Murder ax

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The murder ax is a polearm of the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance . It is the most common pole weapon in the fencing books , where it is usually referred to simply as an "ax".

External description

It is similar to the halberd , but is a little shorter on average. Like a halberd, it has a striking point, but has a hammer head opposite the ax blade. In some, especially later versions, the ax blade is replaced by a punch . This corresponds to the (modern) name Lucerne Hammer . The combination of ax blade and three fanned thorns on the opposite side also occurred. As a rule, it is a little over a man's height, and the hammer head is usually approximately at the height of the crown. The weight is only a few kilograms.

Handling and use

In combat, the weapon is usually held roughly in the middle in a shoulder-wide grip and the techniques are similar to stick fighting (fighting with the "half pole") and fencing with a short sword , which is also specialized in fighting in armor . The most famous work on handling the murder ax is "Le Jeu de la Hache", a French fencing book from the early 15th century. The handling is also described in many other fencing books from the German and Italian language areas. It was mostly used in armor combat, in full armor. It was also seldom used in "bare fencing", that is, fighting without protective clothing worth mentioning.

  • Getty Ms. Ludwig XV 13 35v - Fiore dei Liberi - Combat with Pollaxe - Google Art Project.jpg
  • Getty Ms. Ludwig XV 13 36r - Fiore dei Liberi - Combat with Pollaxe - Google Art Project (6876746) .jpg
  • Getty Ms. Ludwig XV 13 36v - Fiore dei Liberi - Combat with Pollaxe - Google Art Project (6867742) .jpg
  • Getty Ms. Ludwig XV 13 37r - Fiore dei Liberi - Combat with Pollaxe - Google Art Project (6914077) .jpg

Handling and use of the murder ax in the Italian fencing book Fiore Furlan dei Liberi da Premariacco around 1410

literature

  • Michael Störmer: Armory. A compendium of medieval melee weapons. G & S Verlag GmbH, Zirndorf 1996, ISBN 3-925698-46-9 ( DragonSys. Lebendiges Mittelalter 4).

See also

Web links

Commons : Murder axes  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Swiss National Museum, Association of Swiss Antiquities Collections, Society for Swiss Art History: Journal of Swiss archeology and art history , Volume 6, Verlag Birkhäuser, 1944, page 39