A thrust weapon. In 17th century battles, this weapon
took on a special significance in fighting back cavalry
charges, thus it was a defensive rather than an offensive weapon. When an enemy
approached, fighters in the front lines held pikes which rested against
the ground with one hand and wielded swords in the other. Soldiers inside formations could hold their pikes with both hands. An infantry pike was
usually longer than a cavalry lance. At the beginning of the
17th century, the French and Germans changed the average length
of pikes from 3 m (10 ft) to
5.2-5.8 m (17-19 ft). Spaniards used short pikes for a long time, because they allowed good mobility in close
combat.
