Agreed. I learn far more from the authentic historical builds than the fantasy stuff. Those are fun, but I'll take the historically accurate stuff any day.
Thanks for watching ! If you enjoy these historical builds please consider liking this video and telling us below what your idea for our next build should be.
How about challange for everyone in shop? In 15th century, in middle Europe everyone was loosing to Hussites in Bohemia. So how about you make some historical Hussite weapon? But in time limit, many Hussites was peasants and used tools modified to be weapons, so lets do them in one day. Then do comparison between you?
Scotland win a rugby game and a historical build video? must be my lucky day. I would personally love to see Napoleon's sword or really just a curved sabre like the one of San Martin. :)
As a history lover this made me smile big time. Nothing fancy, no parade gear. A real world munitions grade weapon. Awesome video on a plain boring piece of kit.
These bardiches are quite interesting. They weird weapon to me in that how clumsy they look. I wonder what the tactical choise was to made these instead more normal sized axe blades that would be cheaper, and easier to carry. Then again russians seemed to love big axe blades in clumsy looking setups. Even some guns have just big axe blade attached to them
@@lalli8152 the bardiches were quite light, 1.5-2kg max, so it could be very nimble and not clumsy. The Russians actually had more conventional axes as standard issue weapons as well, from normal wide-bladed axes to axes where the heel of the axe head would be riveted to the haft (basically a mini-bardiche). I don't know why they aren't popularised, they look very cool.
@@pavelstaravoitau7106 Yeah, but thats still quite heavy for axe blade since the mass is towards the head of the weapon. I guess bardiches came in many shapes as well, and they were popular outside eastern europe too. What makes me wonder are these ones with very long blade. Im sure there is some function to it or it wouldnt have been used though.
I really, really like watching videos like this! In my opinion, your forging videos that are like documentaries, like this one and the katana one, are the best.
The impression this gives me is that the bardiche is the period equivalent to a Kalashnikov rifle. Simple, effective and cheap enough to produce quickly and in large quantities. Great build guys.
Very interesting. My theory on the holes: they were drilled/punched to adjust the weight : they were probably made according to specifications, and after forging them to the correct size (maybe they had templates?) drilling holes would be a quick and economic way to bring them to the specified weight.
Or to adjust the balance of it. Can you imagine trying to balance a gun on it if it kept trying to tip over because its center of mass was to far off to the side.
My theory for holes is extra vision space. The blade position when firing the musket is on the face side so it can also double as face protection, meaby???
How about all of the above? Start with the template, and the weight, add in them being asked for even in ones that DID balance right from the start because soliders got used to being able to see through the holes, and using them to hold the lit tinder?
You're correct in that there were specifications and templates, but only from the mid-17th century and onwards. By then, some factories employed by the government were cutting them out from sheet steel, so I don't think they'd really need to adjust weight by holes.
don´t underestimate the grams, the Swedish ski star Gunde Svan, drilled out his ski poles, to save 10 grams, and he calculated with all the times he lifted them in on cross country ski, he saved him self from lifting 1 ton or 2
i have two more theories as to why the holes where there. first one is a stretch, but by the footage of someone using it as a gun rest, the blade might obscure the wielders vision so being able to see through the holes might have helped the shooter, hell maybe the shooter could line up a hole with his enemies and use that to adjust for elevation. another more likely reason could have been to adjust the point of balance OR simply saving material, the material that could have filled the holes, could have been used to make more weapons, even if you need to make a hundred holes to save enough iron to make one bardiche, if you have to outfit like five thousand soldiers, you'd save enough to make fifty.
@@iordanisG Nope, the weapon is not meant to pass bones. You can impale, you can crush (like with a sword), but it will not be blocked in your ennemy body. Human tissues are soft and you cannot go so far that it will be hard to pull out, like a not barred spear (even if for that kind of spear it will not be that hard to pull out, it will just take too much time. Time that you don't have if you want to live) And those holes will not help anyway, mechanically they have no meaning.
Agreed. The historical builds are by far the most interesting. Sticking to the form traditionally used. I'd like to see more historical builds using the techniques and tools of the time period.
This is by far your best kind of content. Its educational, the weapons are actually feasible,and tested for hundreds of years. Much prefer these than fantasy weapons content.
I love it when I start a video by these guys and immediately go "Aawwww shiiiit! Ilya is stacking his steel. Shits about to get nasty!" and I'm just confident that the project will be beautiful. Ilya handles steel like a fine dining chef... he treats it like he's handling raw meat, slicing vegetables, stirring food... I love it. Such care and finesse abnormal to a profession where you bash hot things with a chunk of metal on a stick.
Once the pandemic ends, I'm definitely signing up for professor Iliya's history class. Historical builds with context and explanation of the art and craft are my favorite episode types. (Followed closely by Your Edge.)
@@ThatWorks I'm a sucker for forward curving blades for some reason, my favorites have to be the dacian falx and the yatagan. I think both would be cool to see built as well as having an interesting history. Some bronze weapons would very interesting too
Thank you for not only entertaining, but also quite educational video. I'm really glad to see how the quality of your production has become that high. This channel is in a higher tier than most shows on the "History" TV.
Bardiche is among my favorite historical weapons, second only to the Guisarme billhook. Love that you guys are doing all these more historical builds. I love me some pop culture but you can't beat the classics.
Finally a historical build once again! Amazing Bardiche! I still really hope you guys making fictional weapons that redesign into a proper more realistic or even historical weapon designs hehe
this is just a beautiful weapon, probably even if unpolished. there is beuty in efficiency, as far as i am concerned, and the bardiches were a piece of art in this regard.
I know historical builds are not as flashy and don't attract the level of attention that pop culture and fandom pieces do, but man I do enjoy them more. Thanks for taking on this one. And it was awesome seeing the reenactor actually use it as a matchlock rest!
I'm a bit leery about the theory that the holes were used for holding lit wicks or matches. Reloading a matchlock tends to be a fairly complex and slightly precarious action, since you're handling both black powder (often loose) and a source of ignition at the same time. It's tricky enough with just the one match in your hand, I don't think you'd want another relatively uncontrolled smoldering thing on you in addition to that.
The wicks used in matchlocks aren't exactly easy to manipulate; I could see someone threading a spare match into their secondary weapon as a personal quirk, but not as a standard or useful technique; it would be annoying and time consuming to remove and put into use. Spare match was generally stored in a manner that made it easy to access and employ.
As a historical reenactor, we are taught that the "fancy" weapons were for parade only. They were too expensive to waste in battle. After all, they would be turned into pointed clubs after the first engagement. Instead, troops had munitions grade weapons that could be reforged, or even disposed of afterwards.
Love these. Getting the forging 99% of the way done makes me happy. I'm throwing my vote behind elevation sighting or "crack catchers". If these were iron mass produced items, stoping a crack before it got all the way through the blade would be great.
More of these please! Historical builds and breakdowns of old weaponry and smithing myths is more satisfying than big fantasy reproductions that can barely be weilded.
The moment i landed my eyes on one, and found about the rifle connection, all i could think about is, man, that's a good weapon to give me protection in sudden close quarters.
Especially considering that matchlocks are slow to load, especially once you run out of pre-loaded charge flasks (French musketeers typically carried twelve, called the 'apostles'). Once you've fired, if there's a live enemy within 30 yards, you're very likely going to be going hand-to-hand. Best to have a big, scary, destructive hand weapon available.
I'd love to see some non-European/Japanese historical builds. India has a plethora of cool designs that saw actual battlefield use, and Africa is an untapped trove of unusual (to western eyes) weapons that would be fascinating to see come to life.
While I enjoy each of your build videos, these are the ones that speak to me most. I appreciate and enjoy the historical backgrounds and theories presented along with watching their creation and your process. By all means, please keep providing these sorts of videos along with your game-inspired builds as well, I find it fascinating and inspiring.
I always love these really in depth builds looking at the history and uses of a weapon. I particularly like the builds focusing on more underapreciated weapons like this one. Two in particular I would love to see you guys show this treatment are the Japanese Nagamaki and the long swords that fall under the Oakeshott type XVIIIe which most of the surviving examples of originated from Denmark
I would love to see a shashka Made and commented like this. The forging process aswell as the closeups and detail scenes are amazing. Thank you very much.
My theory on the holes is that they may have been used as a means for attaching leather or cloth wrappings as to provide a better bracing point for the rifle. This also would help hold up the axes better when stacked in bunches by soldiers in the field when not in use (kinda in little tripod formations) Similar to how stacking rods were used on military rifles.
Now that’s a good point and well thought out. You would think more historical examples would have some left over bits of cloth in the wholes though. Perhaps they do an no one ever looked
@@ThatWorks another thought is they were used as a way to keep a scabbard or oil soaked cloth covering to protect from rust?, just a thought, are there any surviving scabbards?
As a marksman with the US Army, I have had a fascination with ancient ranging techniques. The holes on the sides of the blade seem limited mainly to the 'Streltsy', the Russian medium infantry to which it would have been common to find the weapon in concert with the musket or long gun as such the initial marks on the cheek of the blade may have held ranging guidelines to determine not only distance but to improve focus on specific targets. The bardiche, outside of Russia, was commonly used as an execution weapon or butchery stock, there are few examples of surviving weaponry that have these holes outside of the capitals of St. Petersburg or northern Europe. Like most weaponry, they come from civilian beginnings, this blade notwithstanding as its roots can be traced back to the medieval 'sparth' or Danish axe. Strangely the consensus on the weapon was that it was a tool of convenience or utility, historical evidence contends this specifically in reference to Russia. The aforementioned Streltsy were utilitarian conscripts largely in the service of Peter the Great, and it is well known the negligence of his conscriptorial reserves led to mass desertions and supplementary private military outfits. The weapon they were so common in using had more to do with civilian militia or seneschal qualities than professional battle standard requirements. Each blade held a personal connection to the office more than the weapon itself. Because of this social attachment and its near-constant equipment on the person, it is likely that the weapon could have been used as a multi-tool in effect, allowing pre-rendered distances between marks that would have been effective in husbandry, tool repair, harvesting, tanning, and construction.
The strelcy brigades predate Peter 1. In fact the most interesting part of their history comes about during the reign of Ivan IV and a little bit after.
@@ilyaalekseyev3589 based on the limited information I had, I made an educated reply. By no means do I contend they were isolated to a particular monarch or age. I am scottish by birth and american by culture, my ability to reap a rich history of culture from a country less than 250 years old is sparse at best. I spoke on my experience as a shooter of which I have thousands of hours of experience, similar examples exist in my personal experience of farmers conscripted into service using weapons of war as farming implements. I don't contend that my findings are without flaw, but it does fit with cultural appropriation that is far older than russia or most other cultures that have lived throughout the world. I have massive respect for what you do and would someday like to follow in your footsteps learning the techniques of the masters. I've won quite a few marksmanship competitions so my avid love of weaponry is robust and vibrant, but I have always wanted to create a weapon with my own hands as they have done for thousands of years. I'm fascinated by the history of battle, the fultility of it's leaders and the brilliance of it's artisans and I pen you in with those artists. If the history of the Streltsy is something you know culturally, and you feel like sharing I would love to hear anything you would like to talk about.
This is simply amazing, it's basically documentary quality but with all the best bit in without cutting. It would be great if you would do more of these.
I wonder if they left the finish on the blade Dark so that a shiny blade wouldn't give away their position. But then again it's kind of hard to miss a few hundred soldiers. And that many guys in armor, you could probably smell them before you could see them.
Once again, a great video. I was shocked to realize it was almost over when the beauty shots came in. I entered in the mode "No, it's not over yet ? Holy cow, it is". The fact you alternate the build with the historical context is great, because you can't understand any weapon, any combat style, if you don't have the context were they're used. I can't wait to see your next historical build.
Standard government contracting. For the "special", high quality with even higher prices. For the regular soldier, minimum acceptable quality from the lowest bidder.
Wouldnt a sort of "winged spear" work just as well? Craft a standard spear (about the same lenght as a Bardiche), add a 1 side wing at the 1.5 meter height mark to rest the gun on. I assume a spear would do the same job in meele as the bardiche (mostly) against unarmored opponents (and work even better against armored ones). Would also be easier to craft a "straight" pieces of metal for the spear tip, than the "akward" shape of the bardiches blade.
just a thought - could the holes be used to assists aiming/target acquisition of the rifle (by making it see through in specific target window)? was it in any specific order relative to the gun rest?
Doing historical weapons is so cool. Love the fact that although this was clearly used frequently and I’m a huge fan of bladed weapons, I’ve never seen or really heard anything about this weapon. Love learning new things!
I presume as with drag racing, war weapons follow the "light is right" philosophy. hence thin Danish aces as well as very very light swords in the Wallace collection.
@@joshschneider9766 especially in infantry weapons. Just because you need to carry it in long marches by your own foots. This is reason, why infantry armour was not used in late 16 c and later.
My grandfather said the holes in the back where so you could easily reattach the blade if it’s handle broke without it taking too long to get back in action ✌🏽
I doubt it because how common they seemed to be, and number of holes. These units main function was most likely volley firing in the battle fields in huge formations, and its impossible to know individual who got the hits. Also its not normal that some standard grunt has dozens of kills under his belt.
@@DEVILLXX74 Only times i have heard about marking kills to weapons in historical context is when modern people just theorize. For example some times i have heard that number of waves in kris blades means the kills, but never i have seen actual historical reference.
@@lalli8152 some have i.e. the Greek armies, Roman armies, even the Vikings all would keep some kind of records of their kills on either their blades swards or even their shields. And some of the stories I've seen even the Egyptians would keep some form of records of kills
Love the historical builds
Dragon Flame Steel thank you
Agreed. I learn far more from the authentic historical builds than the fantasy stuff. Those are fun, but I'll take the historically accurate stuff any day.
Yeah same
And i love the Bardiche.
Thanks for watching ! If you enjoy these historical builds please consider liking this video and telling us below what your idea for our next build should be.
How about challange for everyone in shop?
In 15th century, in middle Europe everyone was loosing to Hussites in Bohemia. So how about you make some historical Hussite weapon? But in time limit, many Hussites was peasants and used tools modified to be weapons, so lets do them in one day. Then do comparison between you?
Scotland win a rugby game and a historical build video? must be my lucky day. I would personally love to see Napoleon's sword or really just a curved sabre like the one of San Martin. :)
Urumi
could you guys make a 9 or 11 section whip chain?
I would love to see a halligan video. It is a common tool in the fire service and has too many uses to list.
As a history lover this made me smile big time. Nothing fancy, no parade gear. A real world munitions grade weapon. Awesome video on a plain boring piece of kit.
seamus6387 thank you! That was our goal
Unfortunately it's still not made correctly and if used extensively has a big chance of breaking and injuring someone.
These bardiches are quite interesting. They weird weapon to me in that how clumsy they look. I wonder what the tactical choise was to made these instead more normal sized axe blades that would be cheaper, and easier to carry. Then again russians seemed to love big axe blades in clumsy looking setups. Even some guns have just big axe blade attached to them
@@lalli8152 the bardiches were quite light, 1.5-2kg max, so it could be very nimble and not clumsy.
The Russians actually had more conventional axes as standard issue weapons as well, from normal wide-bladed axes to axes where the heel of the axe head would be riveted to the haft (basically a mini-bardiche). I don't know why they aren't popularised, they look very cool.
@@pavelstaravoitau7106 Yeah, but thats still quite heavy for axe blade since the mass is towards the head of the weapon. I guess bardiches came in many shapes as well, and they were popular outside eastern europe too. What makes me wonder are these ones with very long blade. Im sure there is some function to it or it wouldnt have been used though.
I really, really like watching videos like this! In my opinion, your forging videos that are like documentaries, like this one and the katana one, are the best.
Abcde Fghij thank you! That is our goal with these historical builds
Couldn’t agree more
"Reason being humans are really soft" Loved that explanation.
"The bardiche was not a 'nice' weapon. But, frankly, we couldn't help ourselves"
Agreed 👍
Simple, effective, and handy. The perfect grunt weapon.
Cameron Gunn truth to that! O frills! Pure function
Great exposition on the bardiche. And now I cannot help but imagine a Mosin-Nagant with a Bardiche style bayonet.
Can be done
Very cool idea.
Maybe a sore subject, I don’t know, but man at arms is nothing without you guys. The knowledge, experience and goddamn charm is epic! 👍
John D it was a passion project for us and we thought that we left it in good hands.
what happened with them and man at arms?
@@Jim58223 I have no clue. I suppose its pessimistic to think it was on bad terms.
@@ThatWorks the passion got the beat of me! 😅
@@Jim58223 Ilya doesn't work at BKS anymore.
Matt still works there, though.
Ilya..when it comes to explaining weapons in a way the lay person can understand... you're the best.
The best thing about you guys, even over on man at arms, was that I got to learn cool stuff as well as see awesome blacksmithing being done
RaiOuArt thank you!
The impression this gives me is that the bardiche is the period equivalent to a Kalashnikov rifle. Simple, effective and cheap enough to produce quickly and in large quantities. Great build guys.
Gladius entered the chat
Very interesting. My theory on the holes: they were drilled/punched to adjust the weight : they were probably made according to specifications, and after forging them to the correct size (maybe they had templates?) drilling holes would be a quick and economic way to bring them to the specified weight.
Or to adjust the balance of it. Can you imagine trying to balance a gun on it if it kept trying to tip over because its center of mass was to far off to the side.
Francesco Sirotti possible. Likely even
My theory for holes is extra vision space. The blade position when firing the musket is on the face side so it can also double as face protection, meaby???
How about all of the above? Start with the template, and the weight, add in them being asked for even in ones that DID balance right from the start because soliders got used to being able to see through the holes, and using them to hold the lit tinder?
You're correct in that there were specifications and templates, but only from the mid-17th century and onwards. By then, some factories employed by the government were cutting them out from sheet steel, so I don't think they'd really need to adjust weight by holes.
don´t underestimate the grams, the Swedish ski star Gunde Svan, drilled out his ski poles, to save 10 grams, and he calculated with all the times he lifted them in on cross country ski, he saved him self from lifting 1 ton or 2
i have two more theories as to why the holes where there.
first one is a stretch, but by the footage of someone using it as a gun rest, the blade might obscure the wielders vision so being able to see through the holes might have helped the shooter, hell maybe the shooter could line up a hole with his enemies and use that to adjust for elevation.
another more likely reason could have been to adjust the point of balance OR simply saving material, the material that could have filled the holes, could have been used to make more weapons, even if you need to make a hundred holes to save enough iron to make one bardiche, if you have to outfit like five thousand soldiers, you'd save enough to make fifty.
@@windhelmguard5295 the holes helping with peripheral vision whilst shooting makes a hell of a lot of sense.
That is the overwhelming theory
Windhelm Guard seems reasonable actually
@@iordanisG Nope, the weapon is not meant to pass bones.
You can impale, you can crush (like with a sword), but it will not be blocked in your ennemy body. Human tissues are soft and you cannot go so far that it will be hard to pull out, like a not barred spear (even if for that kind of spear it will not be that hard to pull out, it will just take too much time. Time that you don't have if you want to live)
And those holes will not help anyway, mechanically they have no meaning.
This video makes me realize how used to seeing Ilya with glasses and his hair up.
Agreed. The historical builds are by far the most interesting. Sticking to the form traditionally used.
I'd like to see more historical builds using the techniques and tools of the time period.
Scotland claymore please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nice video mixed with historical points.
Alexander Md can be done!
I thought they already made a claymore but maybe I'm thinking of someone else.
How about a basket hilt sword/rapier?
This is by far your best kind of content. Its educational, the weapons are actually feasible,and tested for hundreds of years. Much prefer these than fantasy weapons content.
Your historical builds by far are your most superior videos. The amount of knowledge and passion you sink into them is brilliant
I love it when I start a video by these guys and immediately go "Aawwww shiiiit! Ilya is stacking his steel. Shits about to get nasty!" and I'm just confident that the project will be beautiful.
Ilya handles steel like a fine dining chef... he treats it like he's handling raw meat, slicing vegetables, stirring food... I love it. Such care and finesse abnormal to a profession where you bash hot things with a chunk of metal on a stick.
The historical builds coupled with detailed explanation and history is just awesome guys. Keep it up!
C K thank you very much! It was our hope that people would be in to this format.
Once the pandemic ends, I'm definitely signing up for professor Iliya's history class. Historical builds with context and explanation of the art and craft are my favorite episode types. (Followed closely by Your Edge.)
Really love these historical builds with a bit of history on the side, feels like something that would air on history channel. PLEASE! do more!
Daroth_Arsona we plan to but we need good ideas for what to make
@@ThatWorks alright, how about the Roman Pilum? id love to see you guys forge and talk about one of those
These historical buildings are the bomb !!! Especially with these more unknown weapons, I love it
JeanOlaf thank you! What should we do next ?
@@ThatWorks I'm a sucker for forward curving blades for some reason, my favorites have to be the dacian falx and the yatagan. I think both would be cool to see built as well as having an interesting history.
Some bronze weapons would very interesting too
Thank you for not only entertaining, but also quite educational video. I'm really glad to see how the quality of your production has become that high. This channel is in a higher tier than most shows on the "History" TV.
Bardiche is among my favorite historical weapons, second only to the Guisarme billhook. Love that you guys are doing all these more historical builds. I love me some pop culture but you can't beat the classics.
This is my favorite one yet. The historical, almost documentary feel, was really nicely done and suits your work.
As an archaeologist, I love these historical builds!! It would also be cool to see you guys build a matchlock!!
Finally a historical build once again! Amazing Bardiche!
I still really hope you guys making fictional weapons that redesign into a proper more realistic or even historical weapon designs hehe
Croz Raven we try to do a fair mix.
this is the reason why I really love historical builds
this is just a beautiful weapon, probably even if unpolished.
there is beuty in efficiency, as far as i am concerned, and the bardiches were a piece of art in this regard.
I know historical builds are not as flashy and don't attract the level of attention that pop culture and fandom pieces do, but man I do enjoy them more. Thanks for taking on this one. And it was awesome seeing the reenactor actually use it as a matchlock rest!
I'm a bit leery about the theory that the holes were used for holding lit wicks or matches. Reloading a matchlock tends to be a fairly complex and slightly precarious action, since you're handling both black powder (often loose) and a source of ignition at the same time. It's tricky enough with just the one match in your hand, I don't think you'd want another relatively uncontrolled smoldering thing on you in addition to that.
Perhaps you are right but I has been depicted with a wick in it.
@@ThatWorks might as well be a second wick if the main wick burns out.
@@ThatWorks my first thought was in the direction of aim assistance. what better utility for a rifle mount than a built-in range finder?
@@ecurps1 medieval range finding for inaccurate single-shot rifles? that seems even less plausible than weight savings.
The wicks used in matchlocks aren't exactly easy to manipulate; I could see someone threading a spare match into their secondary weapon as a personal quirk, but not as a standard or useful technique; it would be annoying and time consuming to remove and put into use. Spare match was generally stored in a manner that made it easy to access and employ.
This Bardiche is beautiful to me. It is pragmatic and elegant at the same time. The shots with the matchlock were a great way to showcase it.
As a historical reenactor, we are taught that the "fancy" weapons were for parade only. They were too expensive to waste in battle. After all, they would be turned into pointed clubs after the first engagement. Instead, troops had munitions grade weapons that could be reforged, or even disposed of afterwards.
That is pretty much correct!
Ilya...my envy of your glorious locks grows with every episode. Amazing build, as always.
Love these. Getting the forging 99% of the way done makes me happy. I'm throwing my vote behind elevation sighting or "crack catchers". If these were iron mass produced items, stoping a crack before it got all the way through the blade would be great.
More of these please! Historical builds and breakdowns of old weaponry and smithing myths is more satisfying than big fantasy reproductions that can barely be weilded.
The moment i landed my eyes on one, and found about the rifle connection, all i could think about is, man, that's a good weapon to give me protection in sudden close quarters.
aserta indeed
Especially considering that matchlocks are slow to load, especially once you run out of pre-loaded charge flasks (French musketeers typically carried twelve, called the 'apostles'). Once you've fired, if there's a live enemy within 30 yards, you're very likely going to be going hand-to-hand. Best to have a big, scary, destructive hand weapon available.
Ilya is just an absolute trove of wonderful historical and bladesmithing knowledge.
С каждым годом он все больше превращается в эльфа средиземья. Невероятно.
А Мэтт в гнома Средиземья )))
Хороший нолдор из Первого дома.
Great job. Bardiche is certainly very underappreciated weapon, it deserves more recognition in fantasy and games.
Great Work Guys !!!
The combo of forging and historical education is awesome
I'd love to see some non-European/Japanese historical builds. India has a plethora of cool designs that saw actual battlefield use, and Africa is an untapped trove of unusual (to western eyes) weapons that would be fascinating to see come to life.
An ethiopan sickle sword ( can't remember the name) would be cool !
While I enjoy each of your build videos, these are the ones that speak to me most. I appreciate and enjoy the historical backgrounds and theories presented along with watching their creation and your process. By all means, please keep providing these sorts of videos along with your game-inspired builds as well, I find it fascinating and inspiring.
I always love these really in depth builds looking at the history and uses of a weapon. I particularly like the builds focusing on more underapreciated weapons like this one.
Two in particular I would love to see you guys show this treatment are the Japanese Nagamaki and the long swords that fall under the Oakeshott type XVIIIe which most of the surviving examples of originated from Denmark
Love the historical narration throughout the build
Quality stuff! Love the explanations that go with it.
Paraic McHugh thank you!!!
Knocked it out of the park again! Your forging videos are great but the addition of the history of the weapon makes them even better.
Kingsdoms of Armalur has just been re-released. One of my most favorite games. What about the Chakrams... ooh weee
Mstr Woodley that might be a good idea. Anything else stand out for you in that game?
Functional, historic builds are always a must watch. Lovely seeing all the thought that goes into even the smallest details for these builds.
"... 90cm. For those of you who are not familiar with metric - you can convert it easily." This made me so Happy :D :D
Yayyyyyy! The historical builds are the best! I appreciate the amount of time, work and information you guys put into these builds! Cheers!
Ah, the Bardiche, grandfather of the true polearms and a personal favorite of mine.
Also, Ilya looking snazzy. :P
Not really. Polearms have been a while forever before the Russian bardiche was a thing.
I would love to see a shashka Made and commented like this. The forging process aswell as the closeups and detail scenes are amazing. Thank you very much.
Awesome stuff! Love these historical builds, especially on lesser known weapons. I'd love to see something like a Pollaxe, or maybe a glaive/Naginata
TalonFlame87 pole weapons are def good builds
Keep up these historical builds. They are absolutely fascinating.
My theory on the holes is that they may have been used as a means for attaching leather or cloth wrappings as to provide a better bracing point for the rifle. This also would help hold up the axes better when stacked in bunches by soldiers in the field when not in use (kinda in little tripod formations) Similar to how stacking rods were used on military rifles.
Now that’s a good point and well thought out. You would think more historical examples would have some left over bits of cloth in the wholes though. Perhaps they do an no one ever looked
@@ThatWorks another thought is they were used as a way to keep a scabbard or oil soaked cloth covering to protect from rust?, just a thought, are there any surviving scabbards?
It's a fake. Berdish don't use for shooting
Normally I enjoy watch your forge work but this time I enjoyed your history lesson.
You guys should compete in “Forged in Fire” more often-or be judges for that show.
It seems to be set up...in Ilya’s match, the final build was a spike shield. No one had a chance, it’s like the pick was set up for hum to win.
@@Menuki idk. He wasn't well known back then. He was in Man at Arms after Forged in Fire.
Ilya already did and won
As a marksman with the US Army, I have had a fascination with ancient ranging techniques. The holes on the sides of the blade seem limited mainly to the 'Streltsy', the Russian medium infantry to which it would have been common to find the weapon in concert with the musket or long gun as such the initial marks on the cheek of the blade may have held ranging guidelines to determine not only distance but to improve focus on specific targets. The bardiche, outside of Russia, was commonly used as an execution weapon or butchery stock, there are few examples of surviving weaponry that have these holes outside of the capitals of St. Petersburg or northern Europe. Like most weaponry, they come from civilian beginnings, this blade notwithstanding as its roots can be traced back to the medieval 'sparth' or Danish axe. Strangely the consensus on the weapon was that it was a tool of convenience or utility, historical evidence contends this specifically in reference to Russia. The aforementioned Streltsy were utilitarian conscripts largely in the service of Peter the Great, and it is well known the negligence of his conscriptorial reserves led to mass desertions and supplementary private military outfits. The weapon they were so common in using had more to do with civilian militia or seneschal qualities than professional battle standard requirements. Each blade held a personal connection to the office more than the weapon itself. Because of this social attachment and its near-constant equipment on the person, it is likely that the weapon could have been used as a multi-tool in effect, allowing pre-rendered distances between marks that would have been effective in husbandry, tool repair, harvesting, tanning, and construction.
The strelcy brigades predate Peter 1. In fact the most interesting part of their history comes about during the reign of Ivan IV and a little bit after.
@@ilyaalekseyev3589 based on the limited information I had, I made an educated reply. By no means do I contend they were isolated to a particular monarch or age. I am scottish by birth and american by culture, my ability to reap a rich history of culture from a country less than 250 years old is sparse at best. I spoke on my experience as a shooter of which I have thousands of hours of experience, similar examples exist in my personal experience of farmers conscripted into service using weapons of war as farming implements. I don't contend that my findings are without flaw, but it does fit with cultural appropriation that is far older than russia or most other cultures that have lived throughout the world.
I have massive respect for what you do and would someday like to follow in your footsteps learning the techniques of the masters. I've won quite a few marksmanship competitions so my avid love of weaponry is robust and vibrant, but I have always wanted to create a weapon with my own hands as they have done for thousands of years.
I'm fascinated by the history of battle, the fultility of it's leaders and the brilliance of it's artisans and I pen you in with those artists.
If the history of the Streltsy is something you know culturally, and you feel like sharing I would love to hear anything you would like to talk about.
Nice seeing some Streltsy love!
Sarven yea man! It was super cool learning more about them while researching for this video
Really enjoying this historical build as well as the atmosphere of your episodes !
god the grain of that wrought irons stunning.
Id love to see something celtic, those anthropomorphic handles are gorgeous
The holes were for range finding. Because you always want a sniper scope on your matchlock.
Historical builds and weapons in general are AMAZING
Imagine how fast I can cook hotdogs with a fire like that in the forge lol.
More like how many hotdogs we can burn with that kind of heat
Dont put them in... I did it once, on a stick and in front of the forge.
I like adding the context to the forging and the weapons themselves. I will most definitely watch more videos like this!
The cow level is not a lie :P hoping someone gets the reference
Please don't kill the king.
ah i see, man of culture as well... Still playing diablo2 :D
If I ever see a cow with a bardiche, I'm just going to run screaming the other way before I get swarmed by dozens of his friends.
@@isuachideibiddo2081 No, but I remember it fondly.
Moo Moo Moo MOOooo MOOOOOOO
I love that you explain the weapons history but also include your own thoughts.
i felt like a kid watching disney for a minute there...
This is simply amazing, it's basically documentary quality but with all the best bit in without cutting. It would be great if you would do more of these.
I wonder if they left the finish on the blade Dark so that a shiny blade wouldn't give away their position. But then again it's kind of hard to miss a few hundred soldiers. And that many guys in armor, you could probably smell them before you could see them.
I really like the historical builds more than most of the fantasy ones. Keep it up, guys!
Sorry I missed the premier, but holy shit I’ve wanted to see this made.
Momo awesome! Let me know what you think after you watch it
@@ThatWorks if Ilya made it, then it’s always worth watching. I loved it. Thanks guys
Once again, a great video. I was shocked to realize it was almost over when the beauty shots came in. I entered in the mode "No, it's not over yet ? Holy cow, it is".
The fact you alternate the build with the historical context is great, because you can't understand any weapon, any combat style, if you don't have the context were they're used.
I can't wait to see your next historical build.
"...by simply making one"
Yeah... "simply"...Sure
The bardiche has always been my favourite polearm. This is great. Thank you.
Standard government contracting. For the "special", high quality with even higher prices.
For the regular soldier, minimum acceptable quality from the lowest bidder.
Another day, another awesome build! Ilya, what a craftsman, what a "connoisseur" of the art of steel!
"Sir we need something to put the gun on to"
"Axe. Get a stand, put a blade. Axe"
Anadaere get one that could kill a horse.
Great idea!
If I had to wield an axe in combat the bardiche would be my choice. Beautiful work gentlemen
Wouldnt a sort of "winged spear" work just as well? Craft a standard spear (about the same lenght as a Bardiche), add a 1 side wing at the 1.5 meter height mark to rest the gun on.
I assume a spear would do the same job in meele as the bardiche (mostly) against unarmored opponents (and work even better against armored ones).
Would also be easier to craft a "straight" pieces of metal for the spear tip, than the "akward" shape of the bardiches blade.
Бердыш зачётнейший вышел.
Love watching Iliya at work.
just a thought - could the holes be used to assists aiming/target acquisition of the rifle (by making it see through in specific target window)? was it in any specific order relative to the gun rest?
M I I doubt it but possibly
Doing historical weapons is so cool. Love the fact that although this was clearly used frequently and I’m a huge fan of bladed weapons, I’ve never seen or really heard anything about this weapon. Love learning new things!
It had to be adjustable.... so it could be re-issued to another future dead guy.
I love historical builds and the historical background on whatever you're making, great video, you guys are truly masters of your craft
Bearded Wolf thank you
Holes = "crack catchers/stoppers"? Holes are great for stopping crack growth. It could make up for shotty iron quality 👍
Out-fucking-standing, gentlemen. Love the historical background information.
"Historical war axes were tiny"
Dane Axe: Am I a joke to you?
There aren't that many of those
They also aren't fantasy big.
The metal part still wasn’t huge by mass. They are quite thinner then people think
I presume as with drag racing, war weapons follow the "light is right" philosophy. hence thin Danish aces as well as very very light swords in the Wallace collection.
@@joshschneider9766 especially in infantry weapons. Just because you need to carry it in long marches by your own foots. This is reason, why infantry armour was not used in late 16 c and later.
My grandfather said the holes in the back where so you could easily reattach the blade if it’s handle broke without it taking too long to get back in action ✌🏽
Было бы неплохо создать казачью шашку. Благодарю за видео!
Рэд фордж уже делали...;)
@@konstantinpostal Простите, не видел. Буду посмотреть.
I am 13 and I love watching these videos I'm trying to find a blacksmithing class near me at the moment. Keep up the good work.
Лайк если обожаешь работы Ильи😻
Субтитры б ещё, и так понятно, конечно, большую часть, но было б здорово
@@АлександрПопов-ь1т это да
Great build, one of my favourite historical weapons!
"For you who are not knowledgeable in metric, you can convert it very easily." LOL
bitfreakazoid :-)
I love that you made them so it themselves lol
I just want to say I'm so glad I found you after the split from awe keep up the amazing work! Can't wait for more
Just a thought but those holes could represent how many kills one person got while in battle
I doubt it because how common they seemed to be, and number of holes. These units main function was most likely volley firing in the battle fields in huge formations, and its impossible to know individual who got the hits. Also its not normal that some standard grunt has dozens of kills under his belt.
@@lalli8152 but keeping track of kills goes further back than what people actually realize though
Unlikely
@@DEVILLXX74 Only times i have heard about marking kills to weapons in historical context is when modern people just theorize. For example some times i have heard that number of waves in kris blades means the kills, but never i have seen actual historical reference.
@@lalli8152 some have i.e. the Greek armies, Roman armies, even the Vikings all would keep some kind of records of their kills on either their blades swards or even their shields. And some of the stories I've seen even the Egyptians would keep some form of records of kills