War Hammers

Impact Weapons — Subcategory

Overview

The war hammer is a weapon designed with one primary purpose: defeating plate armor. A sword may glance off a smooth plate surface; an axe may deliver a strong cut that bends but doesn't penetrate; but a war hammer combines a hammer face (which delivers concentrated blunt impact that dents metal and drives it against the wearer's body) with a beak or spike (which can penetrate into armor gaps, punch through visors, or work between overlapping plates). It rose to prominence alongside the full plate armor of the 14th–15th centuries and faded as plate armor itself disappeared.

Construction

A typical late medieval war hammer:

• Hammer face — Flat or slightly convex iron face; sometimes squared; delivers the crushing blow
• Beak/spike — Opposite the hammer face; pointed; used for thrusting into armor gaps (armpits, visor, groin)
• Top spike — Many designs added a spear point at the top for thrusting
• Haft length — One-handed (50–60 cm haft) for cavalry and mounted use; two-handed (150–200 cm) polearm version ("lucerne hammer" or "bec de corbin")
• Langets — Metal strips protecting the haft from being cut

Types

One-Handed War Hammer (Horseman's Hammer)

Carried by mounted knights as a backup to the lance:

• Short haft; heavy head; used at close quarters after the charge
• The hammer face delivered blunt trauma through plate; the beak could hook and penetrate
• Could be used while reining a horse one-handed

Maul / Two-Handed War Hammer

A larger version used by foot soldiers:

• Long haft; heavier head; tremendous impact
• Used against fully armored opponents on foot, or to break fortification elements
• Less maneuverable; devastating when it connected

Lucerne Hammer / Bec de Corbin

Polearm-length versions combining war hammer with a spearhead:

• Lucerne hammer — Prominent back-spike and hammer face with multiple projections; Swiss infantry weapon
• Bec de corbin — "Crow's beak"; prominent backward beak; French version
• Used by Swiss and French infantry against armored opponents; effective in the same role as the halberd but optimized for blunt-and-pierce rather than cut

Notable Use

• Battle of Agincourt (1415) — Knights fighting on foot in close quarters used war hammers and poleaxes against each other and against opponents trapped in mud
• Henry V was reportedly armed with a war hammer at Agincourt
• The war hammer features prominently in late medieval combat manuals (Fiore dei Liberi's poleaxe section covers essentially the same weapon)

Decline

War hammers disappeared as plate armor disappeared:

• Firearms made complete plate armor obsolete by the early 17th century
• Without armored opponents, the war hammer's specialized function became irrelevant
• The blacksmith's hammer and the cavalry mace survived; the purpose-built war hammer did not

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This article is a stub. Contributions covering specific war hammer types, battles, and fighting techniques are welcome.

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