 A reproduction of a spiked war hammer A war hammer is a late medieval weapon of war intended for close combat, the design of which resembles the hammer. The war hammer consists of a handle and a head. The handle may be of different lengths, the longest being roughly equivalent to the halberd, and the shortest about the same as a mace. Long war hammers were pole weapons (polearms) meant for use against riders, whereas short ones were used in closer quarters and from horseback. Later war hammers often had a spike on one side of the head, thus making it a more versatile weapon. War hammers were developed as a consequence of the ever more prevalent metal armors of the medieval battlefields during the 14th and 15th centuries. Swords were of little use against these armours. The war hammer could deal blows of tremendous force to the target, especially when mounted on a pole, and by impact alone do damage without penetrating the armour. The spike end could be used for grappling the target's armour, reins, or shield, or could be turned in the direction of the blow to pierce even heavy armour. Against mounted opponents, the weapon could also be directed at the legs of the horse, toppling the armored foe to the ground where he could be more easily attacked. War hammer example. ...
War hammer example. ...
The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
For other uses, see War (disambiguation). ...
A claw hammer For other uses, see Hammer (disambiguation). ...
This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ...
A development of the club, a mace consists of a strong, heavy wooden, metal-reinforced, or metal shaft, with a head made of stone, copper, bronze, iron or steel. ...
A reenactor troupe armed with a variety of polearm known as a halberd. ...
Armor or armour (see spelling differences) is protective clothing intended to defend its wearer from intentional harm in combat and military engagements, typically associated with soldiers. ...
This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ...
(14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ...
The reins are the leather straps attached to the outer ends of a bit. ...
A shield is a protective device, meant to intercept attacks. ...
A famous instance of a hammer as a weapon is Mjolnir, the weapon of the Norse god, Thor. Drawing of an archeological find of a gold plated hammer in silver. ...
Thors battle against the giants, by Mårten Eskil Winge, 1872 Thor (Old Norse: Þórr) is the red-haired and bearded god of thunder and war in Norse Mythology and more generally Germanic mythology (Old English: Þunor, Old Dutch and Old High German: Donar, from Proto-Germanic *Þunraz). ...
Other weapons that are types of war hammers include:
the end A bec de corbin is a type of pole weapon that was popular in medieval Europe. ...
The horsemans pick was a weapon used by cavalry units during the middle ages in Europe. ...
The Lucerne hammer is a type of European polearm which was popular in Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. ...
Look up maul in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
External links
- Skull from Battle of Towton (1461) showing war hammer wound
- Spotlight: The Medieval Pollaxe, by Alexi Goranov
- The Hammer Museum The world's only museum about the place of the hammer in human history.
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