Morgenstern (weapon)
| Morgenstern (weapon) | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Information | |
| Weapon type: | Balancing weapons |
| Designations: | Morning star |
| Use: | Weapon of the peasants, fight against riders |
| Creation time: | about 11th century |
| Working time: | around 11th - 17th century |
| Region of origin / author: |
probably Flemish |
| Distribution: | Europe , Arabia |
| Overall length: | about 100-150 cm |
| Weight: | mostly over 3 kg |
| Handle: | Wood, metal |
| Particularities: | different head shapes |
| Lists on the subject | |
The morning star is a striking weapon that was in use in the Middle Ages and early modern times . It is a further development of the club .
The classic version consists of a strong wooden stick up to 60 cm long as a handle, at the end of which the head, mostly made of wood, but also iron (about 8 to 20 cm in diameter) sits. This is covered with about 1 to 5 cm long thorns, which give it a star-shaped appearance. Often a wrist strap was attached to the lower end of the handle to prevent the weapon from being lost in the fray. The handling can be compared to that of a battle hammer or an ax . Wielding a morning star requires a lot of strength, but its use was considered "unknightly". Variants in which the head is connected to the handle with a chain are known as flails (also: battle flails).
Nowadays it is difficult to come up with a general definition of exactly which weapon is considered the morning star.
The morning star was used until the 17th century. In the First World War, similar weapons were made again and grave war used. They were mainly used because of their silence, mainly during night raids on enemy posts. Some of these modern morning stars are exhibited in the Bavarian Army Museum in Ingolstadt , as well as in the Imperial War Museum in London .
Rare variant: iron ball on chain, 15th century
British trench clubs, World War One
20-pointed sculpture dodecahedron star, in Vienna, Morgensternplatz
In Vienna-Alsergrund , Oskar-Morgenstern -Platz 1, the red sculpture dodecahedron star hangs on ropes; as an algebraically determined surface it alludes to the mathematics institutes of the University of Vienna located here, with its blood-red color and shape with 20 spikes on the weapon and thus also at the place name.
See also
literature
- George Cameron Stone : A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times. With an introduction by Donald J. LaRocca. Courier Dover Publications, Mineola NY 1999, ISBN 0-486-40726-8 , p. 228.
- Martin J. Dougherty: Weapons and fighting Techniques of the medieval warrior, 1000-1500 AD. Amber Books Ltd., London 2008, ISBN 978-1-906626-06-8 (German edition: War Art in the Middle Ages. Equipment and fighting techniques from 1000 to 1500 AD. Weltbild, Augsburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-8289-0861 -1 ).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ OMP-1: Dodekaederstern Description and mathematics of the sculpture at Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1, Vienna.