A common old Russian edged weapon is the sixth. It was especially actively used in the XIII-XVII centuries. In fact, this is one of the varieties of maces to which several metal plates in the form of feathers are welded. Appeared from multiblade maces.
History of occurrence
The appearance of the weapon of the shestopor has its roots in ancient times. Its immediate predecessor is considered a club with a characteristic thickening at the end. Initially, people fought with the help of the most ordinary batons, only much later they decided to improve them. When the metal and the first armor appeared, it was simply necessary to transform a simple club into something more formidable.
It should be recognized right away that Russian maces, which date back to the early Middle Ages, are practically unstudied. But it was precisely from them that the ancient Russian weapon six came. In this case, historians describe in detail each find, from which we can conclude that in the X-XIII centuries, the mace was very common, especially in Transnistria.
Assessing archaeological finds, we can conclude that a high degree of militarization of society has been observed only since the beginning of the X century. At that time, approximately 20% of the male population carried weapons. The good equipment of the troops is also striking when each warrior has several types of weapons.
Upgrading batons
In fact, both the mace and the club, from which the sixth weapon was derived, are advanced batons. At that time, they guessed not only in Russia to connect the chopping weapon with the percussion weapon, but it was here that a metal baton with sharp plates at the end, which was also called feathers, was widely used. This is the shestoper - the most terrible club, as many called him at that time.
Most often, there were six of these feathers, hence the name of the weapon. Its description can be found in the notes of an unknown foreign traveler who visited Russia in those centuries. He notes that it was a cold ax-shaped weapon, which consisted of a metal apple with six blades. All of them were mounted on a heavy handle.
The transformation of the mace into a six-weapon was due to the qualitative leap that occurred in the manufacture of armor. In the days of Kievan Rus, from about the end of the 9th century, the warriors, the so-called heavy infantry, were the key strength and power of the Russian army. During this period, as a rule, chain armor was used as protection.
But already in the XII century, both in Western Europe and in Russia, favorable conditions appeared for the rapid development of the so-called typesetting armor. It existed before, but played a secondary role. Only with time did gunsmiths appreciate this kind of armor, as the plates went one after another during assembly at a considerable distance, which actually doubled the thickness of the armor itself. In addition, the curvature of the plates itself helped to mitigate the blow received from the enemy.
Description
With this is connected the appearance of deadly old Russian weapons - the sixopera. Outwardly, it is a kind of mace, and several sharpened and strong steel plates are welded to the metal head.
Sheoper came to his classic look around the middle of the 13th century. Its weight at that time did not exceed a kilogram, reaching an average of 700 g. The length of the six-step gear was approximately 70 centimeters. It was customary to hold it with one hand on the handle, which was separated by a metal ring. The latter served as a guard.
There were modifications of it, which made the six-man shock-crushing weapon. For example, a hook could be installed on it, which allowed you to capture enemy weapons. Due to its light weight, it was easy to control. In the initial position before the attack, he was often left suspended. The fact is that in this position it was much more convenient to catch the enemy’s weapon with a hook or to apply a hand blow.
Combat technique
At the same time, it should be noted that the battle technique with the sixth was as simple as possible. The attacking warrior waved and struck as hard as possible, it was desirable to get into the head.
If the strike was accurate, neither the helmet nor the body armor could protect him. It turned out a stabbing or poking kick. In close combat it was practically impossible to repulse his blow, especially if the battle takes place in a dense crowd.
The batons themselves most often had a leather loop, which had a dual purpose. If the enemy was at a great distance, the baton was hung on his hand, and a spear was used in battle. But when the enemy was close, it was convenient to pick her up and put into close combat. In addition, the sixth person, hanging on his hand in close combat, was very welcome. For example, if an opponent managed to knock a club out of his hand with a strong blow, it did not fly away, but simply hung nearby. So the warrior had the opportunity to continue the battle.
Shestopera development
It is noteworthy that the shestoper, as the main weapon for heavy infantry, was soon improved. There was a more advanced version of it - Pernach. In fact, the Pernach, Shestoper, Mace, and Notch were varieties of one and the same weapon, the basis of which is the use of a baton.
The problem with these weapons was that the center of gravity of the classic mace was strongly shifted towards the shock. So its use required a warrior of high stamina. In addition, it was difficult to defend with it, since it was simply impossible to perform fast movements. With the development of blacksmithing, parnachi appeared . The Pernach and the Shestoper are similar to each other, but in the first the head consisted of steel plates firmly welded together.
The experience gained in the battles showed that the 6-rib parnach, which was just called the sixth feather, optimally combined the low weight of the shock with the attacking qualities of the weapon and its strength. The main thing is that the feathers were made of strong steel, since they often came into contact with the impacted surface at different angles, should not break and bend.
The shestoper was a more expensive and complex weapon compared to a mace. Moreover, the shape of the ribs he could have been very diverse - triangular, semicircular, rectangular and even curly. Here is what a sixth person is, about the varieties and use of these weapons, we tried to tell as much as possible.
Late Sappers
The analogue of the six-axis existed in the Middle East, only there, as a rule, they used a rounded shape for feathers. Sometimes spikes could protrude from them, making the wound even more painful and dangerous.
In the shoppers of the 16th and 17th centuries, the blades had a shape close to triangular, with a vertical and elongated tip, which was slightly flattened at the end. This allowed the weapon to effectively destroy armor while not getting stuck in them.
Sheopers with a wooden pole were even easier, they could weigh only 400 g. But during the battle against the warrior in heavy and expensive armor, they were practically useless. In this case, weighty weapons were used, which were completely iron.
When all-metal shestopers appeared, it became possible for them not only to deliver strong and sweeping strikes, but also to perform shorter and sharper movements that helped fend off enemy attacks. For example, to stop the blade from sliding along the iron shaft, a protective disk was installed in the upper part of the handle. This helped to hold the sixth, even loosening the grip. In this case, the shock part was mounted on a pole made of iron with the help of a figured nut.
Why shestoper became so popular in Russia
Historians have no clear answer to this question. But the fact that they were not widely used neither in Asia nor in Western Europe. Apparently, this is due to the complex technology of manufacturing weapons.
At first, it was necessary to forge the handle separately. Then a head from a single piece was forged. Only then they were welded together, also a guard was attached to the weapon, helping to protect hands.
The appearance of firearms
Only after the appearance of firearms on the arsenal did the six-men finally go out of use. And before that, they developed and improved over several centuries.
It is noteworthy that the very first versions of this weapon weighed up to 3 kg, had a length of about 70 cm and a triangular section of ribs. By the beginning of the 15th century, the weight of the six-gear had more than halved. They received the greatest distribution in the XV-XVII centuries.
But the advent of firearms made them completely ineffective.
Symbol of power
Over time, they began to produce only smaller copies of the coppers. They were richly decorated, served as a symbol of the power of military leaders.
He performed a similar function mainly in the countries of Eastern Europe. Primarily in Russia, in Hungary and Poland. For example, the Cossack chieftains. In Zaporozhye, special sixth-handed to foreign ambassadors. They were an analogue of a security certificate, showing everyone that these people are under the protection of the Zaporizhzhya army.
These varieties of mace and six-gear appeared in the arsenal of the honorary guard. For example, they can be found in Paris porters during the time of Henry IV. According to some historians, the royal scepter is a close relative of the shestopera.