Partisan

A partisan is a European pole weapon with a broad spearhead, often bearing side projections at its base. It was used chiefly from the late Middle Ages into the early modern period.

Polearm: A weapon mounted on a long shaft and used for thrusting, striking, or cutting. The partisan is one member of this broad family of shaft-mounted weapons.
Medieval warfare: The military practices and conflicts of Europe during the Middle Ages. The partisan emerged within the varied polearm traditions of European medieval warfare.
Infantry: Soldiers trained and equipped to fight on foot. The partisan was carried by infantry in battlefield and guard settings.
Glaive: A polearm with a single-edged blade mounted at the end of a long shaft. Its blade is designed for cutting, unlike the partisan’s spear-shaped head.
Spear: A pole weapon with a pointed head, designed chiefly for thrusting or throwing. The partisan shares the spear’s long haft and thrusting point.
Early modern warfare: The military practices of roughly the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries. Partisans remained in use as warfare and infantry equipment changed.
Bodyguard: A person or group assigned to protect an individual from physical danger. Partisans could serve as conspicuous weapons for guards around rulers and officials.
Billhook: A pole weapon with a hooked blade derived from agricultural cutting tools. The billhook’s hooked cutting head differs from the partisan’s broad point.
Spearhead: The pointed metal head fitted to a spear or related pole weapon. The partisan’s broad, often winged head distinguishes its profile.
Swiss mercenaries: Professional soldiers from the Swiss Confederacy who served foreign powers, especially from the late Middle Ages onward. Swiss infantry traditions helped popularize long-hafted weapons in European armies.

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