How is an axe used in Medieval Times?

Answer 1

The two-handed daneaxe was often used in the pre-medieval era.

In the medieval period, many Knights used a shorter single-handed axe with back-spike in horseback combat. as the axe focuses its impact on a smaller area than a swordblade, it was more effective at punching through plate armour.

Maces and war-hammers were used for the same purpose.

Answer 2

The Museum of London has developed a list of characteristic types of medieval axe, based on their different functions. Many examples of these axe-heads survive and are in museums today:

Type 1 (the woodcutter's axe) is long and narrow with a slightly curved cutting edge. Used for felling trees, removing branches and splitting timber.

Type 2 is a rare form with an elongated socket (probably another axe for felling trees).

Type 3 is a carpenter's axe. This has a T-shaped blade, the crossbar of the T is the cutting edge while the narrow socket forms the upright of the T. This was used for thinning planks, splitting planks and shaving wood roughly to shape.

Types 4, 5 and 6 are various battle-axes used by knights and infantry soldiers in battle.

In about 1180 the observer and writer Alexander Neckham listed the tools used by peasants working the land. He wrote that they should have "a two-headed axe for removing brambles, thistles, spines and bad shoots . . .". He also mentions strong fences made of pointed stakes which would be sharpened with such an axe.

The link below takes you to a 13th century image of a carpenter using a T-shaped axe to shape timbers (it is the Biblical Noah building his ark):

Answer 3

Many different types of axe shape were developed before the medieval period and these continued to be made for specific purposes. In England, these specific axe shapes have been categorized by the Museum of London and their particular uses defined.

Type 1 axes have relatively long, uniformly narrow blades and are considered to be woodcutters' axes; their shape suggests that they were to take out small chips of wood around the base of a tree and they could also remove side branches.

Type 2 axes were probably Late Medieval woodsmen's axes and have an elongated socket.

Type 3 axes (also called T-axes or carpenters' axes) have a wide vertical blade and a narrowed socket section, giving the blade a T-shape. They were used flat against wood that had been split from a log - this splitting gave a rough, undulating surface and the T-axe was used much like a plane to smooth the surface. Planks smoothed in this way would go to make floorboards, tables, doors and coffer chests.

Types 4a, 4b and 5 were battle axes used in warfare, descendants of Saxon and Viking forms but generally smaller in the 12th century and beyond. Many were intended to be used in one hand. They all feature a wide, curved cutting edge tapering to a narrowed socket.

The socket was formed in one of two ways: either the hot metal was pierced during the forging process (giving a strong socket), or the metal was folded around and welded shut (giving a much weaker result).

See links below for images:

Answer 4

There were many different types of axe, some designed for specific tasks.

Woodsmen, carpenters, stone masons, ship-buiilders, cartwrights, plough-wrights, wheel-wrights, coopers, farming peasants and many more people used various axes in their work.

Knights and serjantz (armed soldiers of the freemen class of peasants) might also uses axes in battle.

Answer 5

Because it was effective.

Answer 6

Because they used it in war.