A thrust shaft-hafted weapon. In XVII century battles, this weapon has taken on special significance in fighting back cavalry
charges, thus it was a defensive rather than a offensive weapon. When an enemy was approaching, fighters in the front files held a pike rested against
the ground with one hand and a sword with the other hand. Soldiers inside the formation could hold their pikes with both hands. An infantry pike was
usually longer than a cavalry lance. At the beginning of XVII century, Frenchmen and Germans have changed the average pike length from 3 m (10 ft) to
5.2-5.8 m (17-19 ft). Spaniards were using short pikes for a long time, because they allowed for good mobility in close fight.
