Norman Conquest Encyclopedia

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Axes

In spite of their Viking ancestry, the Normans made little use of axes in battle. For the English, on the other hand, the axe was a principal weapon.Two kinds are shown on the Bayeux Tapestry.The Danish axe is designed to be used one-handed and therefore has a small head with a cutting edge of about four inches (10cm) mounted on a light shaft. More popular (with the user!) was the broadaxe. This had a head with a cutting edge of ten inches (25cm) or more mounted on a heavy shaft three feet (1m) long to be swung with two hands.

See also: Bayeux Tapestry ; sword ; Viking

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A two handed axe. This would have been used when the close formation had broken up. (© Osprey Publishing Limited, from Campaign 13 Hastings 1066 , by Christopher Gravett, artwork by Ed Dovey)