Practical medieval knight axe
from the John Barnett collection
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 horsemans axe was a short hafted weapon and very effective at delivering heavy blows with the axe edge in a battle but as many of these medieval axes also sported a spike on the opposite side of the axe head, the weapon had equally devastating armour piercing qualities.
Often medieval axes had protective strips called langlets riveted to the sides of the haft to protect against cuts to the wood.
Horseman's axes were used extensively between the years 1300-1500.
Measures approx 56CM X 25 CM x 3 CM
