War Hammer
Specifications
- Type
- Bludgeon / Armor-Piercing
- Origin
- Europe
- Era
- 14th–16th century
- Notable Users
- Late medieval knights, men-at-arms
- Epoch
- Middle Ages
History
The war hammer was the knight-killer of the late Middle Ages. As plate armor became increasingly effective against swords and axes, warriors turned to weapons that could defeat it through concentrated impact. The war hammer features a flat striking face on one side for delivering concussive blows through plate, and a sharp beak or spike on the reverse for punching through armor at the joints and weak points. Short-hafted versions served as sidearms; long-hafted variants like the bec de corbin and lucerne hammer were infantry polearms.
Significance
The war hammer is the ultimate expression of the medieval arms race. When swords could no longer cut through plate and axes could no longer cleave it, the war hammer simply ignored the problem — transferring kinetic energy directly through the armor to the body beneath.
More from the Middle Ages
18 weapons
54 Weapons. Five Epochs. One Poster.
The War Hammer is one of 19 weapons from the Middle Ages featured on the poster.
Get the Poster