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> General > General > is their a difference between the spears and pikes
TOPIC: is their a difference between the spears and pikes
PM bloodyplebs
Standard User
Posts: 4
is their a difference between the spears and pikes
bloodyplebs
30th May 2021 09:08:34

In the war of the roses range, i was wondering if the mercenary pike's and levy spearmen were at all different.


Email dourpuritan PM dourpuritan
Standard User
Posts: 1073
is their a difference between the spears and pikes
dourpuritan
30th May 2021 10:33:41

TBH I can't see much of a difference in the photos in the catalogue. The main difference appears to be in the defensive armour worn. However, it should also be noted that the pike of the latter half of the C15th was nowhere near as long as it became during C16th. Indeed, when Cordova, during the early part of the Italian Wars, rearmed some of his troops with pikes at the end of the C15th they were only about ten feet long. Spears would be anything from eight to twelve feet long in the C15th, so little difference there. The main difference at the time seems to have been their tactical use, i.e. pike units, such as the Swiss, landsknechts and Flemish, tended to form quite deeply whereas spear armed units were much shallower. The only exception I can think of at this time was the Scots spearmen who had been forming deep schiltrons since the time of Bruce.


A little goes a long way

PM peter
Administrator
Posts: 897
is their a difference between the spears and pikes
peter
1st Jun 2021 10:57:45

They are completely different sculpts.  The Pikemen are armoured and helmeted.  The levies are chaps dragged from a plough and given a pointed stick,

Dourpuritan has nailed it with regards to the similarity in pointy stick lengths.

 


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