Pollaxe: A more knightly weapon

Though the sword has long been seen as the very symbol of knighthood, during the height of armour the pollaxe appears to have become the weapon of choice on the battlefield. The sword has remained the romanticized symbol of chivalry to this day, but the fact is that it was not very effective against a heavily armoured foe. In a one on one duel or small melée, a skilled man-at-arms could parry and thrust until he was able to maneuver his opponent to expose an opening in his armour. On a battlefield such a feat would be immensely more difficult. Mounted or against common foot soldiers, the sword would be very effective, but something more powerful would be needed to puncture through the steel plate of his knightly counterpart.

Although there are countless examples of these weapons in museums and private collections, it seems that very little attention has been given to the pollaxe. It is likely due to a combination of two factors: (1) the sword was the primary weapon on the battlefield for thousands of years, and (2) the polearms such as the halberd and bill were the weapons of the common foot soldier. The resurgence in popularity as a source of study can be directly attributed to the recent translations and publication of extant treatises on Medieval combat by masters such as Fiori de Liberi (Flos Duellatorum or "Flower of Battle"). Even the name is often misspelled. In many current documents and reproductionists' inventories it is described as a pole-axe as many incorrectly assumethe term refers the shaft of the weapon. It in fact refers to the head, or poll, as in a poll tax, or head tax. The name actually comes from the fact that it has an axe head on top.

There are more than one variety of pollaxe but they all share a long, rigid, diamond-shaped spike on top. There is usually a blunt hammer-like side and sharp axe blade or hook on the other. One popular style is the bec de corbin, or "raven's beak", which gets its name from the beak-like hook on the back.

The photographs featured in the image gallery (right) are from the 2010 Tournament of the Phoenix. The first three are of a weapon demonstration to familiarize the crowd with the knightly tools of the 15th century. The later ones are from the actual competition where combatants attempt to score five (5) valid strikes on their opponents to attain victory.