Indian axe

kronckew · 30th August 2014, 01:02 PM

there is a tale of robert the bruce, leading his troops into a set piece battle against the english on ground of his choosing and preperation (bannockburn, 1314), getting seperated from his infantry shiltroon while scouting a portion of king edward II's cavalry (500 men) he had cut off including a new knight,Henry De Bohun.

the knight noted the bruce's apparent vulnerability, robert being ahorse armed with his spiked horseman's axe rather than a lance. the knight charged the bruce who on seeing him also advanced to him, both sides cheering their man.

ultimately they met in between the two opposing forces. robert parried the lance and struck the knight in the helmet with the spike on the axe, thru the eye holes, breaking the haft in the process and leaving the spike embedded in the now dead henry. robert the bruce drew his sword and rode back to his men. immensly heartened, the shiltroon did the most unthinkable thing possible. they charged the english cavalry.

the english were so disheartened they easily lost the battle and fled the field.

robert retrieved his favourite axe after the battle and had it re-hafted. the spike had gone thru the helmet, the knight's eye, brain and was stopped ultimately by the other side of the helmet. bit messy.

p.s. - i have a few spike axes, i love them. my latest is however likely a bit newer than yours.

estcrh · 31st August 2014, 03:46 AM

Boarding axes can have the sames shape as well, this is an English boarding axe from the 1800s.

kronckew · 31st August 2014, 08:38 AM

the axe & spike on boarding axes was mainly for clearing wooden wreckage from battle damage, the spike being used like a logger's picaroon... also a handy weapon if you were being boarded, or boarding the enemy and needing to break thru doors and barricades. the french used a similar boarding axe, but the langets were not integral, and were mounted fore and aft instead of side to side like the english one shown. the cutlass and pike were preferred weapons tho as the axe took a big man to weild effectively.

these are the forerunners of the fireman's axe, initially very much like these boarding axes, and still used today, but developing into the more mundain fire axe used by most fire crews and found behind glass in public places. the spike used again for hooking debris and breaking thru barriers. UK use a smaller hand axe, more of a hatchet or tomahawk, which leads us back to the americas, where the spike tomahawk was a favoured weapon.

1. french boarding axe. (not mine - yet.
2. maine style picaroon.
3. std. red fire axe.
4. UK fireman's axe (hatchet) - mine.
5. same as 4 in hand for scale.
6. my spike tomahawk made from a railroad spike. the ultimate spike axe.

30th August 2014, 01:02 PM	#1
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,262	there is a tale of robert the bruce, leading his troops into a set piece battle against the english on ground of his choosing and preperation (bannockburn, 1314), getting seperated from his infantry shiltroon while scouting a portion of king edward II's cavalry (500 men) he had cut off including a new knight,Henry De Bohun. the knight noted the bruce's apparent vulnerability, robert being ahorse armed with his spiked horseman's axe rather than a lance. the knight charged the bruce who on seeing him also advanced to him, both sides cheering their man. ultimately they met in between the two opposing forces. robert parried the lance and struck the knight in the helmet with the spike on the axe, thru the eye holes, breaking the haft in the process and leaving the spike embedded in the now dead henry. robert the bruce drew his sword and rode back to his men. immensly heartened, the shiltroon did the most unthinkable thing possible. they charged the english cavalry. the english were so disheartened they easily lost the battle and fled the field. robert retrieved his favourite axe after the battle and had it re-hafted. the spike had gone thru the helmet, the knight's eye, brain and was stopped ultimately by the other side of the helmet. bit messy. p.s. - i have a few spike axes, i love them. my latest is however likely a bit newer than yours. Attached Images Last edited by kronckew; 30th August 2014 at 01:59 PM.

31st August 2014, 03:46 AM	#2
estcrh Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: USA Posts: 1,492	Boarding axes can have the sames shape as well, this is an English boarding axe from the 1800s. Attached Images

31st August 2014, 08:38 AM	#3
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,262	the axe & spike on boarding axes was mainly for clearing wooden wreckage from battle damage, the spike being used like a logger's picaroon... also a handy weapon if you were being boarded, or boarding the enemy and needing to break thru doors and barricades. the french used a similar boarding axe, but the langets were not integral, and were mounted fore and aft instead of side to side like the english one shown. the cutlass and pike were preferred weapons tho as the axe took a big man to weild effectively. these are the forerunners of the fireman's axe, initially very much like these boarding axes, and still used today, but developing into the more mundain fire axe used by most fire crews and found behind glass in public places. the spike used again for hooking debris and breaking thru barriers. UK use a smaller hand axe, more of a hatchet or tomahawk, which leads us back to the americas, where the spike tomahawk was a favoured weapon. 1. french boarding axe. (not mine - yet. 2. maine style picaroon. 3. std. red fire axe. 4. UK fireman's axe (hatchet) - mine. 5. same as 4 in hand for scale. 6. my spike tomahawk made from a railroad spike. the ultimate spike axe. Attached Images Last edited by kronckew; 31st August 2014 at 09:05 AM.