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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 old weapon and gave its name, owing to its constant use, to
Judah Maccabee Judah Maccabee (or Judas Maccabeus, also spelled Machabeus, or Maccabæus, Hebrew: יהודה המכבי, ''Yehudah HaMakabi'') was a Jewish priest (''kohen'') and a son of the priest Mattathias. He led the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleuci ...
, a 2nd-century BC Jewish rebel, and to
Charles Martel Charles Martel ( – 22 October 741) was a Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death. He was a son of the Frankish statesm ...
, one of the rulers of France. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries the war hammer became an elaborately decorated and handsome weapon. The war hammer was a popular weapon in the late medieval period. It became somewhat of a necessity in combat when armor became so strong that swords and axes were no longer able to pierce and ricocheted upon impact. The war hammer could inflict significant damage on the enemy through their heavy impact, without the need to pierce the armor.


Design

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 A halberd (also called halbard, halbert or Swiss voulge) is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. The word ''halberd'' is cognate with the German word ''Hellebarde'', deriving from ...
(5 to 6 feet or 1.5 to 1.8 meters), and the shortest about the same as that of a mace (2 to 3 feet or 60 to 90 centimeters). Long war hammers were
pole weapon A polearm or pole weapon is a close combat weapon in which the main fighting part of the weapon is fitted to the end of a long shaft, typically of wood, thereby extending the user's effective range and striking power. Polearms are predominantl ...
s, or polearms, meant for use on foot, whereas short ones were used from horseback. War hammers, especially when mounted on a pole, could in some cases transmit their impact through helmets and cause
concussions A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...
. 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 armour, reins, or shield, If against mounted opponents, the weapon could also be directed at the legs of a horse, toppling the armoured foe to the ground where they could be more easily attacked. The side of a war hammer was usually first to knock out and stun an enemy and, once they were on the ground, reversed to punch a hole through the helmet and deliver the coup de grace. A powerful swing from a war hammer can hit its target with a force of several hundred kg/mm2. This is the same penetrating force as a rifle bullet.


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 A sledgehammer is a tool with a large, flat, often metal head, attached to a long handle. The long handle combined with a heavy head allows the sledgehammer to gather momentum during a swing and apply a large force compared to hammers designed t ...
, it is sometimes shown as having a spear-like spike on the fore-end of the haft. The use of the maul as a weapon seems to date from the later 14th century. During the
Harelle The Harelle (; from ''haro'') was a revolt that occurred in the French city of Rouen in 1382 and followed by the Maillotins uprising a few days later in Paris, as well as numerous other revolts across France in the subsequent week. France was in ...
of 1382, rebellious citizens of Paris seized 3000 mauls (french: maillet) from the city armory, leading to the rebels' being dubbed ''Maillotins''. 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. A particular use of the maul was by archers in the 15th and 16th centuries. At the
Battle of Agincourt The Battle of Agincourt ( ; french: Azincourt ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 ( Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected English victory against the numeric ...
, English longbowmen are recorded as using lead mauls, initially as a tool to drive in stakes but later as improvised weapons. Other references during the century (for example, in Charles the Bold's 1472 Ordinance) suggest continued use. They are recorded as a weapon of Tudor archers as late as 1562.


Gallery

File:Lucas Cranach the Younger - Prince Elector Moritz of Saxony - Google Art Project.jpg,
Maurice, Elector of Saxony Maurice (21 March 1521 – 9 July 1553) was Duke (1541–47) and later Elector (1547–53) of Saxony. His clever manipulation of alliances and disputes gained the Albertine branch of the Wettin dynasty extensive lands and the electoral dignity. ...
wields a war hammer on a posthumous portrait File:Paolo Uccello 037.jpg, Knight with war hammer (painting by Paolo Uccello) File:War hammer2.jpg, War hammer. File:Warhammer-r-nagel.jpg, War hammer exhibited in the Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin. File:Indian war hammer .jpg, Indian war hammer, 19th century, hard wood shaft with full length metal strip for re-enforcement, silver koftgari decoration.


See also

*
Bec de corbin Bec de corbin (Modern French: Bec de corbeau ) is a type of polearm and war hammer that was popular in medieval Europe. The name is Old French for "raven's beak". Similar to the Lucerne hammer, it consists of a modified hammer's head and spike mo ...
* Flail (weapon) * Horseman's pick * Kanabō *
Lucerne hammer The Lucerne hammer ( ) is a type of polearm which was popular in Swiss armies during the 15th to 17th centuries. It was a combination of the bec de corbin and a pronged war hammer. Origins The weapon originates from Switzerland, and the name c ...
*
Mace (bludgeon) A mace is a blunt weapon, a type of club or virge that uses a heavy head on the end of a handle to deliver powerful strikes. A mace typically consists of a strong, heavy, wooden or metal shaft, often reinforced with metal, featuring a head ma ...
* Ōtsuchi * Totokia


References

* {{refend


External links


Skull from Battle of Towton (1461) showing war hammer wound


by Alexi Goranov Hammers Medieval weapons Polearms