Replica of a 1100-1200 Bardiches Axe This type of pole arm used from the 14th to 17th centuries in Europe. Ultimately a descendant of the medieval sparth (Danish axe), the bardiche proper appears around 1400, but there are numerous medieval manuscripts that depict very similar weapons beginning c. 1250 or earler. The bardiche differs from the halberd in having neither a hook at the back nor a spear point at the top.