Chapter 3 AXE, MACE AND HAMMER

The types of weapons that I want to present in this chapter can be called the auxiliary weapons of the medieval knight. We will talk about an axe, a mace and a hammer. This weapon was worn, like a sword and a spear, as part of a full armor. Of course, there were knights who preferred this, as a rule, auxiliary weapon to the sword, but still most often an ax, mace or hammer was used in case of breakage or loss of the sword, as well as in close combat, when the sword was too long for an effective blow.

The ax has always been the main weapon of infantry, especially among the northern peoples - the Anglo-Saxons, Franks and Vikings - who fought exclusively on foot. A mace is a kind of improved club; in the 15th century it was always carefully trimmed and given beautiful shape. The same applies to war hammers, although we have no examples of these weapons dating back to the period before 1380. Many hammers dating from the period from 1380 to approximately 1560 have survived to this day. This is a very beautiful weapon that pleases the eye and is pleasant to hold in your hands.

Perhaps in order to better understand the significance of each of these three types of weapons, it is necessary to consider them separately, discussing the origin, development and use.

The ax - like the spear - was one of the most ancient types of weapons. The warrior took a sharp piece of flint and attached it with cords at a right angle to the end of a short handle - an axe. The piece of flint was the same size and shape as the tip of a spear. To make it, it was necessary to attach exactly the same piece of processed stone along the longitudinal axis to the end of a longer shaft. During the New Stone Age, people began to make carefully finished axes, which served as models for the elegant and efficient bronze axes of the subsequent period (Fig. 75). When iron was widely recognized as the best material for making weapons, axes became larger. The bulk of the battle axes that have survived to this day date back to the period from 400 BC. e. before 400 AD e., comes from Scandinavia. It is therefore not surprising that the Vikings were so fond of axes, given how popular the ax was with their ancestors and predecessors. The Celts, who inhabited most of Western Europe, were not very fond of the axe, preferring a long sword.

It is difficult to classify an ax as a weapon; it is, among other things, a working tool, and it can be used both as a weapon and as a tool. In ancient times, they were probably used this way, depending on the situation. Very few of the thousands of axes stored in our museums can be unambiguously classified as military weapons. One type of ax, however, could only be used as a military weapon - it was impossible to use it for peaceful purposes. It's about about the small throwing ax of the Franks, about Francis, from whom all this people took their name. It was a light weapon - a small curved ax on a very short ax handle (Fig. 76). The ancient Franks - before the era of Charlemagne - began the battle, rushing at the enemy with frantic shouts, and, approaching him, threw their axes into his ranks and Angons. Having come into direct contact with the enemy, Frankish warriors fought with swords or axes on long axes. I have one such large ax, found in the burial of an 8th century warrior: the ax weighs two and a half pounds and looks like a very massive piece of iron. But I wanted to understand what it looks like as a whole, real ax. To do this, I mounted it on the ax of a modern tree-cutting tool. The ax immediately came to life and, although it was too heavy to be manipulated with one hand, it was surprisingly convenient and apparently effective when grasped with both hands (Fig. 77). The handles of these axes were shaped like hooks, and over the past centuries the shape of the ax has remained virtually unchanged. This graceful double bend was given to the wooden ax not for beauty, but for greater efficiency. This form of ax became necessary.

The Scandinavians - the ancestors of the Vikings - used axes very similar in shape to the Frankish ones; the only difference was the structure of the ax socket. It's almost impossible to explain this difference in words, so I won't even try. Let the illustration do it for me (Fig. 78). You see that, although this difference is very small, it still allows us to confidently distinguish a Frankish ax from a Norwegian one.

Only with the advent of the Viking Age (750-1000) did an ax with a large wide blade appear (Fig. 79). These axes appear to have been used exclusively by the Vikings. Looking at the drawing, one might imagine that these huge axes, with their beautifully rounded blades ranging from nine to thirteen inches in length, were very heavy, but this is far from the case. The blades are so finely and skillfully forged that they weigh no more than the clumsier and heavier axes we just looked at. On the contrary, it can be rotated overhead with much less force than a modern lumberjack's axe.

Axes of this shape were used until the 13th century. Most often they were weapons of infantry, but not so rarely they were used by cavalrymen and knights. An example of the massive use of axes is the Battle of Lincoln in 1141. The English King Stephen - a very unimportant king, but a charming man and a valiant knight - was captured in a battle with his rival for the English crown, his own cousin Queen Matilda. In the winter of 1140/41, Stephen captured the city of Lincoln from Matilda's supporters; but while it was under the protection of its walls, the earls of Gloucester and Chester raised an army and marched to liberate the city. Stefan decided to give battle rather than sit in a siege. Having made a decision, he led his army into the field, placing it west of the city. The army of the counts had to overcome a ditch filled with water (this was in February) and fight with it behind them, that is, in a situation where defeat threatened to turn into an inevitable disaster. Both armies fought mostly on foot, with the exception of a small force of cavalry that began the battle. Stephen and his knights dismounted to fight near the royal standard. The enemy leaders did the same.

The clash of cavalrymen at the beginning of the battle led to the complete defeat of the royal cavalry. After this, the rest of the rebel army took over the royal infantry. The Earl of Chester attacked it from the front, and the Earl of Gloucester made a flanking maneuver and hit the royal army in the flanks and rear. The royalists resisted valiantly, but their formation was soon broken. The citizens of Lincoln rushed to the city gates, and the rebels behind them.

The massacre continued on the city streets. But Stefan and his inner circle stood near the standard to the death and continued to fight when the battle, in essence, was long over. The king fought like a lion, keeping his opponents at a respectful distance from him. Then his sword broke. One of Lincoln's soldiers, standing next to the king, handed him a large ax (Roger de Hoveden calls it a Danish axe), and with terrible blows of this weapon the king continued to drive away his enemies for some time. Here is how one of his contemporaries describes this battle: “Here the power of the king became visible, equal to the power of heavenly thunder, he killed some with his huge ax and threw others to the ground. The enemies screamed again and rushed at the king - everyone was against him, and he was alone against everyone. Finally, after many blows, the king’s ax shattered into pieces, and seeing this, one of the strongest knights of the enemy, William de Cam, rushed to the king, grabbed him by the helmet and cried out in a loud voice: “Hurry here! I have captured the king!"

In a manuscript compiled in the monastery (the original word is Bury, it is not in dictionaries, although the root is naturally the same as in Canterbury) of St. Edmund between 1121 and 1148, there is an image of a warrior fighting with an ax (Fig. 80) . Perhaps this is an image of King Stephen himself.

The cavalry ax was a small, light weapon held with one hand, although some illustrations show horsemen wielding heavy, two-handed Danish axes.

During the Middle Ages, cavalry axes appeared in a variety of various forms. It is almost always possible to tell unmistakably, as, for example, in the case of hooks, in what area these axes were made. However, over time, the ax blade became straight, displacing the curved shape (Fig. 81). Towards the end of the period under consideration, in the last decades of the 15th century and at the beginning of the 16th century, axes became small and narrow, often equipped with a hammer or a tooth on the butt (Fig. 82).

During the 14th century, a different type of ax began to appear in armies. This weapon was intended for combat on foot, but did not become an infantry weapon. On the contrary, it was a knightly modification of the infantry axe. The combat part of the weapon, often made with great skill, resembles a halberd. The end of the ax is crowned with a long, thin point, like a pike or spear. They varied greatly in form. Some had a straight blade, others had a slightly rounded blade. The hammers on the butt of the ax could be flat or slightly serrated. Sometimes six sharp teeth were placed on the combat surface of the hammer, like on the soles of cricket boots (Fig. 83). Some had a very short handle, only about four feet, but in other examples the handle reached six feet. This weapon became truly popular among the knightly class only by the middle of the 15th century; but between 1430 and 1530 it became a favorite means of fighting on foot. Most of these fights were fights in tournaments or duels, although in some cases they were used to resolve legal disputes. It was a continuation of the old tradition of “God's judgment.” Honor fights or judicial duels were held in small square fenced areas, reminiscent of a boxing ring. These sites were called in French Chanclo(champ-clos). The participants in the duel were usually dressed in armor, but this was not mandatory and was left to the discretion of the opponents. Many famous duels were arranged in this way.

The technique of fighting with dueling axes or hammers was simple and effective (Fig. 84). One side of the ax could be used to chop the enemy, the tooth or hammer of the butt could be used to deliver blunt blows, and the long tip could be used to stab the opponent. The weapon was held by the shaft with widely spaced hands, which made it possible to deliver strong blows, quickly manipulate the weapon and parry the enemy’s blows with great force. With the right, dominant hand, the ax was held by the shaft approximately eighteen inches from the axe. This leading hand was often protected by a round guard, reminiscent of a spear guard. The second hand remained unprotected, since blows were not delivered to this place of the shaft. The blows were parried in the same way as with a club or like a good old rifle during a bayonet fight. The blows were delivered, as a rule, rather slowly - in fact, each blow had to be delivered slowly and very calculatedly.

The same technique was used in the fight on halberds And bills The latter was a most excellent weapon, since, despite its great length, it was much lighter than a pole or halberd. All of the bill's devices - hooks, points and eyes - were very useful in defense and deadly in attack during combat on foot. An infantryman armed with a bill and skilled in handling it could provide worthy resistance to an armored horseman. Once, during a demonstration, I myself used a bill and was surprised at how easy it is with the help of this weapon to reflect a blow with a sword, mace or ax and at the same time, with the same movement, inflict a piercing or slashing blow on a knight or, using the long protrusion on the tip, pull enemy from the saddle.

The halberd was often used as an axe, but the halberd had one valuable feature that the battle ax lacked. If a heavily armed and armored knight received a blow to the back of the head and began to fall forward from the saddle, then parts of the body not protected by armor were exposed - the thighs and seat. In this situation, the enemy could strike at them with the long tip of a halberd. Truly it was a terrible weapon. The same thing, no doubt, could be done by bill or half.

Poll The ax or hammer appears to have been the most popular weapon. But swords and spears, or spear-like weapons consisting of a long point - up to thirty inches - mounted on a shaft about four feet long, also found use. In tournaments, the opponents' hands were protected by steel plates or discs placed on the shaft directly above the grip of the weapon, like the guard of a sword or spear. Sometimes on swords a simple cross-shaped guard was replaced with a solid hilt, which better protected the hand in fights. When we read in medieval manuscripts: “How a man schal be armyd at his ese when he schall fyghte on foote,” we find that his sword “schall be wel besagewed before ye hilts.” You and I have encountered similar instructions for knights before when we discussed knightly armor, and we will find even more instructions when we move on to swords in the next chapter.

In its use in combat, a hammer is very similar to an axe; The size of the warhead was quite large - usually about three inches in length with an impact surface area of ​​about two square inches. The front flat surface had teeth, and the counterbalancing rear part was a massive protrusion. The handle was approximately 2-2.5 feet long. Sometimes at the end there was some kind of handle, wrapped in wire or a strip of leather, with a small guard and a rudimentary head (Fig. 85). But this was rare - usually the handle was a simple wooden or steel rod. Polla hammers were extremely popular in the second half of the 15th century - similar in shape to those just described, but with big sizes and mounted on a longer handle, which brought them closer to polls - axes. And the technique of using both weapons in fights was the same (Fig. 86).

Mace, as is clear from its shape, was the result of an improvement on the ancient club. From the ancient times of the Stone Age, examples of carefully finished and polished stone clubs have survived to this day - more or less spherical in shape with a hole drilled in the center, although some examples of these deadly weapons were carefully processed discs. Such disc-shaped maces were the favorite weapon of the ancient Egyptians, and many examples have survived to this day. There is a huge variety of bronze maces, but in general it is never completely certain that they came to us from the Bronze Age, since bronze maces were in great use between 1200 and 1500 AD (Fig. 87). But it is quite possible that clubs made, say, in 800 BC. e., and maces cast in 1300 AD. e., will be identical in material and shape. But with all this, there are forms of maces that are specific to a certain period, and many of them were used as knightly weapons. One such mace, found in London (Fig. 88), is the typical form seen in statues and illustrations of medieval manuscripts dating from 1230 to 1350.

At the end of the 15th century, the mace turned into a beautifully designed weapon. Indeed, between 1440 and 1510, most bladed weapons acquired not only a beautiful form - the most beautiful of all their existence - but also an unsurpassed splendor of decoration. Gunsmiths and blacksmiths at that time reached the peak of their skills. Maces of this period were lightweight weapons with flanged heads; the flanges, ribbed longitudinal projections, had a sharp cutting edge, in contrast to earlier blunt examples (Fig. 89). However, this form also had a significant drawback. If a mace with blunt edges delivered a blunt blow and bounced off the armor, then a mace with sharp edges cut the armor and got stuck in it, literally twisting out of the hand of its owner. At the beginning of the 16th century, the sharp edges of the flanges were again made blunt, but the heads of the maces were richly decorated (Fig. 90). In addition, the clubs have become larger. The small, light mace with sharp flanges weighed about two and a half pounds and was in use from 1465 to 1490; before and after the flanges were blunt, and the weight reached four to six pounds.

Sometimes, especially before 1450, mace handles were made of wood, but then, after 1450, they began to be made exclusively of steel.

In illustrations of historical books and in images of knights, we often see a round mace, the ball of which is studded with long sharp spikes. Although examples of such maces have indeed survived to this day, they, as well as the flail-like weapons with three balls suspended on chains, also studded with metal spikes, were infantry weapons. They were brutal weapons, but what poetic and beautiful names they had - the spherical mace was called the “morning star”, and the flail was called the “waterspout”. Our ancestors showed a kind of dark humor, calling very ungentlemanly weapons that way.

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The war hammer is one of the most ancient types of bladed weapons, which was used mainly for close-range combat. It was first produced in the Neolithic era. The hammer is a dual-use weapon, used in both blacksmithing and warfare. In the second case, he is capable of inflicting terrible deforming and breaking blows on the enemy.

General information

As mentioned earlier, the hammer appeared in the Neolithic. Initially it had a stone top. Quite often, it served as a butt in ceremonial stone or Over time, this crushing weapon was improved, and in the Middle Ages they already used ordinary iron forge hammers mounted on a long handle. They were somewhat reminiscent of a mace, which delivered blows that not only stunned but also deformed armor.

The most famous representative of this weapon is Mjollnir - the mythical hammer of the god of storm and thunder Thor. It became a truly religious symbol, a heraldic emblem and amulet for all Scandinavians. However, until the 11th century. Such weapons were used mainly by the Germans alone.

Spreading

The war hammer was most widely used by horsemen starting in the 13th century. Its rapid spread was facilitated by the emergence of reliable knight's armor and lat. Swords, maces, axes and any other weapons used in those days for close combat were no longer effective against them. All of them turned out to be ineffective. That is why more and more new variants of the same war hammer began to appear. Its varieties include any pole weapon with a knob, which on one side looks like a hammer, and on the other can have the appearance of a straight or slightly curved blade, beak, faceted spike, etc.

The very name “hammer” suggests the presence of at least one of the above elements of the combat head. The weapon retains this name even when there is no actual hammer on it. The most common was considered a hammer, which had an upward point and, in addition to it, short spikes, which were often located directly on the striking part of the butt or on the side of it. The beaks could pierce armor plates or tear chain mail. The hammer was used to stun the enemy or deform his armor.

Lucernhammer

This is a type of bladed weapon that appeared in Switzerland around the end of the 15th century. It was in service with many infantrymen European countries until the end of the 17th century. Given medieval weapons was a bound shaft up to 2 m long, at one end of which there was combat unit in the form of a pointed peak, and at its base there is a hammer. Usually it was made double-sided. The impact toothed part of the hammer served to stun the enemy, and the hook part resembled a sharp beak. Considering its purpose, we can say that it belonged to a polearm with shock-crushing action.

It is believed that the reason for the appearance of the Lucerne hammer was the hostilities that took place between the Swiss infantry and the German cavalry. The fact is that the riders had fairly high-quality armor, against which traditional halberds were powerless, since they were not able to penetrate the iron shell of the rider. It was then that the need arose for a new weapon that could penetrate enemy armor with relative ease. As for the pike, it helped the infantrymen effectively repel enemy cavalry attacks. The Lucerne hammer turned out to be so good that over time it managed to completely replace halberds.

Short-pole weapon

Similar hammers, whose handle did not exceed 80 cm in length, appeared in Europe in the 10th century. They were used exclusively in hand-to-hand combat and were often armed with horsemen. But such weapons began to be used everywhere in cavalry only after 5 centuries. The short shafts of both eastern and European hammers were very often made of iron and equipped with a special handle for gripping with one or two hands.

The war hammer on the opposite side of the beak could have a fairly diverse striking surface, for example, spiked, conical, smooth, pyramidal, topped with a monogram or some kind of figurine. The last two were used to imprint themselves on the armor or body of the enemy.

Longshaft Hammers

In the XIV century. This weapon gained the greatest popularity. It had a long handle up to 2 m and in appearance resembled a halberd. The only difference was that the warhead of the hammers was not solidly forged, but assembled from several individual elements. In addition, they almost always had a pike or spear at the end. It is worth noting the fact that these medieval weapons did not always have a beak with reverse side hammer. Instead, an ax was sometimes attached, which could be either small or quite impressive in size. Such an unusual weapon was called a polex.

The striking part of the hammer in long-shaft weapons was varied: smooth, with small teeth, with one or more short or long spikes, and even defiant inscriptions. There were also variants of weapons where the combat head consisted only of hammers, trident beaks or blades, and ended on top with an unchanged pike. Long-shafted weapons were used primarily by foot soldiers to fight against enemy cavalry. Sometimes knights also found use for them when they dismounted.

Its first examples appeared in the 16th century. and were distinguished by great diversity, but they were all united by a common feature - they necessarily contained certain elements inherent in war hammers. The simplest of them had handles, inside which a sword was placed. Such blades often had some additions in the form of openers - special stands for firearms or crossbows.

Weapons such as fire stocks were much more complex. In addition to a hammer with hatchets and claws, they were also equipped with long blades up to one and a half meters in length. They could be extended either automatically or fired from the top of the handle. There were also crickets, which were a combination of hammers with pistols or guns.

Eastern analogues

Klevtsy with short shafts were used not only in European armies, but also in the East. For example, in India a similar war hammer was called a fakir's staff or driven, in Afghanistan and Pakistan - lohar, in Persia - tabar. This weapon was very similar to the European one, because it had the same division of the hammer into four spikes. Just like the Lucernehammer.

It must be said that the Klevets lasted much longer in the East than in Europe, since they were in great demand both among the military and the civilian population. They were especially popular in the Indo-Persian region and even had the same name - “crow’s beak”. Combined weapons were also made in India. There were also analogues in China and Japan.

Butt

After the loss combat use Klevtsov, in Poland they began to issue special laws prohibiting the civilian population from carrying them, even in the form of canes and staves. Instead, another version of the hammer appeared - the butt or butt. It could easily be recognized by its iron, silver or brass knobs and beaks strongly bent towards the shaft, often wrapped in a ring. There were also specimens in which only the sharp tip was bent or they had a bend unusual shape. In addition, the opposite end of the handle, up to 1 m long, was also bound in butts. It was mainly worn by

As you know, the butt was originally intended for self-defense, but over time it became clear that this weapon was more dangerous than the klevt. Previously, during a fight with the enemy, a saber could cut the face, head or arm, and the spilled blood would somehow calm down the heated warriors. Now, when a person was hit with a butt, no blood was visible. Therefore, the attacker could not immediately come to his senses and struck harder and harder over and over again, inflicting fatal injuries on his victim. It must be said that the Polish nobles who carried these weapons did not spare their subjects too much, and often punished them with beatings, and sometimes killed them.

Surrender of positions

Over time, the hammer (a weapon of the Middle Ages) lost its former popularity, and it began to be used only as an attribute of various military ranks. This was the case in Italy, Germany and other European countries. The robber and Cossack atamans followed their example. Quite often, screw-in dagger blades were placed in the handles of these weapons.

A war hammer is a type of bladed weapon designed to deliver crushing blows to the enemy, functionally similar to a mace or club. Together with the spear and the axe, the war hammer is one of the most ancient types of bladed weapons; all of them were invented by man back in the Neolithic period.

The war hammer was very popular in the German lands (until the 11th century); it is believed that it was from there that it came to other European countries. However, the “golden age” for the hammer can be called the late Middle Ages, the time of widespread use of plate armor. During this period, the war hammer - along with the ax and pike - became part of the universal long-shafted weapon, with which it was possible to deliver piercing, chopping and crushing blows. After the disappearance of plate armor, the war hammer was still used for some time as a status attribute of the military authorities.

In addition to Europe, war hammers were very popular in the East. Varieties of these weapons in different time widely used in India, Persia, China and Afghanistan.

The hammer, like other types of bladed weapons, had (and still has) great symbolic meaning in different historical periods. It is very widely represented in the mythology of various peoples of the world.

The war hammer is the true quintessence of pressure, pressure, power and brute force, invincible and all-crushing. However, it is characterized by a kind of dualism, since the hammer is not only an instrument of destruction, but also an instrument of creation. This is not only an attribute of war, but also a symbol of labor and creativity. The Scandinavian god of thunder and storm Thor used his stone hammer Mjollnir both as a creative tool and as a weapon of enormous destructive power. This hammer not only flew perfectly, but also always returned to its owner. In Japan, the hammer was a symbol of wealth and prosperity; this tool was an invariable attribute greek god Hephaestus is the patron saint of blacksmiths and metallurgists. However, among some peoples, the hammer was a symbol of evil, a blind natural element, unpredictable and inexorable.

The hammer is a very common heraldic symbol, although in this area its “peaceful” form is more often used. The coat of arms of the Soviet Union featured a hammer and sickle; this symbol was often used by other lovers of leftist ideology.

Description of war hammers

Warhammer (English: Warhammer) is a predominantly Western term; in Russian literature, this weapon is often called a klevets or mint. Although a small hatchet with a hammer on the butt is often called a “chaser”. The large number of varieties of war hammers that existed in different historical periods, as well as the practice of using hammers as part of a universal warhead along with an ax and a point, led to some confusion in the names.

The war hammer consisted of a shaft and a warhead attached to its top. The length of the shaft could be different, sometimes it reached a meter in length. However, short hammers designed to be held with one hand were also very common. The shaft was usually made of wood (its thickness could vary), but hammers with a metal handle were also found. The warhead had the shape of a parallelepiped or cylinder, one of the ends of which was pointed. To attach it to the shaft, the most different ways: stopper, rope and others. The flat part of the striker was called the butt; sometimes it ended with several teeth.

With the blunt side of the hammer it was possible to stun an enemy and break his bones without even breaking through his armor. And to pierce armor or chain mail, a pointed part of the weapon was used, which was often called the beak.

The Swiss hammer Bec de Corbin, better known as the Lucerne hammer, had four spikes of considerable length on the butt, spread out to the sides central axis striker.

The phrase “war hammer” usually evokes an association (for this we have to thank computer games) with a huge and heavy weapon, resembling an ordinary blacksmith's tool. This is not entirely true. By the way, similar misconceptions are associated with another type of impact weapon - a mace. Heavy forge hammers may have been used on the battlefield in some circumstances, but a war hammer designed specifically for warfare was something entirely different. As a rule, this weapon was fencing with one hand, and its weight was 1-2 kg. But in general, we can add that war hammers bore little resemblance to what we are accustomed to understand by the word “hammer.” The main function of this weapon during the period of its greatest distribution was to defeat a well-protected enemy. Some types of war hammer that have survived to this day did not have a hammer at all.

What are the main advantages of a war hammer over other types of melee weapons? There are several of them. First of all, this is the penetrating power of hammers. After the advent of plate armor, the sword began to increasingly turn into an attribute of status, since it was very difficult to hit an enemy clad in iron with it. The center of gravity of a hammer is much higher than that of a sword, so the blow is much more crushing. In addition, all his strength is concentrated at one point, so to break through armor you do not need to have very great strength.

A hammer has another advantage over a spear, ax or sword: it never gets stuck. This is especially important during a duel with a shield bearer. Almost any weapon gets stuck in a wooden shield, but not a hammer. The fact is that upon impact, it does not so much pierce as break through the barrier, forming a rather wide hole. With sufficient strength and skill, you can split the shield with a few successful blows.

The war hammer had another significant advantage over the sword: it was much cheaper. In the Middle Ages, making a long and strong sword blade was the whole story. This required good quality iron and highly qualified blacksmiths. Therefore, swords were expensive and were not as widespread as modern cinema shows. In addition, a good blow can cause damage to the sword blade (or even break it) and not all of them can be dealt with using a whetstone. A hammer (like a mace) is a completely different matter. The steel for the warhead can be medium, or even very medium. If marks appear on it during use, they will not affect the combat qualities of the weapon in any way.

Why, then, have not war hammers and maces replaced expensive and not very reliable swords? Alas, like any specialized weapon, the hammer has a number of disadvantages.

It was extremely difficult to parry enemy blows with a war hammer. It does not have a very suitable balance for this, in addition, the hilt of this weapon does not prevent the enemy’s blade from slipping. So the warrior definitely needed a shield. Also, the warhammer is not very well suited for use in close formations, it does not work very well at long ranges.

War hammers of the medieval period can be divided into three large groups:

  • Short hammer or "rider's hammer". This is a one-handed weapon that was very popular among cavalrymen from the 13th to the 16th centuries. It had a length of 60-80 cm, the warhead weighed about half a kilogram. In Rus', short hammers were traditionally called “klevets” or “chasers”; they were loved by the Zaporozhye Cossacks (kelef, kelep) and the famous Polish hussars. The beak was often supplemented with a small ax and a point. The short hammer was used not only by riders, they were also used with pleasure for close hand-to-hand combat;
  • Long or long-shafted hammer. This type of weapon had a shaft of considerable length, from 1.2 to 2 meters. Long-shaft hammers became widespread around the middle of the 14th century. This type of weapon was in many ways reminiscent of a halberd, but differed from it in that its warhead was not solidly forged, but consisted of individual elements. Their composition varied: very often such a hammer had a lance at the end, and an ax was installed instead of a beak. Such weapons are better known as Polex. The surface of the hammer often had teeth, and sometimes an inscription was applied to it. There are known variants of a long hammer, in which the warhead, in addition to the axe, also carried a beak, four spikes and a hammer, and on top there was a pike. Often, a guard (rondel) was made on the shaft of long hammers to protect the hands;
  • Throwing Hammer. Separately, we can highlight hammers intended for throwing at the enemy. They are very similar to the sports equipment that Olympians use today.

History of the War Hammer

As mentioned above, a hammer - along with a spear and an ax - is the most ancient type of bladed weapon invented by man. When our distant ancestor realized that nature had endowed him with not too strong and long arms, and his teeth are poorly suited for self-defense, he began to arm himself. The idea of ​​attaching a massive stone to a wooden stick is not too complicated, so it is not surprising that the war hammer dates back to the Neolithic.

Moreover, the hammer is also good for its versatility; it can be used not only as a weapon, but also to perform many household functions. Often the hammer was the butt of a stone axe, in which case the range of its use expanded even further.

After man discovered metals, hammer heads began to be made from them. First from bronze, and then from iron. Moreover, the hammer was necessary when processing metals in a forge, so it was very common. Later, already in the Middle Ages, ordinary blacksmith hammers were sometimes used in battle, mounted on longer handles.

The hammer was a traditional weapon of the ancient Germans; they used it even before the beginning of the 11th century. With the advent of plate armor, the victorious march of these weapons throughout Europe began. If up to this point a sword or spear was quite enough to defeat an enemy, then something else was needed to break through a heavily armed one. War hammers, on the other hand, had excellent “armor-piercing” characteristics, so they coped with such tasks perfectly. At the same time, they were not too difficult to use and were inexpensive. The action of a hammer is very similar to a mace, but it is more effective against heavy armor. In addition, additional elements of its warhead significantly increased the versatility of this weapon.

That is why the short hammer became a favorite weapon of infantry and cavalry. The knights for a long time disdained the despicable weapons of the townspeople, but, in the end, the harsh reality left them no choice. By the middle of the 15th century, the war hammer became the usual weapon of the horseman, for which it received its second name - “cavalry hammer”.

The infantry took a slightly different path; at the beginning of the 14th century, hammers with a shaft appeared, the length of which sometimes reached two meters, and the combat unit could include a hammer, a spear, and an ax. Sometimes the lower part of the shaft ended in a deadly spike.

Although, similar weapons Usually referred to specifically as a hammer, it is rather a hybrid of a spear, an ax and a hammer. The classification of such chimeras is a rather complicated issue, since there were a large number of their variations, and each master made weapons according to his own understanding - there was no GOST system at that time.

In Germany, such hammer-spear-axes were called fusstreithammer, in France - bec de corbin, in Switzerland - Lucerne hammers, and in England - poleaxes (poleaxes). It is the latter name that is the most popular today. Such a weapon combines the striking power of a hammer, the penetrating blow of a spear and the wide area of ​​destruction of an ax. With its help, it was very convenient for a foot warrior to repel attacks of enemy cavalry.

Some modern historians generally believe that the polex came not from a war hammer, but from a Danish axe.

By the way, the polex was not only used in war, it was one of the most popular tournament weapons. They were often used during duels; there was even a special “duel” modification of this hammer.

Almost all examples of polaxes that have survived to this day are richly decorated and quite well made, which suggests the material wealth of their owners. Already today, studies have been carried out on the graves of soldiers who died in the battles of Visby (1361) and Tauton (1461), which showed significant amount who died precisely from blows from poleaxes.

The widespread use of firearms gradually makes heavy plate armor unnecessary, and along with it the war hammer goes into oblivion. Although, of course, this does not happen immediately. In the 16th century, combined weapons appeared: swords, rapiers, and knives were placed in the handles of knives and war hammers. They are sometimes used as a firearm rest. The so-called fire stocks generally had blades that were fired from the handle. The so-called crickets were very interesting - peculiar hybrids of pistols and war hammers.

At the end of the 17th century, the war hammer almost completely lost its combat significance and turned into a fashionable attribute that emphasized the high status of its owner. It was worn by officers, and robber atamans often followed their example. This was the case in Germany and Italy. In Poland, the klewiec turned into a civilian self-defense weapon, receiving the name obushok or butt. Hammers were used for similar purposes in Belarus and Hungary.

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The war hammer is one of the most ancient types of bladed weapons, which was used mainly for close-range combat. It was first produced in the Neolithic era. The hammer is a dual-use weapon, used in both blacksmithing and warfare. In the second case, he is capable of inflicting terrible deforming and breaking blows on the enemy.

General information

As mentioned earlier, the hammer appeared in the Neolithic. Initially it had a stone top. Quite often it served as the butt of a ceremonial stone or battle axe. Over time, these crushing weapons were improved, and in the Middle Ages they already used ordinary iron forge hammers mounted on a long handle. They were somewhat reminiscent of a mace, which delivered blows that not only stunned but also deformed armor.

The most famous representative of this weapon is Mjollnir - the mythical hammer of the god of storm and thunder Thor. It became a truly religious symbol, a heraldic emblem and amulet for all Scandinavians. However, until the 11th century. Such weapons were used mainly by the Germans alone.

Spreading

The war hammer was most widely used by horsemen starting in the 13th century. Its rapid spread was facilitated by the appearance of reliable knightly armor and armor. Swords, maces, axes and any other weapons used in those days for close combat were no longer effective against them. All of them turned out to be ineffective. That is why more and more new variants of the same war hammer began to appear. Its varieties include any pole weapon with a knob, which on one side looks like a hammer, and on the other can have the appearance of a straight or slightly curved blade, beak, faceted spike, etc.

The very name “hammer” suggests the presence of at least one of the above elements of the combat head. The weapon retains this name even when there is no actual hammer on it. The most common was considered a hammer, which had an upward point and, in addition to it, short spikes, which were often located directly on the striking part of the butt or on the side of it. The beaks could pierce armor plates or tear chain mail. The hammer was used to stun the enemy or deform his armor.

Lucernhammer

This is a type of bladed weapon that appeared in Switzerland around the end of the 15th century. It was in service with infantrymen of many European countries until the end of the 17th century. This medieval weapon was a chained shaft up to 2 m long, at one end of which there was a warhead in the form of a pointed pike, and at its base a hammer. Usually it was made double-sided. The impact toothed part of the hammer served to stun the enemy, and the hook part resembled a sharp beak. Considering its purpose, we can say that it belonged to a polearm with shock-crushing action.

It is believed that the reason for the appearance of the Lucerne hammer was the hostilities that took place between the Swiss infantry and the German cavalry. The fact is that the riders had fairly high-quality armor, against which traditional halberds were powerless, since they were not able to penetrate the iron shell of the rider. It was then that the need arose for a new weapon that could penetrate enemy armor with relative ease. As for the pike, it helped the infantrymen effectively repel enemy cavalry attacks. The Lucerne hammer turned out to be so good that over time it managed to completely replace halberds.

Short-pole weapon

Similar hammers, with a handle no longer than 80 cm, appeared in Europe in the 10th century. They were used exclusively in hand-to-hand combat and were often armed with horsemen. But such weapons began to be used everywhere in cavalry only after 5 centuries. The short shafts of both eastern and European hammers were very often made of iron and equipped with a special handle for gripping with one or two hands.

The war hammer on the opposite side of the beak could have a fairly diverse striking surface, for example, spiked, conical, smooth, pyramidal, topped with a monogram or some kind of figurine. The last two were used to imprint themselves on the armor or body of the enemy.

Longshaft Hammers

In the XIV century. This weapon gained the greatest popularity. It had a long handle up to 2 m and in appearance resembled a halberd. The only difference was that the warhead of the hammers was not solidly forged, but assembled from several separate elements. In addition, they almost always had a pike or spear at the end. It is also worth noting the fact that these medieval weapons did not always have a beak on the back of the hammer. Instead, an ax was sometimes attached, which could be either small or quite impressive in size. Such an unusual weapon was called a polex.

The striking part of the hammer in long-shaft weapons was varied: smooth, with small teeth, with one or more short or long spikes, and even defiant inscriptions. There were also variants of weapons where the combat head consisted only of hammers, trident beaks or blades, and ended on top with an unchanged pike. Long-shafted weapons were used primarily by foot soldiers to fight against enemy cavalry. Sometimes knights also found use for them when they dismounted.

Its first examples appeared in the 16th century. and were distinguished by great diversity, but they were all united by a common feature - they necessarily contained certain elements inherent in war hammers. The simplest of them had handles, inside which a sword was placed. Such blades often had some additions in the form of under-shafts - special stands for firearms or crossbows.

Weapons such as fire stocks were much more complex. In addition to a hammer with hatchets and claws, they were also equipped with long blades up to one and a half meters in length. They could be extended either automatically or fired from the top of the handle. There were also crickets, which were a combination of hammers with pistols or guns.

Eastern analogues

Klevtsy with short shafts were used not only in European armies, but also in the East. For example, in India a similar war hammer was called a fakir's staff or driven, in Afghanistan and Pakistan - lohar, in Persia - tabar. This weapon was very similar to the European one, because it had the same division of the hammer into four spikes. Just like the Lucernehammer.

It must be said that the Klevets lasted much longer in the East than in Europe, since they were in great demand both among the military and the civilian population. They were especially popular in the Indo-Persian region and even had the same name - “crow’s beak”. Combined weapons were also made in India. There were also analogues in China and Japan.

Butt

After the loss of combat use of klevtsy, in Poland they began to issue special laws prohibiting the civilian population from carrying them, even in the form of canes and staves. Instead, another version of the hammer appeared - the butt or butt. It could easily be recognized by its iron, silver or brass knobs and beaks strongly bent towards the shaft, often wrapped in a ring. There were also specimens in which only the sharp tip was bent or they had an unusually shaped bend. In addition, the opposite end of the handle, up to 1 m long, was also bound in butts. It was worn mainly by the Polish gentry.

As you know, the butt was originally intended for self-defense, but over time it became clear that this weapon was more dangerous than the klevt. Previously, during a fight with the enemy, a saber could cut the face, head or arm, and the spilled blood would somehow calm down the heated warriors. Now, when a person was hit with a butt, no blood was visible. Therefore, the attacker could not immediately come to his senses and struck harder and harder over and over again, inflicting fatal injuries on his victim. It must be said that the Polish nobles who carried these weapons did not spare their subjects too much, and often punished them with beatings, and sometimes killed them.

Surrender of positions

Over time, the hammer (a weapon of the Middle Ages) lost its former popularity, and it began to be used only as an attribute of various military ranks. This was the case in Italy, Germany and other European countries. The robber and Cossack atamans followed their example. Quite often, screw-in dagger blades were placed in the handles of these weapons.

A war hammer is a cold pole weapon of the impact-crushing type, similar in its action to a club and a mace. It has been known to man since ancient times; it is believed that our distant ancestors began using a war hammer, along with a spear, an ax and a club, back in the late Stone Age. But the “golden age” of these weapons, without a doubt, was the late Middle Ages, a period when warriors clad in iron from head to toe fought on the battlefield. The hammer was capable of crushing even the most powerful armor.

It was during this period that it became an integral part of complex long-shafted weapons, such as the polex or battle axe. Although, the war hammer was also used as a separate independent weapon.

In recent years, thanks to computer toys and fantasy books, the war hammer has become more recognizable. But such fame played a cruel joke on him. The weapons usually depicted by writers or animators bear very little relation to real war hammers. Usually it is something huge, rectangular and very massive, very reminiscent of an ordinary blacksmith hammer or sledgehammer, decorated with intricate patterns. Of course, a sledgehammer can also be used in battle, there is a lot of historical evidence about this, but a real war hammer had a completely different shape and weight. And to his appearance it looked more like a pickaxe or an ice ax.

The hammer is very widely represented in the mythology of various peoples. Man has always associated it with pressure and brute force, capable of crushing everything in its path. The most famous war hammer, without a doubt, is Mjollnir - the stone weapon of the Scandinavian god Thor. He used his hammer both for creation and as a weapon of destruction. Mjollnir could be thrown, and not only did it always hit the target, but it also returned to its owner. The Japanese revered the hammer as a symbol of prosperity and wealth; it was a constant companion of Hephaestus, the ancient Greek deity of blacksmithing and metallurgy. With the help of this hammer, Hephaestus forged armor, a sword and a shield for Achilles, with which the legendary hero did not know defeat.

At the same time, among some peoples, the hammer was a symbol of the natural elements, powerful, unpredictable and indomitable. The symbolism of the hammer is characterized by a kind of dualism associated with its two functions: peaceful and military. On coats of arms and emblems it is usually the “civilian” form of the hammer that is used. The hammer, as a tool, has long become a symbol of hard work, industrial production, and craftsmanship. On the coat of arms and flag of the Soviet Union, the hammer symbolized the working class.

The war hammer was popular not only in Europe; similar weapons were also used in other regions of the world: India, China, Persia, and the Middle East.

After losing its combat significance, the war hammer was used for a long time as a status weapon. In Italy, Poland and Germany, hammers were attributes of high military command. They were also popular among bandits and Cossack chieftains.

Description and classification

A war hammer consists of a shaft and a warhead, which was usually made of metal. The term “war hammer” (warhammer) itself is more typical for Western European (English) literature, in Eastern Europe Such weapons were usually called klevets and mints. However, the latter name is often used to refer to small axes with an elongated beak-shaped butt, therefore, to avoid confusion, it is better to avoid this name. In general, we can say that the wide variety of war hammers that existed in different historical periods, as well as the practice of using them as one of the elements of complex composite weapons, led to significant confusion in terminology.

The warhead of the hammers was a cylinder or parallelepiped with one pointed end. It was shaped like a beak and could have different lengths. The other end was shaped like a hammer; its working surface could be smooth or have several teeth. There were different ways of attaching the warhead to the shaft: using a rope, a stopper, etc. With the flat part it was possible to stun the adversary, break his bones, or knock him out of the saddle. However, the main striking element of the hammer, of course, was the beak. With its help it was possible to pierce almost any armor, because the entire force of the blow fell on one point.

The shaft of the war hammer was usually made of wood, but metal handles are also known. Often the wooden shaft was bound with metal. The length of the shaft varied widely, depending on the historical period, country, and the characteristics of the use of a particular weapon.

There is a very common misconception about a war hammer as something heavy and very massive. This is wrong. One-handed samples of these weapons usually weighed 1-2 kg. Hammers had many advantages over other types of bladed weapons, however, they also had very serious disadvantages.

The development of protective equipment has led to a significant decrease in the effectiveness of edged weapons. The sword was not very effective against chain mail armor, and with the advent of armor, it generally began to turn into an attribute of status. The war hammer had a much higher center of gravity than the sword, and, in addition, all the power of the blow was concentrated in one small point. Therefore, in order to pierce heavy armor with a war hammer, it was not necessary to have any extraordinary physical strength. In terms of its punching properties, it was superior to a mace, because the weight of the hammer was better balanced.

This weapon also has one more advantage: the war hammer does not get stuck in the enemy’s armor or shield. And this problem was very serious: after a not very successful blow, you could simply remain unarmed. Almost any bladed weapon gets stuck in a wooden shield, but not a hammer or mace. They do not so much pierce as they break through the barrier, leaving a fairly wide hole in it. If you had the necessary skill and sufficient physical strength, it was generally possible to split the enemy’s shield with a hammer.

The hammer had another important advantage over the sword: it was much cheaper. At the medieval level of development of metallurgy, making a long and strong blade was a whole story. Steel was scarce and of poor quality. Swipe could well damage the blade and render the weapon unusable. And it was not always possible to correct such defects with the help of a grindstone. In principle, it is impossible to break a war hammer; the damage that it could receive during use did not in any way affect the combat effectiveness of this weapon. In addition, for the manufacture of the warhead of the hammer it was possible to take steel that was not of the highest quality.

However, hammers also had disadvantages that prevented the widespread use of these weapons.

For example, it is very difficult to repel enemy blows with a hammer: a warrior without a shield, armed with a hammer, had little chance of survival. In addition, this weapon was inconvenient in close formation.

Hammers can be divided into several main groups:

  • Short hammer. This is a one-handed weapon that appeared in Europe around the 10th century. The short hammer was used by both infantrymen and horsemen. He was very effective in close combat. Around the 13th century, the short hammer became a favorite weapon of the cavalry. It was often called knightly or cavalry. The short hammer had a length of 60-80 cm, its warhead weighed about half a kilogram. The flat striking surface opposite the beak could have a monogram or some kind of figure. When struck, they were imprinted on the enemy’s body. Short hammers were well known in Rus'; they were called “klevets” or “chasers”. Such weapons were loved by the Zaporozhye Cossacks (kelep, kelef) and the famous Polish “flying” hussars. The hammer was often supplemented with a hatchet;
  • Long or long-shafted hammer. Such hammers had a shaft of considerable length, from 1.2 to 2 meters. This weapon became extremely popular in the late Middle Ages, from about the middle of the 14th century. Outwardly, the long hammer strongly resembled a halberd, but unlike the latter, its warhead was usually type-built and not solidly forged. In addition to the hammer itself, it could include the most different elements: pike, axe, hooks. Such weapons received separate names - polex, Lucerne hammer. The lower end of the shaft could bear a sharpened metal tip, which could also be used in combat. Some types of poleaxes had a protective guard on the shaft - a rondel. The long-shaft hammer was a purely infantry weapon that could be used very effectively against cavalry in close formation;
  • Throwing Hammer. There were also throwing hammers; their shape was similar to modern sports equipment.

Story

Man began making hammers back in the Stone Age, and during this era they were mainly used as weapons. Although, the hammer is very good because of its versatility; you can use it to hit a bear on the back of the head and do something around the house. It is clear that at that time the warhead was made of stone. The hammer could have been the butt of a battle axe.

After humans began using metals, hammer heads began to be made first from bronze, and then from iron. Hammers were not very popular during the period of antiquity, although they were widely used as a blacksmith's tool. The Assyrians have references to war hammers; the Scythians used similar weapons.

The hammer was the oldest and favorite weapon of the Germanic tribes. The Teutons not only used the hammer in battle or for everyday purposes, they endowed it with sacred properties. Later they adopted other types of weapons from neighboring peoples, but never abandoned the hammer. Until the 11th century, hammers were distributed mainly in the territory of modern Germany, but with the improvement of protective equipment, these weapons began their victorious expansion across the European continent.

Starting from the 13th century, hammers increasingly became the standard weapons of infantrymen. And this is not surprising. Previously, the foot warrior was armed with a spear, sword and bow, but such weapons were insufficient against a heavily armed enemy. And the war hammer had excellent “armor-piercing” characteristics. In addition, the hammer could be turned into a universal weapon by adding an ax or pike to it.

Moreover, the knights, who had previously considered hammers to be weapons of the mob, paid attention to these weapons. And already in the 14th century a short one-handed hammer became a typical weapon of knightly cavalry. Moreover, it was so popular that the hammer soon became a real symbol of the military elite - over time, like the mace, it became an attribute of the military leader.

This is not to say that only cavalrymen used hammers. In the 14th century, this weapon became increasingly popular among infantry. And not only. In 1381, the rebels of Paris very effectively used hammers with lead heads, very reminiscent of ordinary sledgehammers with long handles. The infantry hammer developed along the path of increasing the length of the shaft and complicating the warhead of the weapon. Very soon a point at the end, hooks, and a hatchet were added to its design. Already in the 15th century, the war hammer was very similar to a halberd. Around this time, the polex appeared - a hybrid of an axe, spear and hammer. This weapon was very popular, it was used not only on the battlefield, but even in tournaments. The so-called Lucerne hammer, which had a length of up to two meters, a lance at the end and a double-sided hammer, dates back to the same period. One of its sides - the beak - could have a significant length, and the second was made in the form of a toothed hammer.

The widespread use of firearms led to the almost universal abandonment of heavy armor. Along with them, war hammers also became a thing of the past. Already in the 17th century, this weapon practically lost its combat significance and turned into a certain attribute that emphasized the status of its owner.