry, used modified scythes. Called originally 'kůsa -scythe' and later "sudlice", it doubled as both a stabbing and cutting weapon, developing later into the "ušatá
165:(which is believed to have evolved from the war scythe), the blade of the war scythe has the cutting edge on the concave side like the agricultural tool whereas the fauchard has the edge along the convex side.
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249:, more suitable for combat—thanks to side spikes (ears), acting as end stops, it did not penetrate too deep, and so was easier to draw from fallen foes. War scythes were widely used by
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404:
308:, detailing the training and operation of scythe-equipped forces, the first and probably only such book in the history of warfare. War scythes were later used in the
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As an infantry weapon, the military scythe had practical applications both in offensive actions against enemy infantry and as a defensive measure against enemy
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peasants during revolts in the 18th and 19th centuries. Polish peasants used war scythes during the 17th-century
Swedish invasion (
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in 1921. The description of a fighting unit as "scythemen" was used in Poland as late as 1939; however, the
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side of the blade. Its blade bears a superficial resemblance to that of an
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War scythes were a popular weapon of choice and opportunity of many
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by royalist peasant troops, in the 1st War of
Schleswig in 1848 in
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460:– Larger variant of the falx, much more similar to the war scythe
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Mair, Paul Hector (c. 1542). "Sichelfechten (Sickle
Fencing)".
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with a curving single-edged blade with the cutting edge on the
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293:, in which scythe wielders successfully charged and captured
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described in 1542 techniques how to fence using a scythe.
448:– Japanese hand scythe, sometimes also adapted to combat
525:(in German and Latin). Augsburg. pp. 204r–208r.
328:" were armed with hunting guns rather than scythes.
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49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
218:throughout history. The ancient Greek historian
16:Type of polearm with a curved single-edged blade
133:("A Brief Treatise on Scythes and Pikes"), 1794
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285:, and again in various Polish uprisings: the
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485:ARMES et ARMURES de Charlemagne Ă Louis XIV
348:during 1524–1525, a fencing book edited by
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376:(1883), illustrating the use of the scythe
487:. Fribourg: Office du Livre. p. 235.
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
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454:– A sword with an inward curved blade
7:
47:adding citations to reliable sources
306:Short Treatise on Pikes and Scythes
238:which had projecting scythes fitted
395:("Forging of Scythes") during the
275:Revolt of Horea, CloĹźca and CriĹźan
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527:Duæ incisiones supernæ falcis foe
267:James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth
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179:17th century Scottish war scythe
131:"KrĂłtka nauka o kosach i pikach"
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417:, featuring crossed war scythes
34:needs additional citations for
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202:tools such as the scythe and
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304:published a field manual,
192:Scythemen during Poland's
415:Polish 7th Air Escadrille
429:Persian scythed chariot
222:describes in his work (
302:Chrystian Piotr Aigner
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127:Chrystian Piotr Aigner
501:. Medieval-Period.com
483:Paul, Martin (1967).
194:January 1863 Uprising
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346:German Peasants' War
43:improve this article
522:De arte athletica I
291:battle of Racławice
287:Kościuszko Uprising
263:battle of Sedgemoor
155:agricultural scythe
374:Jean-Joseph Weerts
350:Paulus Hector Mair
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125:Illustration from
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616:Bohemian earspoon
318:Silesian Uprising
310:November Uprising
279:war in the Vendée
247:Bohemian earspoon
216:peasant uprisings
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60: –
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54:Find sources:
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44:
38:
37:
32:This article
30:
26:
21:
20:
830:
761:Quarterstaff
711:Lochaber axe
626:Brogit staff
526:
521:
514:
503:. Retrieved
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484:
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370:Mort de Bara
369:
335:
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209:chaff cutter
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58:"War scythe"
53:
41:Please help
36:verification
33:
887:Fangtian ji
721:Man catcher
621:Brandistock
393:"Kucie kos"
242:Jan Žižka's
99:August 2013
1012:Categories
957:Sodegarami
877:Dagger-axe
836:Welsh hook
831:War scythe
811:Swordstaff
791:Sparth axe
611:Boar spear
606:Bear spear
505:2014-02-13
470:References
464:Dagger-axe
326:kosynierzy
273:peasants'
259:The Deluge
255:Lithuanian
211:was used.
139:war scythe
69:newspapers
912:Kama-yari
902:Hoko yari
771:Rhomphaia
726:Menaulion
681:Half pike
666:Goedendag
581:Ahlspiess
458:Rhomphaia
332:Specifics
312:in 1831,
298:artillery
277:, in the
245:sudlice"—
240:. Later,
204:pitchfork
1018:Polearms
982:Trishula
947:Sasumata
927:Naginata
922:Nagamaki
806:Spontoon
741:Partisan
671:Guisarme
656:Fauchard
636:Dane axe
631:Corseque
591:Bardiche
574:European
567:Polearms
441:Fauchard
435:See also
342:leverage
230:chariots
225:Anabasis
220:Xenophon
163:fauchard
987:TsukubĹŤ
897:Guandao
892:Gichang
872:Bisento
816:Trident
776:Sarissa
766:Ranseur
756:Pollaxe
691:Javelin
676:Halberd
641:Doloire
413:of the
411:Roundel
356:Gallery
338:polearm
295:Russian
283:Denmark
200:Farming
184:History
170:cavalry
151:concave
147:polearm
83:scholar
967:Sumpit
962:Sovnya
882:Dangpa
867:Barcha
841:Xyston
826:Voulge
801:Spetum
786:Sovnya
701:Kontos
661:Glaive
586:Atgeir
322:Gdynia
251:Polish
228:) the
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78:
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64:
56:
992:Woldo
972:Tabar
952:Sibat
942:Qiang
937:Podao
857:Arbir
850:Asian
796:Spear
706:Lance
686:Hasta
336:As a
90:JSTOR
76:books
997:Yari
932:Ngao
917:Kudi
746:Pike
651:Falx
646:Dory
601:Bill
452:Falx
446:Kama
253:and
62:news
372:by
232:of
141:or
129:'s
45:by
1014::
907:Ji
391:,
265:,
236:,
137:A
559:e
552:t
545:v
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324:"
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106:(
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97:(
87:·
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73:·
66:·
39:.
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