Description
Circa 1430
By the early 15th century, as plate armor grew thicker and more resistant, the sword struggled to find purchase against the protective metal. Warriors turned to weapons that could deliver blunt force trauma or pierce the gaps in armor. Among these, the war hammer stood out for its balance of weight and control. Its design allowed a soldier to strike with enough impact to dent or puncture armor without the cumbersome heft of a mace. Some war hammers had longer handles to keep foes at a distance; others were shorter for fighting in close quarters. This particular piece demonstrates those principles. The handle, fashioned from American Hickory, provides a strong yet slightly flexible grip that helps absorb the shock of each blow. The head features a flat hammer face on one side to crush plate and a pointed spike on the other to exploit weaknesses in mail or jointed armor. This combination made the war hammer a practical weapon forged with the smith’s eye toward both function and tradition.
By the early 15th century, as plate armor grew thicker and more resistant, the sword struggled to find purchase against the protective metal. Warriors turned to weapons that could deliver blunt force trauma or pierce the gaps in armor. Among these, the war hammer stood out for its balance of weight and control. Its design allowed a soldier to strike with enough impact to dent or puncture armor without the cumbersome heft of a mace. Some war hammers had longer handles to keep foes at a distance; others were shorter for fighting in close quarters. This particular piece demonstrates those principles. The handle, fashioned from American Hickory, provides a strong yet slightly flexible grip that helps absorb the shock of each blow. The head features a flat hammer face on one side to crush plate and a pointed spike on the other to exploit weaknesses in mail or jointed armor. This combination made the war hammer a practical weapon forged with the smith’s eye toward both function and tradition.
- Overall length: 25-1/4″
- Width from hammer face to spike: 6-1/2″
- Weight: 1-3/4 lbs
Fun fact: English war hammers often featured a spike designed not just for armor penetration but also for pulling riders from their mounts, making them particularly feared on the battlefield.
