Editing Glaive (section)

{{Short description|Type of pole weapon}}
{{For|the American alternative musician|Glaive (musician)}}
{{Redirect|Glave|other uses|Glave (disambiguation)}}
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[[File:Glaives by Wendelin Boeheim.jpg|thumb|300px|Glaives (from ''Handbook of Weapon Knowledge: Weaponry in Its Historical Development from the Beginning of the Middle Ages to the End of the 18th Century'' by [[Wendelin Boeheim]], {{circa}} 1890)<ref>{{citation |author=Wendelin Boeheim |author-link=Wendelin Boeheim |chapter=Die Glese und die Couse, figure 396|title=Handbuch der Waffenkunde. Das Waffenwesen in seiner historischen Entwicklung vom Beginn des Mittelalters bis zum Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts |trans-title=Handbook of Weapon Knowledge. Weaponry in Its Historical Development from the Beginning of the Middle Ages to the End of the 18th Century. |series=Seemanns kunstgewerbliche Handbücher, VII |location=[[Leipzig]] |publisher=[[E. A. Seemann]] |year=1890 |pages=343–344 |section-url=https://archive.org/details/handbuchderwaff00collgoog/page/n360/mode/1up |oclc=457086621}}</ref>]]

A '''glaive''', sometimes spelled as '''glave''', is a type of pole weapon, with a single edged blade on the end, known for its distinctive design and versatile combat applications. There are many similar [[polearm]]s such as the [[war scythe]], the Japanese [[naginata]], the Chinese [[guandao]] (yanyuedao), the Korean [[woldo]], and the Russian [[sovnya]].

A glaive typically consists of a single-edged blade approximately 45 centimeters long affixed to a pole measuring about 2 meters. The blade is secured in a socket-shaft configuration, akin to an axe head, as opposed to having a [[tang (tools)|tang]] like a sword or naginata. Some variations of glaive blades were even forged with a small hook on the reverse side to better engage mounted opponents, earning them the name "glaive-[[guisarme]]s."

In the 1599 treatise "Paradoxes of Defence" by English gentleman [[George Silver]], the glaive is described as being used in a manner similar to other polearms like the [[quarterstaff]], half pike, [[Bill (weapon)|bill]], [[halberd]], [[voulge]], and partisan. Silver considered this class of polearms superior to all other hand-to-hand combat weapons.

The [[Morgan Bible]], also known as the Maciejowski Bible, features illustrations of two-handed glaives used on horseback, showcasing their historical application in mounted combat.

The contemporary term for this weapon may have been "[[faussart]]," which referred to various single-edged weapons related to the scythe, alongside terms like [[falchion]], [[falcata]], or [[fauchard]], all derived from the Latin term for "scythe."

Historical records suggest that the glaive may have originated in [[Wales]] and remained a national weapon until the late 15th century. There is a mention of a warrant from the first year of [[Richard III of England|Richard III]]'s reign, dated 1483, for the production of "two hundred Welsh glaives," further highlighting its historical significance in weaponry.{{quote|It has been argued that the glaive had its origin in Wales, and that it remained a national weapon until the end of the XVth Century. Grose mentions a warrant (Harleian MS., No. 433) issued to Nicholas Spicer, dated the first year of Richard III's reign, 1483 for enrolling of smiths for "the making of two hundred Welsh glaives" – twenty shillings and sixpence being the charge for thirty glaives with their staves, made at Abergavenny and Llanllowel.<ref>{{Cite book |title=A Record of European Armour and Arms Through Seven Centuries |last=Laking |first=Guy Francis |author-link=Guy Francis Laking |publisher=[[G. Bell and Sons]] |year=1920 |location=London |pages=104 |language=en-UK |url=https://archive.org/details/recordofeuropean03lakiuoftpage/104/mode/2up |volume=III}}</ref>}}