The Danish ‘Long Axe’ is normally associated with the Vikings. By the time of King Knut of Denmark and England (he also claimed other places such as Norway, but had problems hanging onto them!) the axe had acquired a much different shape and haft from the woodsman’s axe it was originally derived from. It had also become a status symbol, being the prime offensive weapon of the Huscarls - Knut’s personal hearth troops. After Knut’s death, the Huscarls continued as an English institution and the long axe became as much an English weapon as a Danish one. In the Bayeux Tapestry, which documents the events of 1066 in graphic form, King Harold’s Huscarls and some of his thegns are shown using the long axe. The Tapestry also shows the axe being carried in council and this could show that it was also a badge of rank. Following the defeat of the English at Hastings in 1066, many warriors sought refuge in the Byzantine Empire where they served in the Varangian Guard of the army of the Emperor. Previously the majority of the Varangians had been Norse, but so many English joined it, that it became know eventually as, ‘The English Guard’. The long axe was the main weapon, and the Guard used them with great effect, even against the Normans when they took part in the Crusades.
The effectiveness of the long axe was such that chain-mail armour offered little protection. It was capable of cutting through an opposing warrior, his horse, and both if need be!
Whilst the long axe in the style of the Huscarls went out of use in English armies, it survived in the form of pole axe and bill until the mass introduction of firearms. During the 100 Years War, it was commented that the English men-at-arms favoured ‘pole arms’ above all else. In fact, until Victorian times the sargeants who protected an infantry regiments colours still carried a form of long axe.
The long axe in the illustration above, is a replica I had made. It is based on the measurements of two axes held at the British Museum, whose help I acknowledge. Its dimensions are:
haft 1.2metres
shank 40mm
head at broadest point 250mm
head at narrowest point 98mm
The shape of the head means that it is designed for one thing only; an overarm downward swing. The axe head is quite light, but the ash haft heavy, this give the axe a natural tendance to fall.
The main character in my historical novel, 'Woden's Wolf', that deals with the English resistance to the Norman Conquest uses a long axe as his primary weapon. BACK TO HISTORY PAGE
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