![]() It was often overlooked because of the popularity of the Katana swords. Yari was the weapon used in every battlefield or war in the Shogunate Era of Medieval Japan. As with all maces, there is no certain weight or length described to it, as they were made in a variety of ways with little or no consistency between them apart the name that distinguished them. The entirety of the war hammer was made out of steel, with strips of leather adoring the grip to provide a better hold of the weapon. The head was used in three ways, either to pierce armor with its pickaxe part, bludgeon with its hammer side or poke with the spear head, making it a very versatile weapon on the battlefield. Resembling a pickaxe, a hammer or an ice axe, the war hammer was used in the later part of the Medieval Ages as a means to counter armored opponents, as maces became fundamental for all armies alongside swords in close quarter combat. In weight it varied between 1 and 2 kilograms. It allowed deep cuts to be inflicted, penetrating somewhere between 20 centimeters and 30 centimeters, while the shaft was typically 90 centimeters to 1 meter and 10 centimeters. The head was in the shape of either the letter L or the letter M. The Dane axe had its head made out of carbon steel, while its shaft was typically made out of wood, being finely engraved as long as the wielder could afford it. ![]() ![]() Due to its long reach, it could kill, wound or incapacitate as well. Used during the 10th and the 11th century mostly, it was at times the decisive factor on the battlefield, as it would easily break shields or grip them with its head, thus allowing the wielder to disarm his foe. This weapon gave the rise of popularity to the two-handed weapons in Europe. Weighting 1.1 kilogram precisely, the entire sword’s length was 90 centimeters while the blade itself was 75 centimeters. Additionally, the handle was wrapped in leather scraps for an easier use. The hilt was made out of iron, the blade out of steel. First it was made out of iron for general use, but was later made out of steel, while gold and silver were used for ceremonial versions of the sword, like coronations, knighting, celebrations and festivals. This sword had seen most of the battles and wars Europe had been ravaged by, as well as actions in the Holy Land, Asia Minor and Northern Africa. The staple sword for the knights of the High Middle Ages was simply referred to as the knightly sword. The Normans paved the way for the knight class to be formed, so due to all this, the Viking sword was replaced with the Arming sword. The end was approaching for the Viking Age. The blade itself on the other hand, had 70 centimeters to 90 centimeters length. The entire swords’ length from the beginning of the hilt to the end of the blade was somewhere between 84 centimeters to 1 meter and 5 centimeters. The sword itself weighted around 1 kilogram. ![]() The grip handle was wrapped around with leather for the wielder’s easier and tighter grasp. ![]() Iron was the metal this sword was made out of while the hilt itself was either finely engraved wood layered with metal, bronze, copper or in rare cases iron. It could also throw the fighter off balance.Deriving its look based on the late Roman Empire’s spatha, the Viking sword was forged by the northerners of the Scandinavian peninsula, who by seafaring, raided the mainland of Europe, the British Isles, the Balkan Peninsula, Minor Asia, the Levant and parts of northern Africa. The main reason is that they pose a particular danger to its wielder a missed swing could retain momentum and strike the user’s body. In any case, flails were relatively rare weapons and never saw widespread use. These were probably adopted from either the Avars or Khazars. Many examples of non-spiked flails known as kistenhave been found in the 10th century in the territories of the Rus. There is, however, a version of the long-handed peasant flail in the Paulus Hector Mair’s combat manual Arte De Athletica which shows techniques for using this weapon. And because many pieces found in museums turned out to be forgeries, many believe these weapons didn’t actually exist! Despite multiple games and movies depicting the flail as a “quintessential medieval weapon”, there is little historical information to support its popularity. It lacked precision and was tricky to use in close combat or closed rank formations. Even though the flail was effective against shields, it was a difficult weapon to master. ![]()
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