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Medieval War Hammer
A blunt and armor-piercing melee weapon developed in the mid-to-late 14th century to counter the spread of plate armor, increasingly seen on Western …
Timeline
- 1341–1344Western Europe · Western EuropeIn the early 1340s, as plate coverage increased, swords and axes tended to slip or glance off curved steel plates, prompting renewed attention to blunt weapons such as war hammers and maces. War hammers of this period were mostly one-handed, combining a hammer head with a reverse spike.
- 1345–1350Northern France · Hauts-de-FranceDuring the sustained fighting of the Hundred Years' War in 1345–1350, heavy infantry and dismounted knights more often carried war hammers in close melee to deal with armored opponents. After the Battle of Crécy in 1346, during the Siege of Calais, the interplay between armor-piercing melee weapons and plate armor drew further attention from armories across the countries.
Sources
- War hammer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Hammer
- Weapons of War: the War Hammer https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/weapons-of-war-the-war-hammer/
- War Hammer https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/25073