Reply #13: Okay, but I'm going to answer #1 in a seperate post, since it's long. [View All]

[BreweryYardRat]

2: Halberds became common in the 14th-15th century, and stuck around until the end of the period. This is a halberd head-specifically, the catalog photo of a MRL replica I own:



Variation is to be expected, though, as this Swiss halberd replica demonstrates (it's actually closer to "standard" design than mine is):


These are English and Italian bills from Arms and Armor:

English:

Italian:



3: Yeah, you've about got it. Standing armies didn't really start developing until the late medieval period. There's a wonderful example: When the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick (I) Barbarossa drowned en route to the Holy Land on a crusade, a lot of his nobles simply packed up their retainers and went home. They'd come because he called, not because of any religious fervor.