War hammer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Battlehammer" redirects here. For the fictional weapon, see Metroid Prime Hunters.
For other uses, see Warhammer (disambiguation).
War hammer
Indo-Persian war hammer.jpg
Indo-Persian war hammer, heavy iron head with a hammer in front, a 4.5 in curved spike on the other side, cut channel decorations, hard wood shaft.
TypeImpact weapon or polearm
Place of originEurope and the Middle East
Service history
In serviceMedieval
Specifications
Head typeHammer, sometimes an additional spike
Haft typeOne or two handed

A war hammer (French: martel-de-fer, "iron hammer") is a weapon that was used by both foot soldiers and cavalry. It is a very ancient weapon and gave its name, owing to its constant use, to Judah Maccabee, a 2nd-century BC Jewish rebel, and to Charles Martel, one of the rulers of France. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries the war hammer became an elaborately decorated and handsome weapon.[1]

Design[]

Detail of the head of a war hammer

A war hammer consists of a handle and a head. The length of the handle may vary, the longest being roughly equivalent to that of a halberd (5 to 6 feet), and the shortest about the same as that of a mace (2 to 3 feet). Long war hammers were pole weapons, or polearms, meant for use on foot, whereas short ones were used in from horseback.

War hammers, especially when mounted on a pole, could in some cases transmit their impact through helmets and cause concussions. Later war hammers often had a spike on one side of the head, making them more versatile weapons. The spike end could be used for grappling the target's armor, reins, or shield, but could not penetrate the surface of plate armor, especially after the rise of surface-hardened steel in the 15th century. Against mounted opponents, the weapon could also be directed at the legs of a horse, toppling the armored foe to the ground where they could be more easily attacked.

Maul[]

A maul is a long-handled hammer with a heavy head, of wood, lead, or iron. Similar in appearance and function to a modern sledgehammer, it is sometimes shown as having a spear-like spike on the fore-end of the haft.[citation needed]

The use of the maul as a weapon seems to date from the later 14th century. During the Harelle of 1382, rebellious citizens of Paris seized 3000 mauls (French: maillet) from the city armory, leading to the rebels being dubbed Maillotins.[2] Later in the same year, Froissart records French men-at-arms using mauls at the Battle of Roosebeke, demonstrating that they were not simply weapons of the lower classes.[3]

A particular use of the maul was by archers in the 15th and 16th centuries. At the Battle of Agincourt, English longbowmen are recorded as using lead mauls, initially as a tool to drive in stakes but later as improvised weapons.[4] Other references during the century (for example, in Charles the Bold's 1472 Ordinance) suggest continued use.[5] They are recorded as a weapon of Tudor archers as late as 1562.[4]

Gallery[]

  • Maurice, Elector of Saxony wields a war hammer on a posthumous portrait

  • Knight with war hammer (painting by Paolo Uccello)

  • War hammer.

  • War hammer exhibited in the Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin.

  • Indian war hammer, 19th century, hard wood shaft with full length metal strip for re-enforcement, silver koftgari decoration.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Sargeaunt, Bertram Edward (1908). Weapons, a brief discourse on hand-weapons other than fire-arms. London, H. Rees. p. 11.
  2. ^ Tuchman, Barbara (1979). A distant Mirror. London: Penguin. p. 380. ISBN 0140054073.
  3. ^ Bourchier, John (1523). Macaulay, G.C. (ed.). Chronicles of Froissart (1924 ed.). London. p. 288. Archived from the original on 2012-02-23.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Strickland & Hardy 2005, p. 337.
  5. ^ Strickland & Hardy 2005, p. 364.
  • Strickland, Matthew; Hardy, Robert (2005). The Great Warbow. Stroud: Sutton. ISBN 0750931671.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""