Bowman’s Axe – Lord of Battles

This burly Medieval hand axe would have been an excellent sidearm for a bowman, crossbowman or a foot soldier armed with a polearm – it also would have been well suited as an easily wielded axe for a cavalryman. A tough and affordable back-up weapon, it would have been well-suited to the rigors of campaign and in a scrum its axe could inflict powerful cleaving and concussive blows on even capably armored foes. It could double as a camp tool for light to moderate duties and could be used to shape and sharpen wooden stakes which could be deployed to protect the bowmen from cavalry. This bowmans axe has a head of high carbon steel which is mounted and pinned to a thick haft of hardwood.

For Medieval soldiery armed with bows and crossbows a sidearm such as this was essential, for not only was a trusty melee weapon needed for encroaching foes, but a crafty (or desperate!) commander could order his missile-armed troops into battle to flank the foe or bolster a flagging echelon. A weapon such as this would pair well with a small buckler as neither would greatly impede the main weapon of the man who carried it, whether he bore bow, spear or halberd into battle and would give the warrior great situational versatility on the medieval battlefield.