Falshard

Using falshards in battle. Thumbnail from Matsievsky’s Bible . 1240-1250s

Falshard , or fashard (orig. Fauchard) , also a siege knife - a type of polearm that was used in medieval Europe from the 11th to the 17th centuries. In the future, the use of falshard became decorative and ceremonial. The design consisted of a curved blade on a long shaft, although in some images it is shown on a shorter shaft. The blade was medium or severely curved. The cutting edge was only on the convex side of the blade, in contrast to the guardsarm . The Falchard was probably designed from a military braid, with a cutting edge convex rather than concave, so the weapon was useful for both stabbing and cutting punches.