Voulge

The voulge is a European polearm of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries formed by mounting a broad, heavy, cleaver-like axe blade on a long shaft, giving common infantry a weapon that combined the reach of a pole weapon with the raw chopping power of an axe. It is closely related to, and sometimes confused with, other broad-bladed polearms of the same period such as the bardiche and the glaive, and like those weapons it was valued by foot soldiers facing mounted or armored opponents because its length let them strike from outside the reach of a cavalry lance or sword while its heavy blade could deliver a crushing, armor-denting blow even where it failed to cut cleanly through plate. The voulge saw use across France and neighboring parts of Western Europe among town militias and common levies, who could be equipped with a simple, relatively inexpensive weapon requiring less individual swordsmanship than a knight's blade.