Types of ranseur, 16th century
A ranseur (also called a runkah or a rawcon [sometimes incorrectly referred to as rawcuer]) was a type of polearm used across Europe up to the 15th century. It was still seen in court as a ceremonial weapon through the 17th century. Often thought to be a derivation of the earlier spetum, the head of a ranseur consisted of a spear-tip affixed with a cross hilt at its base. Often this hilt was crescent-shaped, giving it an appearance similar to that of a trident. Generally, the hilts did not have a cutting edge, unlike the double-edged partisan. Thus, Ranseurs resemble a sai mounted on a staff. Ranseurs are generally 6 feet or longer.
The spearing function of the weapon is apparent but not always effective against armor of great protection, and the deflection includes the trapping of opponent weapons in the space below the main blade, where a twist of the shaft would apply pressure from that moment on at long range and of pulling mounted opponents from the saddle.
The original article can be found at Ranseur and the edit history here.