Editing Estoc (section)

===Hunting===
It was also widely employed as a [[hunting sword]] in the late 15th century,<ref>Blackmore, Howard L. (1971). ''Hunting Weapons from the Middle Ages to the Twentieth Century''. Dover edition 2000: Dover Publications, Mineola, NY,  pp. 6-11. {{ISBN|0486409619}},
{{ISBN|978-0486409610}}</ref> usually for hunting wild boar, bear, and stag; typically from horseback. Although hunting with a sword is less ideal than using a lance or spear, the added element of danger added to the thrill of the hunt, since using a sword brought the hunter in closer proximity to dangerous animals, as well as bringing more glory. The estoc was useful for this purpose, being a long sword with a strong blade, able to take the shock of meeting with an animal without breaking, while also giving the necessary reach to attack from horseback. However, it also had a very thin, sharp point, designed for penetrating chain mail. This thin point had little immediate terminal wounding effect on a wild boar or bear, unless a vital organ was hit, requiring a second man to stand by with a spear to finish the wounded animal off. It was also very easy to over-penetrate, bringing the wielder into danger from the animal's claws and teeth. Around 1500 AD, a solution was reached by replacing the thin point of the estoc with a standard leaf-shaped [[Boar spear|boar-spear]] head, in essence creating a one-handed short spear. To prevent the blade from over-penetrating, most were fitted with a cross-shaft above the blade. To allow the blade to fit into a scabbard, these were typically simple removable pegs of wood or bone, but some examples have spring-loaded shafts that automatically deploy when the blade is drawn. An early image of these "boar-spear swords" shows [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Maximilian I]] in a [[Triumphal Procession|triumphal procession]] after a successful boar-hunt, the riders proudly carrying their spear-pointed swords upright. These weapons quickly became widely popular all over Europe, and examples can be found in numerous illustrations and descriptions of the time.{{Cn|date=February 2021}}