Italian war hammer, maul

Product description

This war hammer is a replica of a 16th-century Italian original. Its design clearly shows late-Gothic influences and is styled in the form of a waterspout, possibly referencing the Milan Cathedral. While these weapons were likely used primarily for decorative or ceremonial purposes, they were also highly effective in combat.

A maul is a war hammer with a heavy head. This replica features a spike-like point, broader than that of a horseman’s spike, another type of war hammer. From the late 14th century, mauls were mainly used by infantry. During the 1382 Paris uprising, rebels seized 3,000 mauls from the city armory, earning them the nickname “Maillotins”. Later that year, chronicler Froissart mentions mauls at the Battle of Roosebeke, showing that the weapon was not only used by the lower classes.

A notable use of the maul occurred with archers in the 15th and 16th centuries. At the Battle of Agincourt, English longbowmen reportedly used lead mauls, initially as tools to drive stakes into the ground and later as improvised weapons. Other sources from the period also mention their use. In England, such weapons continued to be employed by Tudor archers until around 1562.

From the 15th century, shorter war hammers became increasingly popular among cavalry. Initially, nobles looked down on the weapon as being associated with lower classes, but they later adopted it for its practical value. Cavalry commanders sometimes carried war hammers both as a weapon and a rank symbol, referred to as “Rottmeister-hammers” or “packmaster hammers.”

In Landsknecht armies and parts of Central Europe, war hammers also became status symbols for lower nobility, almost on par with the sabre. According to some sources, a nobleman would never leave home without his sabre and war hammer, which could also serve as a walking stick.