Practical war hammer
designed by John Barnett
In medieval warfare the armoured knight represented the ultimate in shock cavalry.
Fully clad in the best armour of the day and impervious to all but the most specialised weaponry he dominated the battlefield.
Typically he was armed with a lance, sword and dagger, but after the inevitable loss or damage of his lance it was not his expensive sword he would reach for, as the greatest percentage of his fighting would be done with more appropriate weaponry.
The war hammer was typically a heavy steel toothed head with a vicious spike on the reverse mounted onto an oak or steel haft. A blow with the toothed head would at least stun an opponent allowing for a second more powerful strike to be made.
The spike was especially effective at piercing plate armour.
If oak was used for the haft of the war hammer, metal strips called langlets were riveted to the wood to re-inforce and protect against cuts.
War hammers were used extensively between the years 1300-1500.
