Bill (weapon)
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A bill is a class of agricultural implement used for trimming tree limbs, which was often repurposed for use as an infantry polearm. In English, the term 'Italian bill' is applied to the similar ronco
An Italian bill (roncone) with a spike and a hook
Halberd
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A halberd is a two-handed polearm that was in prominent use in Europe from the 13th to 16th centuries. The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on a long shaft. It may have a h
Bill (weapon)
…of various projecting blades. Other variants include the bill hook and bill-guisarme. The bill is similar in size, function and appearance to the halberd, and might be said to represent convergent evolution to fill a common niche: a polearm with a point to thrust with, a hook to drag with, and a spike/axe…
Halberd illustrated in "Théâtre de tous les peuples et nations de la terre avec leurs habits et ornemens divers, tant anciens que modernes, diligemment depeints au naturel". Painted by Lucas d'Heere in the second half of the 16th century. Manuscript preserved in the Ghent University Library
Halberdiers from a modern-day reenactor troupe
Early-16th-century miniature depicting the Battle of Grandson, from the Lucerner Schilling. Swiss soldiers can be seen armed with earlier halberds.
A member of the Swiss Guard with a halberd in the Vatican