The battle axe has a rich history, being a key weapon used by medieval leaders such as King Harold. Battle axes were employed in fierce hand-to-hand combat or could be hurled through the air toward the enemy. Most battle axes were designed with broad cutting edges that could cut off a limb, or even a head, with a single blow! Many even had enough heft to pierce armor and chain mail.
A battle axe, unlike some other traditional weapons, was designed specifically for combat. While many battle axes were designed for one-hand use, others were much more massive, requiring two hands to use. Battle axes designed for combat usually weighed from 1-6 pounds and were from 1-5 feet long. A battle axe that extended beyond five feet would fall into the category of pole-arms.
Of course, during the course of human history, common objects have been pressed into service as weapons. Besides axes designed for combat, some axes were designed to be both tools and weapons. Throwing axes were a specialty battle axe. As axes were quicker and cheaper to produce than swords, they were used quite extensively.
Traditional battle axes generally weigh less than modern splitting axes because they were designed to cut flesh rather than wood. The lighter weapons were also designed to be much quicker to wield in combat situations.
Stone battle axes have been in use since at least the 3rd millennium BC. They were followed by copper, bronze, iron and steel axes, respectively.
At Replica Weaponry, we feature some very nice fantasy battle axes for sale. Let's be frank; no medieval collection is complete without a battle Axe or two! As these items are intended for display purposes only, the blades are not sharpened.
If you are into Native American folklore, we also offer some fantastic new Revolutionary war period tomahawks and peace pipes.