goedendag

Goedendag is a medieval polearm that appeared in the Low Countries during the 14th and 15th centuries. The weapon consists of a stout wooden shaft, typically around 1 to 1.5 meters long, terminating in a heavy metal head. The head combines a blunt, mace-like body with a short, forward-projecting spike; some variants featured a hook or transverse elements and a handguard near the shaft to aid control and protect the wielder. The design aimed to disable cavalry by delivering powerful blows and piercing horse armor, with the spike capable of puncturing mail or leather.

The goedendag is most closely associated with Flemish and Brabantine militias in the Burgundian era, especially during the Battle of the Golden Spurs (1302), where infantry bearing such weapons disrupted French armored cavalry. The weapon gradually fell out of use in the 15th–16th centuries as pikes, crossbows, and firearms became predominant. Surviving examples are held by museums; reconstructions appear in historical exhibitions and reenactments of medieval warfare.

Name and etymology: The term goedendag literally means "good day" in Dutch; the origin of the name is debated, with theories linking it to its use by city guards who would greet spectators, or to the weapon's reputed effect of bringing a knight’s day to an untimely end on the field. The exact origin remains uncertain.

Legacy: The goedendag is regarded as a symbol of urban militias in the medieval Low Countries and appears in scholarly works and popular culture describing Flemish resistance to French knights.