War hammer

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War hammer
Indo-Persian was awesome.jpg
Information
Weapon type: Battle hammer
Designations: Slaughter hammer, war hammer, Marteau d'armes
Use: Weapons of war, foot troops, cavalry troops
Creation time: circa 11th century
Working time: to 15th and 16th centuries
Region of origin /
author:
Germany
Distribution: Europe , North Africa , Middle East
Weight: approx. 3-14 kg
Handle: Wood, metal, approx. 150–175 cm
Particularities: today only as a decorative or parade weapon
Lists on the subject

A war hammer (or battle hammer ) is a long-handled hammer used in combat . It was used throughout Europe and also in the Middle East until the 15th and 16th centuries and is intended to deform or break armor . Some versions of this striking weapon are equipped with hammer heads that can penetrate the body .

description

The battle hammer was used to wound an opponent despite armor. The hammer basically offered two possibilities: Either the armor could be dented with the flat hammer head by transmitting enormous force (or the bones of an unarmored person could simply be broken), or it was pierced with a punch . In the first case, a heavily armored enemy could not necessarily be killed immediately, with the exception of head hits, but the heavily dented armor took his breath away or severely restricted his mobility. In addition, bones and ribs were often broken even if the armor was not penetrated. When piercing with the punch, depending on the size of the weapon, it penetrated several centimeters into the body and led to massive injuries. Numerous recent attempts have shown that even thick plate armor offered little protection here. The punch was usually bent downwards and thus offered the additional possibility of knocking down the opponent after the punch had been "hooked" in him. This variant of the mission prevailed, as not so much effort was required here. Thorns were also found in other weapons such as halberds .

Combat hammers for riders had an approx. 50 cm long shaft to which a hook curved downwards was attached opposite the hammer surface. In addition to this one-handed version, there was also a two-handed version for fighting on foot. These weapons had a shaft length between 150 and 200 cm and were also equipped with a long iron point. In the 16th century, the second type of battle hammer was almost only used in tournaments or rulers appointed by the body guards . The battle hammer for horsemen lasted until the beginning of the 18th century, but was then only used as a status symbol by officers of hussar units .

The effective use of a battle hammer or war hammer required great physical strength. The weapon was developed from the ordinary hammer.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. Skull of a fallen victim from the Battle of Towton (1461) who was struck by a war hammer / murder ax.

literature

  • André Schulze (Hrsg.): Medieval ways of fighting. Volume 2: The War Hammer, Shield and Piston. Talhoffers Fechtbuch anno domini 1467. von Zabern, Mainz 2007, ISBN 978-3-8053-3736-6 .

Web links

Commons : Krieghammer  - Collection of images, videos and audio files