[John M]

Please forgive me, as I am sure this will sound like a rather dumb question. I have always been interested in bladed weapons, but I have only recently started to research their histories and backgrounds.

I have been researching battle-axes and war hammers as far as design, manufacturing and the eras in which they were popular, and I have become familiar with the most common examples. However there is one I could have sworn I saw a long time ago in a book, but I have not found one in my recent searches. It is possible I simply remember it from a role playing game manual.

So, here is my question: Have you ever seen a weapon with the blade of an Axe on one side, and the face of a War Hammer on the other? If so, what was it called and do you know of where a picture exists?

It may be that I just imagined this weapon, but it seems like something that would be useful. But then, as I said, I am an amateur on this subject.

[Sean Flynt]

A couple of these weapons can be seen on this page:

http://www.truefork.org/Photography/Burgundia...pons_3.php

There are better examples around, especially in Waldman's book. The hammer head typically is of the "meat tenderizer" design, with faceted surface for gripping plate armour, and often is quite large. See also Blood Red Roses.

[John M]

Thank You! Those are a bit longer than I envisioned, but some excellent examples.
I had just discovered this forum, and after posting this topic I looked in the 'Albums' section and found an excellent example of what I had in mind in the "hafted weapons" section.
Serves me right for not exploring more before I posted.
This looks to be a great site, and I plan on exploring it a great deal in the coming weeks!

[Sean Flynt]

I'm pretty sure the axes shown in the linked image are mounted higher than the armour--in other words, they're typical poleaxe length rather than halberd length, as suggested by the photo. If you like these weapons, you should get Hafted Weapons in Medieval and Renaissance Europe. It's a goldmine of information.

http://www.myArmoury.com/books/item.php?ASIN=9004144099

[John M]

That looks like a great text, but I will have to save a bit to get it. It definitely looks worth the price though!
I am also very interested in the "Blood Red Roses" book you listed. I will probably pick that up first.
Thanks for the information, this will be a big help in my research.

[Danny Grigg]

Do you mean something like this?

http://www.myArmoury.com/pat_othr_lutel_20012.html?5

or perhaps something like this? Three Quarters of the way down the page amongst the Percussion weapons.

http://www.truefork.org/Photography/Gent_Neyt_collection.php

Anyone have any information on the axe in the above link?
Origin? Stats (length of haft, axe head length & width, hammer length etc)?

Thanks

Danny

[Alexander Ren]

Arms & Armor makes a reproduction of this type of Pole Axe. http://www.arms-n-armor.com/pole010.html
I don't own one yet but it is well spoken of by others who participate on this forum.

Alex

[Valeriy Rog]

John, you mean poleaxe as the knight's weapon or the onfantry axe for the infantry of mid 15 cent.
http://deepguard.nm.ru/Photo/kulpole/13.1.jpg
left is early 15 infantry axe without dague and "round" blade and the second is the poleaxe with dague and streight blade
http://deepguard.nm.ru/Photo/Lutsk%202005%202.jpeg this for the same infantry axe

[George Hill]

As long as we are on the subject of the poleaxe, does anyone have any good pictures of the the buttspikes of historical peices? That's to say the 'queue'? I've learned that jabbing with this spike was an important part of poleaxe play, so I'd very much like to see some of them.

[Nicola Tal]

[Shawn Shaw]

Ok...I'll fess up to being a little bit confused. Do we have 2 different weapons, both called a "pole axe" (and various spellings thereof)?

I see that we have a long polearm version, probably for infantry and that we also have a shorter version used by dismounted knights.


Are these both known as pole axes? Is there a way to distinguish between them without resorting to "long" and "short"?

[Nicola Tal]

Interesting version (Scythians)

[Valeriy Rog]

Shawn Shaw, the pole axe differs from an axe by the construction of a pole itself. The poleaxes had poles of several parts assembled with bolts

Others weapons with solid poles are consedered to be just axes

[Folkert van Wijk]

[Jean Thibodeau]

[Jeff Hsieh]

[Mikko Kuusirati]

Hammeraxes have been used since the stone age. It began with a very simple design:


By the late stone age, the form had developed into something like this:




Direct copies of these stone axes were made in copper and even bronze, initially with no change in form (in fact, stone copies of the metal copies were also made, complete with carefully crafted cast seams...). The general design, an ax-blade backed by a hammer-head, remained in use with variations in shape for as long as axes were relevant as weapons of war. After all, lengthening the back of an ax-blade into a more efficient striking surface costs little additional material and takes nothing away from the functionality of the ax - in fact, sometimes it actually improves the weapon's handling. Examples are found in all shapes and sizes other types of ax are found in, from small hand-axes doubling as tools to seven-foot polearms.