Danish battle axes and housecarls - briefly touching on the subject of both the axes and the Danish bodyguards. / scholagladiatoria / historicalfencing
Пікірлер: 712
@OrcinusDrake6 жыл бұрын
Fun fact, Huskarls are pretty much impervious to arrows. They can almost solo a town centre
@madscientistshusta6 жыл бұрын
OrcinusDrake until they take one to the knee and retire as a city guard!
@ivanstrydom84175 жыл бұрын
Yes, Gothic Huscarls used an effective combination of sword and shield. And are fast to train.
@sapiensfromterra51035 жыл бұрын
@@madscientistshusta Really, I thought they are counter archers?! The ones from the Hill Fort y' kno'...
@freezze123 жыл бұрын
Yay age of mythology reference
@edwinpoon3 жыл бұрын
After training to elite status, they can tank a castle too. All those pew pew pew arrows coming down, only deal one dmg. Plus they come out of their barracks in ~3 seconds each like a flood after their ruler has Perfusion. Yay.
@ianmacdraws33266 жыл бұрын
"Aaaand then I axed him 37 times in the chest!" "Housecaaaarl, that kills people!"
@juanpablogonzalez85286 жыл бұрын
Underrated comment
@azraelbatosi5 жыл бұрын
IanMac bringing out the classics.....CAAAAARRRRLLLLL
@fatdad64able5 жыл бұрын
IanMac: Let me axe you this: 37, or rather 38 times?
@bjornjernskjold86313 жыл бұрын
This is the greatest comment in the history of comments
@Vidar_Odinson6 жыл бұрын
I really wanted a sound clip of Lindybeige shouting "VIKINGS!" every time Matt said it.
@GorinRedspear6 жыл бұрын
me too
@xiezicong6 жыл бұрын
THEY'RE NOT FUCKING VIKINGS!
@SweetMattieG6 жыл бұрын
I wanted a berserker one.
@Vidar_Odinson6 жыл бұрын
John Tse VIKIIIINGS!
@xiezicong6 жыл бұрын
If you're talking to me - It's a scholagladiatoria reference: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqiwpaSLfraqi5o No you're fucking not! You're not a Viking!
@MitchJohnson01105 жыл бұрын
It's truly incredible how proficient their metal work was so long ago. I mean they figured out how to forge weld a diamond-shaped high carbon edge on a softer shock absorbing center to make a perfect chopping device. Personally I think the Dane Axe is on of the most beautiful weapons ever made, it isn't ornate, it emphasizes elegance and speed but still portrays power.
@Stephen_Curtin6 жыл бұрын
Somebody please give this man an axe. We need more Dane axe videos.
@utterlyhollow53776 жыл бұрын
give that Matt a dane axe, Matts love dane axes.
@wolfthornnholtzklau49135 жыл бұрын
@@utterlyhollow5377 bwahaha
@madscientistshusta6 жыл бұрын
"send him my axe, he'll know what it means" -ulfric stormcloak
@assumjongkey13834 жыл бұрын
No jarl of Whith run who said this
@jacklang33144 жыл бұрын
@@assumjongkey1383 If you side with the Imperials, Balgruuf says it. If you side with the Stormcloaks, Ulfric says it.
@assumjongkey13834 жыл бұрын
@@jacklang3314 I didn't know that 😅😅
@assumjongkey13834 жыл бұрын
@@jacklang3314 do u now is it pronounced jarl or Yarlington? ?
@assumjongkey13833 жыл бұрын
@Telvanni Magister I have then I haven't played skyrim back then
@Thehighwayman4296 жыл бұрын
"Frankly, ...." Too good.
@tacticalmanatee6 жыл бұрын
I admit, I just got that after reading your comment. Very punny.
@hrotha6 жыл бұрын
The evidence for the use of horses in actual battle by the Anglo-Saxons is very scant, but I think the issue is not as clear-cut as sometimes presented. Usually, people will look at the few battles for which we have descriptions with any degree of detail, and extrapolate. But that's usually Hastings and Maldon. Hastings was a very specific kind of battle where the English held defensive positions on top of a hill. Similarly, Maldon involved a local force fighting on and near a river crossing, not the best battlefield for cavalry. As for other battles, there's Brunanburh: Wesseaxe forð ondlongne dæg eorodcistum on last legdun laþum þeodum ("The West Saxons pursued the rear of those hateful peoples the whole day in [companies of mounted men?]") The problem is the word eorodcist. Etymologically, it means "cavalry company" (cist, "band"; eorod [eoh "horse" + rad "raid; expedition"], "[horse] company"), but it's not clear that it always retained that meaning and IIRC there's instances elsewhere in Anglo-Saxon literature where eorod might mean simply "troop, band", referring to foot soldiers. Certainly, the divergent spelling forms (eored, eorod compared to the original *eorad with a long a) point towards a weakened, shortened second syllable and an obscured compound. Still though, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle contains some bits that may be interpreted as involving cavalry fighting. For example: 914: Her on geare rad se here ut ofer Eastron of Hamtune 7 of Ligreceastre 7 bræcon þone frið, 7 slogon mænige menn æt Hocenertune 7 þær onbutan. 7 ða swiðe raþe æfter þam, swa ða oðre ham comon, þa fundon hi oðre flocrade þæt rad ut wið Ligtunes, 7 þa wurdon þa landleode his gewære 7 him wið gefuhton, 7 gebrohton hi on fullan fleame 7 ahreddon eall þæt hi genumen hæfdon 7 eac hira horsa 7 hira wæpna micelne dæl. ("914: On this year, after Easter, the [Viking] army rode out of Northampton and of Leicester, and they broke the truce, and slew many men at and near (Hocenertune [Hockerton?]). And then, as soon as the others went back home, they found another mounted company that rode out against Leighton, and the locals became aware of this and fought against them, and put them in full flight and recovered everything that they [the Vikings] had taken and also a great number of their horses and weapons") Together with the fact that we know most if not all fyrdmen were required to be mounted, and that we know that among the first things the Vikings would do upon landing would be to get some horses, I think we can imagine a lot of fighting involved mounted warriors in scouting, raiding and foraging parties at the very least. It's possible that pitched battles had a different focus and that cavalry wasn't seen as a proper tool in that context, or that their contribution was simply overlooked in our scare accounts (light skirmishing cavalry is easy to overlook). Another literary nugget. Maxims I has this: eorl sceal on eos boge, eorod sceal getrume ridan, fæste feþa stondan ("a nobleman goes on the arched back of a war-horse, a troop of cavalry must ride in a body, the foot-soldier must stand fast") Note that eorod here refers clearly to cavalry, since the author says it has to ride. Moreover, a clear distinction seems to be made between horsemen and footmen in battle. Maxims is a poem about common sense and truisms (for an Anglo-Saxon point of view), so there's that. Wait, this video was about two-handed axes, wasn't it.
@Taistelukalkkuna6 жыл бұрын
IIRC, Anglo-Saxons tried using Norman mercenaries as cavalry, but that did not go far.
@hrotha6 жыл бұрын
Since the days of Queen Emma and even before that, there were quite a few Norman nobles in England, but personally I'm not aware of any recorded instances of Norman cavalry being hired by the English as mercenaries. There's the Battle of Hereford (1055), where the English troops of the Norman noble Raulf the Timid were defeated by the rebel Ælfgar of Mercia and his Welsh allies. Manuscript C of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says the English fled after only a short fight "because they were on horseback", but Raulf got his nickname because it was thought _he_ and his household troops started the rout. This episode has been used as evidence that the English didn't really use cavalry ("a Norman guy tried to make them fight as cavalry, against their custom, and it was a disaster"), but that doesn't tell the whole story, in my opinion. For starters, the people of the Welsh Marches wouldn't have taken to cavalry regardless of what went on elsewhere in England, on more cavalry-friendly terrain.
@Taistelukalkkuna6 жыл бұрын
That was the episode I was meaning. Thanks for the info, since I didn´t have the context where Normans were employed.=)
@orkstuff56356 жыл бұрын
Unfortunately I had to get rid of all my books when I moved into a smaller flat, a couple of snippets though - 'of course, it's easy to overlook the obvious - the Vikings travelled by land as well as by sea and on land their principle aid to locomotion was the horse' (footnote in quite an old book on Vikings - sadly, can't remember the Authors name) also worth remembering that the first two named Vikings (EDIT courtesy of Badger of Death - not Vikings, they were Anglo Saxon, Doh!) we hear of in Britain were called Hengest and Horsa (stallion and horse IIRC), the Anglo-Saxon 'standing' army was called the Fyrd - 'y' and 'i' are pretty interchangeable in English so fyrd could be pronounced fird, English is a Germanic language and the German word for horse is 'pferd'? A chap (I think his surname was Glover?) wrote a fairly convincing article about the battle of Stamford Bridge in which he argued that the only way that the Anglo-Saxon army could have closed so quickly with Hardrada's men was if they mounted a surprise cavalry raid against the Viking camp forcing the Norse away from their weapons and armour, the fact that Haralds Saga describes the men forming a defensive circle brings to mind the Napoleonic era infantry square or the American wild west 'circling the wagon train' when attacked by fast moving troops - on horses. The main reason that the Anglo-Saxons rarely fought on horseback was that when cavalry fought against well disciplined infantry, the cavalry generally came 2nd.
@wierdalien16 жыл бұрын
hrotha wait. . . Thats why the rohan cavalry unit is called Éored. Because it looks like the proper old english word for horse company. Not sure why this surprises me.
@flaco55815 жыл бұрын
First axe that came to hand... just reached into the axe room and grabbed one. Lol
@mathiascaspersen16066 жыл бұрын
Being a dane this is a topic I'm really interested in and I LOVE the fact that you've made a video about it!!! (Oh and please just keep calling it a dane axe, here in Denmark we are proud of that ;) )
@aldor93576 жыл бұрын
I thought you need housecarls only for carrying your loot
@JustGrowingUp846 жыл бұрын
They can also be used for some (sadistic) entertainment - just make them trigger traps!
@JustGrowingUp846 жыл бұрын
Heh, you made me actually lol, well played, mate!
@CoffeeSnep6 жыл бұрын
"I am sworn to carry your burdens!"
@tyrant-den8845 жыл бұрын
The professional term is "burdens". This includes the fights you get into and listening to your complaints about life.
@Outside854 жыл бұрын
@@CoffeeSnep 'resinated sigh'
@storyspren6 жыл бұрын
2:03 when your neighbor gets a new axe and it's comically massive.
@beardedbjorn55206 жыл бұрын
“OI Steve, check it out, Carl’s got an axe; it’s fecking massive bruv”
@axeltenveils68166 жыл бұрын
Can you do a video about the Varangian guard?
@antivalidisme56696 жыл бұрын
"Dane" axe leads to 1066 that leads to Harold Hardrada who leads to the Varangian Guard. Crystal clear! Really like the idea BTW
@junichiroyamashita6 жыл бұрын
Axel Tenveils or the Gallowglass
@elgostine6 жыл бұрын
wouldt reccomend it, we know a lot less about the guard then the internet would have you believe..
@pa1adin1116 жыл бұрын
I too would be very interested in a video on the Varangian Guard. In addition to the great axes (which are a very strong interest of mine) there is at least one example of a sword with a mix Middle eastern and Scandinavian fittings and a classic type x blade.
@nathanhunt91056 жыл бұрын
I was gonna ask about that, but then I forgot.
@waraidako6 жыл бұрын
Yeah! Dane axes! Fuck yeah! And Matt, I agree that Dane Axe is a bad term for it. Here in Scandinavia we just call them long axes.
@scholagladiatoria6 жыл бұрын
Long Axe makes a lot of sense.
@jarrettadam14906 жыл бұрын
scholagladiatoria Walter Sorrells can make it. A gifted blacksmith indeed. Check out his channel. You're welcome ✌️
@beardedbjorn55206 жыл бұрын
Jarrett Adam “Hhwhile I hhwhip up this hhwhite grip for this hhwhiny hhwife of mine, I’m gonna enjoy some cool hhwhip”. Walter Sorrels inside joke
@qvist3506 жыл бұрын
Gaius Baltar in Denmark they are called daneøkse. I don't know about the rest of scandinavia
@laughingdaffodils54506 жыл бұрын
"Dane axe" is very much like "french fries." It's called that in English because that's where English (or rather, Ænglisc) speakers initially associated it with. You wouldn't expect the Danes to call it a dane axe anymore than the French would call their *pommes frites* french fries. "Bad?" Yeah, I guess so, but no moreso than many other common words and phrases.
@DouglasMilewski6 жыл бұрын
One thing that you've demonstrated in an earlier video was a king using the haft of an axe to defend himself. That haft, to me, seems key to understanding the Dane Axe. A bodyguard could use the shaft to hit, pin, trip, and other non-lethal combinations. If someone is a danger, you don't necessarily want to kill them, but you may have to, depending on circumstances. This weapons lets the housecarl fight better according to circumstance in an everyday setting.
@Draythur6 жыл бұрын
thank you for the danish pronunciation, you're doing it almost perfectly! Very impressed!
@benjaminlammertz646 жыл бұрын
I don´t know about sources from the Viking Age, but at the Battle of Hausbergen 1262 between the city of Strasburg and it´s bishop, the citys Militiamen on Foot are described in the chronicles as carrying "long hafted axes, that some call danish axes". en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hausbergen
@scholagladiatoria6 жыл бұрын
Nice!
@GOAT-rl2uq6 жыл бұрын
The Varangian guard is an interesting topic I think when discussing two handed axes. As far as I’ve been able to work out, the big axes were their primary weapon, and they were pretty famous for it. It’s one of those specific contexts where I think it’s a pretty clear case of axes being used for some non-monetary reason, as opposed to the popular belief that one only used an axe if they couldn’t afford a sword.
@unpopularspirits8296 жыл бұрын
My housecarl uses sword and shield. She is also my wife.
@riverstyxarmory97826 жыл бұрын
Gjallarhorn does she also not know to get out of your way? Mine constantly retrieves my arrows for me by jumping in front of them mid-flight.
@unpopularspirits8296 жыл бұрын
River Styx Armory I tend to just shout at her so she goes out of the way
@procyonia36546 жыл бұрын
So your wife is not a battleaxe?
@unpopularspirits8296 жыл бұрын
Matt Zimmel she's combative at times but i don't find her to be sharp-tongued or domineering.
@talmeretz6 жыл бұрын
Is she sworn to carry your burdens?
@tlsgrz61946 жыл бұрын
Captain Context is back! I was afraid he'd been completely taken over by Imperator Innuendo ;)
@peterlynch14586 жыл бұрын
At 13:30 Imperator Innuendo tries to take over, but is quickly suppressed.
@redhorse76176 жыл бұрын
This is my favorite channel to binge watch.
@merlball85206 жыл бұрын
This was one of your most interesting episodes for me. I especially liked seeing the museum axe samples. I hope you find your axe soon.
@seamusinmusic6 жыл бұрын
Arms and Armor makes the best axes that i have ever felt. Historic replicas, and extremely light.
@FOETRAIN6 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the video. I've been looking for such an axe for several years, with no success, so I hope that your appeal to the community will yield some good results :)
@mattiasl41124 жыл бұрын
It's such a functional and versatile weapon. When you play around with it, you realize it can be used in many ways. Almost like a spear (not as good as the Atgeir in that sense, but nevertheless), pulling enemies out of the saddle, "jerking" shields down (followed by a "stab" to the face), hook up behind the hollow of the knee and trip them over, climbing walls and what not. Lightning fast and very good for keeping multiple hostiles at a distance.
@danielnoland83196 жыл бұрын
Love the wordy intro. Oh Matt Easton, such a charmer..
@richtofenillingroth6416 жыл бұрын
A very informative video, and a topic very well researched.
@pandaphil6 жыл бұрын
Comes for the Skyrim comments. Leaves satisfied.
@TheTruth-xp2of6 жыл бұрын
So... VIKING... KATANA... AXES!! The new ultimate weapon for tweens right there. VIKING... KATANA... AXES!!
@Thetermsofservice16 жыл бұрын
can cleave straight through steel memes
@DoktorWeasel6 жыл бұрын
Needs a pommel for maximum memeitude.
@penttikoivuniemi21466 жыл бұрын
I'm pretty sure one of those is even strong enough to cut through a thrown pommel.
@TheChuckfuc4 жыл бұрын
The samurai and other foot soldiers did use an axe called Oho.
@TheTruth-xp2of4 жыл бұрын
@@TheChuckfuc Japanese soldiers throughout history, including samurai, used axes. To my knowledge they were not called "Oho". Your source, likely mistransliterated 斧.
@4oursword6 жыл бұрын
Hit up Wieland Forge for a dane-axe- he makes great stuff, mostly re-enactment but I believe he can do sharps too. My re-enactment Dane-axe was made by him and it's a beauty.
@-Thunder-Warrior-6 жыл бұрын
Loved this video! I know your a Sabre guy and much as I enjoy that I treasure my Dane Axe above all else! And Housecarls would be an awesome subject for a future video. Incidentally I believe the Gallowglass mercenaries of Ireland, descended from Vikings who settled in Scotland, used variants of the Dane Axe right up to 1600, along with mail shirts, in combination with more modern helms such as the Morion and the Burgonet.
@mikewilks48886 жыл бұрын
I believe King Stephen, during the siege of Lincoln, was referenced as using a Dane Axe when he was disarmed in 1141.
@julianpetkov83204 жыл бұрын
The hump behind the edge is to reduce wedging into a shield. A thin edge has a tendency to wedge very deep into wood. When the hump strikes, it splits the wood. When it doesn't mage to split the wood, the hump has very low surface area making a contact with the wood, as opposed to a broad thin edge. This helps free the axe more easy.
@genericdave84206 жыл бұрын
Good talk Matt, People assume the long axe is for power and the target will be upper body. As you say though keeping it light means you can keep mobility and it can actually be used to go after peoples lower legs and feet or if swung mid section get behind the sword or shields effective guard allowing targeting of hands and lower arms.
@grishjarta6 жыл бұрын
Very good video, i think you're a great teacher
@andrewshute97616 жыл бұрын
Thanks for another great axe video.
@jacklonghearse98216 жыл бұрын
I've been waiting for a video on the Dane Axe
@brianpeck40356 жыл бұрын
For those doubting the shape and strength effectiveness of this design- If you turn the blade side up- the axe resembles a section of an aqueduct where the "column" issues up from the socket and evenly curves both directions out. Different shapes have inherent strengths and weak points no matter the thickness of the metal. This wide blade evenly curving into the face and trunk of the battle axe is designed for evenly redistributing the pressure from blows which allows for a lighter quicker weapon. Even the cross section as described in this video uses gradual tapering as a way to more evenly redistribute the pressure of blows towards the circular socket. The stronger the shape-the thinner can be the make. Someone suggested that all the pressure onto a relatively small socket would break the wooden handle easily. These axes are not can openers but as long as they are impacted anywhere on the edge with proper blade alignment- and the hafting isn't loose- the wood should be fine- what a design!
@ericstoverink65796 жыл бұрын
But did they really have insanely high pierce armor making them practically invulnerable to archer, castle, and tower fire?
@duchessskye40726 жыл бұрын
uh... what? Is this a meme or something
@ericstoverink65796 жыл бұрын
The Easy Nine Age of Empires 2. The Huskarl is the Goths' unique unit. It has extremely high Pierce armor.
@TheHaighus6 жыл бұрын
Heh, I got the reference. Honestly, I think they just wanted to find a niche for them, they shouldn't be any tougher than any of the other armoured infantry in the game when thinking historically.
@J24-k8f6 жыл бұрын
especially when you're pumping out gobs of them from the wall barracks three times as fast as anyone else can.
@noraye25006 жыл бұрын
Lydia is the best housecarl/waifu. :P
@Slayer_Jesse6 жыл бұрын
I am sworn to carry your burdens...
@wierdalien16 жыл бұрын
Slayer Jesse alright Lydia. . . No need for your sass.
@thatchannel1956 жыл бұрын
Aaron Sikes Iona
@andersgjersoe48526 жыл бұрын
and she does not come with equipped with an axe!
@Mrtheunnameable6 жыл бұрын
She's not Danish.
@WastelandSeven6 жыл бұрын
I think another thing that is interesting is that many of these had the upper point leading and the edge swept in to a lower point that was nearer the center line of the haft. That is they were like Francesca with the upper point acting almost like a spike.
@toothpickcity26 жыл бұрын
I would recommend James Austin for a custom made Dane axe. Or perhaps Owen Bush if your looking for someone more local.
@Randomdudefromtheinternet3 жыл бұрын
"I am sworn to carry your burdens" - a housecarl
@henrikg13886 жыл бұрын
In Njal's saga there is definitely mention of a poleaxe (spjutyxa). With the typical gallow ironic humour of those texts, one guy sneaks atop the roof of Gunnar's home, and Gunnar spears him with his poleaxe from below. The guy returns to his friends who ask "Was Gunnar at home?", and he responds "I don't know, but his poleaxe certainly was.". Then the guy falls down dead.
@CarnelianUK6 жыл бұрын
I saw a TV programme about various weapons of history, and they did an episode on the daneaxe, in which the host mentioned that one of their uses was for breaking through shield walls. If that were true, then it could be that the reinforced blades are for that purpose, whereas the ones with the flatter blades (which strike me as being very similar to the blade on your falchion) would then be for cutting through the (probably) lightly armoured people behind the now ruined shields.
@robinchandler48706 жыл бұрын
Ben Kirkby do you think that this is likely?
@Janthony923 жыл бұрын
Something I found interesting is that there are several English knights (knights of Anglo-Saxon descent) mentioned in the Cartae Baronum of 1166 with the surname housecarl. Which goes to show that many of the housecarls of the old English kings/earls continued to serve the Norman barons as knights.
@BBeowulf Жыл бұрын
Yes because the Normans only replaced the “aristocracy” of the age. William the conqueror took titles/castles and gave them to relatives and other Normans, although the north of England held out for a while longer with Northumbria keeping an Anglo-Saxon lord for a time. The general population remained completely unchanged from before the invasion though, so the actual fighting men/“knights” were still all Anglo-Saxons and the “Danes” that had settled over the past few centuries. This is the true beginning of the class divide in England that has continued for almost a millennium. On an interesting, slightly unrelated note… in Byzantine sources there’s a story about Anglo-Saxon lords that left England after the battle of Hastings with their most loyal men, sailing the Mediterranean, plundering Muslim Spain and helping the Christian’s there, then sailing towards the Byzantine Empire where they helped Emperor Constantine X Doukas (I believe, it may have been one of his successors) win a battle against the same adversaries. They then pledged themselves to the emperor after he promised that if they could win land back for him that he had recently lost (in Crimea) that they could keep the lands for themselves. They won it back and called it Nova Anglia. The Varangian guard from 1066 until its end centuries later was said to be comprised mostly of Anglo-Saxons who preserved their language and customs in the Byzantine empire even after it had already died out in England through the introduction of French words from the Normans. They’d end up fighting the Normans again in Italy whilst part of the Varangian Guard.
@samwelltarly67006 жыл бұрын
One of the greater offences of For Honor is perpetuating the idea that Dane-axes were more or less axe-shaped sledge-hammers; they look perfectly cool the way they are and the vikings look perfectly badass wielding them, you don't have to insist they are swinging around 20 Pounds of steel at the end of a stick.
@jonathonboon93966 жыл бұрын
Sounds like a reconstruction archaeology project. Make a bunch of all the styles of Dane axe and see what they were best at.
@smooth_sundaes51726 жыл бұрын
Huscarls tended to be an elite force and professional soldiers in an age of farmer or near feudal armies. I need to re-research my sources but I understand Harold Godwinson used huscarls more lightly equipped than normal to serve as faster moving horsemen on the Welsh marches. One could argue about their effectiveness as true cavalry but the point being that a huscarl would have trained as spearman; swordsman; axeman AND horseman and therefore far more adaptable than your regular fyrdman. This might explain some of the confusion as to how a huscarl was actually equipped for battle but the Daneaxe would have been the weapon he was most noted for and would have reputedly used facing impact cavalry such as the Norman Knight. Interestingly, a huscarl was suppose to be able to bring down a horse with the axe so presumaby the necessary purchase might have been as much from the length of the axe shaft rather than the weight of the blade? I am not so sure if the Select Fyrd were trained in the use of the Daneaxe to any extent and would be interested in sensible comment.
@danielpatrick37616 жыл бұрын
I believe generally the Fyrd would have more improvised weapons, work axes, spears, sycthes and such forth. Given the cost and workmanship required for 'dane-axes' it's unlikley many would be dispensed to Fyrdsmen as part of 'kit', no? I'd imagine spears, arrows and other weapons would be made available, but that their cost, and ultimately merit, would be significantly lower than that to which Housecarls would wield... Supposition for the most part, mind you....
@PartizanRus6 жыл бұрын
Good addition of video from museum.
@Dreadwolf31556 жыл бұрын
Matt, loved the lego reference! Side note, my interest in HEMA is rooted in my massive lego castle collection, you see.
@scholagladiatoria6 жыл бұрын
Nice, I have a large collection of grey bricks and knights myself.
@Cahirable6 жыл бұрын
Regarding two handed axes in Normandy, Wace projects them back into the late 10th/early 11th centuries as a peasant weapon. He had a habit of projecting current practices back onto the past, so it's probable that two handed axes survived in Normandy into the early 12th century.
@malingmann6 жыл бұрын
Here are two blacksmiths who might be able to make your axe. Alec Steele, from Norwich, England. Torbjörn Åhman, from somewhere in Sweden. They both have channels here on youtube, and they seem focused on details. They are easy to reach and I think they would appreciate the businesses. I hope you find what you are looking for!
@3114Cancerbero6 жыл бұрын
Jim Austin focus only in axes and has made a couple of Dane Axes as you described.
@Kearnach6 жыл бұрын
I'd like the measurements on a historical Dane axe. It would be a fun project.
@DaJan15096 жыл бұрын
Hey Matt, great vid as always! Question: From my amateur point of view, the dane axes look like early pole arms. Is it reasonable to assume that Helberds, Poleaxes and Bardiches are descendents of the "dane axe"? Would they have been wielded in a similar fashion? Cheers mate, and keep up the good work!
@davidbofinger4 жыл бұрын
The reason the centre of the blade is hollowed is the same reason as the centreline of a sword has the fuller: the middle doesn't do anything for strength or stiffness. It's the bits on the edge that do that, the bits that change length if the object tries to bend. Whatever weight you have in your budget, the best place for it is at the edges where it does the strength job, not in the middle, so clean that middle out. IIUC the difference in dihedral angle (sharp vs blunt, more or less) for Dane axe vs pollaxe (also a Danish word, ironically) is more about the edge surviving contact with armour than "hitting hard". A sharp narrow blade might be great for slicing up unarmoured opponents but as soon as it hits first rate armour a bit off-square the edge will curve over and it will become useless. He talks about edge fragility later in another context but I think it's the answer to the earlier question too.
@petejayes16126 жыл бұрын
There's a weaponsmith in Leics trading as Weiland Forge who made mine for reenactment purposes - relatively light, has the thin blade and reinforced edge. He may be up to your challenge.
@memecommandomike46596 жыл бұрын
The high carbon steel edge was more likely forge welded INTO the blade body. So the blade body was split and the blade edge was wedged into it, resulting in the weld interface existing "inside" the blade body. This would also explain why the blade thickness flairs just before the edge, the technique probably came before it was discovered that this was a desirable outcome.
@galloglass61766 жыл бұрын
Irish two handed Sparr axes were one such evolution but with a longer straight edge and reinforced toe. Used well into 16th century by Galloglass, probably to deal with English heavy cavalry.
@terrynewsome66986 жыл бұрын
great video, can you please do a video on Africa armour?
@Tipi_Dan3 жыл бұрын
Food for thought. Your explanation of the two kinds of axe being for uses against different "targets" was illuminating. Might the unreinforced blades be for using against lightly armored troops, or cavalry [horses rarely armored those days], then the reinforced for going up against opponents in mail, lamellar, etc. with shields?
@raphaelperry81596 жыл бұрын
Dane Axe is a term people came up with about 10 years ago and then tried to retrospectively persuade everyone was a genuinely historical term in common usage.
@dizzt196 жыл бұрын
BTW this one can be seen in the Göteborgs Stadsmuseum (lots interesting stuff there) but it might be a generic nordic fighting axe: imgur.com/a/cKuED
@scholagladiatoria6 жыл бұрын
Great!
@kirklazenby16 жыл бұрын
I bought a lovely Peterson type L Dane axe from Arms and Armour..The Dane axe on their website is the type M, but if you drop them an email, they will accommodate you. It's obviously not completely historically accurate, but it's great in terms of functionality
@dedowd93355 жыл бұрын
Thanks so much for your video!!
@ilikegliding4 жыл бұрын
"King Knut brought with him lots of Danish things like bacon and Lego" Lol
@MrCearl6 жыл бұрын
I would hazard the guess that reinforced edges are more difficult to forge and have the practical benefit of less damage when accidently hitting armour, so they probably would've been favoured by wealthier warriors while the flat edge version would have been the common cheap model where you are less able to make the mistake of missing soft targets. I imagine that using such a weapon takes a lot of skill against the more usual shields spears and swords.
@timothyissler38155 жыл бұрын
Did nobody catch him saying "war-hoe" when briefly describing the Persian axe he's holding?
@BlueMountain19926 жыл бұрын
*MOUNT AND BLADE MEMES INTESIFY*
@googlename38596 жыл бұрын
Your honey, or your life.
@JustGrowingUp846 жыл бұрын
That's a nice head you have on your shoulders!
@BlueMountain19926 жыл бұрын
Swadian Knights > Nord Huscarls
@googlename38596 жыл бұрын
I will drink from your skull, you nansy pants Swad :D
@aronkatona85176 жыл бұрын
IT'S ALMOST HARVESTING SEASON
@dbrandow6 жыл бұрын
There are a couple of other possible explanations for why those axes are so thin. The first is that metal was expensive, so making it light made it cheaper. The second is that the technology of the time made it difficult to smelt large pieces of steel, which is why plate armour didn't show up until later on, for example. So if you want an axe with a really large surface area, you would need to sacrifice thickness to do that. On another note, while having a thick area where the transition between steel and wrought iron is may be for aesthetic reasons, or may be to create a steeper angle and a more resilient edge, it may also be for practical reasons - that area, where the weld is, would be the weakest part, so reinforcing it may simply have been a way to reduce/eliminate failures due to a less-than-perfect weld.
@benjaminteeter33316 жыл бұрын
When you first released this video my forge was out of comission. I believe I will have the capacity to forge one in the near future. This is one of my favorite weapons, and I would like to make a test piece for myself which you could take a look at and see the stats on before placing an order. Feel free to find me on Facebook as Ryan Teeter, or Delta Forge
@SlumberingDragonEntertainment6 жыл бұрын
"House cars or who skulls," great CC.
@danieltaylor55426 жыл бұрын
Every time Matt says brilliant I think of the old Guinness commercials.
@DerLaCroix16 жыл бұрын
The swelling at the edge could be due to the forge-welding of the cutting edge. To do this, you split the base edge and embed the cutting edge, and then weld. If you only partially forge this down, you automatically get a 're-enforced edge'. I think I could make one.
@adhdude28544 жыл бұрын
I love you Corl!!!
@uninspiredrambler6 жыл бұрын
I've been wanting to try building a Dane axe recently. I say building rather than forging due to wanting to try using TIG welding to avoid forge welding. I don't have single piece of steel that would be sufficient for such a wide blade but I have scraps that could be welded together then forged properly. Not traditional but anyone that knows anything about welding will know a proper TIG weld is probably the cleanest and strongest method of bonding metal without the potential inclusions of forge welding. An axe body of medium carbon mower blade with a high carbon edge welded together then forged and heat treated is something I'll try once it's not freezing balls outside.
@logik3166 жыл бұрын
It looks to me like the shape of the Dane axe head also made it pretty effective for piercing, not just for cutting and chopping. I believe it evolved as a weapon that had the advantages of both a spear and an axe. As weapon-smiths improved their skills, I believe they evolved into the more elaborate halberds.
@Solinarius6 жыл бұрын
That is a beautiful axe.
@Fluffy526006 жыл бұрын
Those 4 dislikes tried to end their foes rightly with a Dane axe....
@PXCharon6 жыл бұрын
I've sent a link to this video to a bladesmith friend specializing in exactly this sort of thing. Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian around 11thc
@aiyahuntacheimumbi2363 жыл бұрын
The lowest Axe head in the museum display looks like it was also made for thrusting. Maybe they also served a similar roll to Longswords, being so light, and I assume nimble.
@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat6 жыл бұрын
I'm sorry I know it's not really relevant but damn that indo-persian axe is beautiful.
@USAACbrat6 жыл бұрын
Your Dane axe looks to be a laminated edge of steel in an iron blade which was a Scandinavian tech, fhanks for your videos
@Feldscher10396 жыл бұрын
It's utterly fascinating how complicated and thought-out a weapon as seemingly simple as an axe really is. Speaking of which, the difference in the shapes, especially the diamond-section versus the simple taper-section, might be a sign of skill or wealth? I would imagine it takes a more skilled smith and/or a more wealthy warrior to create/buy the diamond-section blade?
@PracticalReformation6 жыл бұрын
I found the reference to Anglo-Saxon "one trick pony' shields wall's interesting and I wondered what inferences we might make about the Anglo-Saxons use of Roman tactics. The Romans are famous for tight blocks of men equipped with large shields and pilum or throwing spear. Surely the Anglo-Sax saw the military value in such tactics and possibly mimicked it to a degree in their own armies. There are other areas in which the Roman Empire left marks on English history, combat tactics may be one of them. Just brainstorming.
@Doyle_Lorean21056 жыл бұрын
I was hoping you would say something about the gallowglass and how the danish axe influenced the sparth axe in later medieval times.
@Kroiznacher6 жыл бұрын
I would say that the "dane-axe" survived to the 16th century in form of the Sparth of the Gallowglass (for example Clonteevy finding)
@44SCB6 жыл бұрын
Lydia is my favorite Housecarl
@solicitr6663 жыл бұрын
"Dane's axe" or "Danish axe" - three centuries late - is found in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight : lines 221-224, "And sythen he keveres bi a cragge and comes of a hole/Whyrlande out of a wro wyth a felle weppen/A denes ax nwe dyght, the dynt with to yelde/Wyth borelych bitte bende by the halme." "And then he climbed past a crag, and came from a hole, hurtling out of a hidden nook with a horrible weapon: a Dane's axe newly dressed, the dint to return, with cruel cutting edge curved along the handle."
@RuerlKhan5 жыл бұрын
On the subject of the name "Housecarl" or "Huskarl" it litterally translates into "Man of the house" since "hus" is "house" and "carl" is derived from the danish word "karl" which, while it has multiple meanings, likely means something along the lines of "manservant" in the later period "karl" means the farmhands that lives with the household.
@JmbFountain6 жыл бұрын
If i had known that, one month ago i was at a reenactment meeting (early medieval period) and there were multiple smiths, and they also had dane axes.... Sure, their axe blades weren't sharp, but my grandpa was a toolsmith, so he could have ground a fancy edge on it
@matthewmuir88846 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the video, and thanks for the information on the kinds of weapons the Saxons and the Normans were using. I was just wondering, what kinds of weapons were those in 11th century Scotland using? How did they differ from what the Saxons and the Normans were using at the time?
@scholagladiatoria6 жыл бұрын
The 11th century Scots (or the various kingdoms which were later conquered by the Scots) were probably equipped more or less the same as the Anglo-Saxons and Scandinavians of the time due to constant interactions with both.
@matthewmuir88846 жыл бұрын
Ah; thanks. I've been trying to find info about the weapons used by the Picts and Scots during the Viking era, but it has been difficult. Other than what you've just said, all I have found so far is that Picts had bucklers at some point in their history (haven't found anything specific) and that there's stone carvings that show they had crossbows at some point in their history (no source I have read has specified which possible points in time).
@jeremiahglover64043 жыл бұрын
As for period references to a Dane Axe, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight mentions a "denes ax". Two translations made this Danish axe or Danish-style axe. This is 3 centuries after the Norman Conquest, but still a medieval term.
@HillsHaveEyes81.5 жыл бұрын
Alec Steele he loves a challenge, I reckon he could just be the guy who may be able to create a replica to the standard your looking for, he loves creating damascus pieces but I would guess he would create the finish anyway you wanted, and he produces awesome videos of the forging process.
@heliotropezzz3335 жыл бұрын
I love the fact that the word 'churlish' comes from the 'Carls'. They must have been a right grumpy lot. No fun at parties.
@inregionecaecorum6 жыл бұрын
If you look today at the variations in "bushcraft" blades and grinds you will see a great deal of variation, each variation bitterly fought over and defended by it's proponents. I do not suppose back in the day of the Dane Axe, that there were not any number of smiths pandering to the tastes and preferences of any number of warriors convinced that this or that variant was best.
@violetbrowne57846 жыл бұрын
I do believe I can make the axe you're looking for. I'm going to attempt it and then get back to you. I have a rather primitive set up, but I have forged a Scandinavian style bearded axe with an asymmetrically welded eye and a welded high carbon bit. It shouldn't be hard to push the steel out to get it thin.
@Badatname6 жыл бұрын
I think the edge difference could be a budget thing, it's probably more expensive to make the diamond edge axe than just a really thin axe so someone who has less money might take that option.
@techno_tuna5 жыл бұрын
Late as all hell but I felt like throwing my two cents in, it sounds like these welded high-carbon edged axes would have been more expensive (as an axe head that just tapers completely to a point would need less work and wouldn't need the good steel) but would probably deliver a beefier blow and hold a better edge against light armor. I'm no historian, but that absolutely seems like it would have been a distinguishing factor. P.S. you mentioned they performed body guard functions, perhaps a distinction could be made between the "standard duty" ax and a proper battle ax? I expect you might not want to dull your more expensive, higher grade ax on the motions of daily guard work(i.e. accidental drops, bumping into a door way, etc.) when you might maybe have to dissuade a drunk/pissed merchant rather than fight an armored soldier.
@konsyjes4 жыл бұрын
Right. "I'd teach you a lesson but i dont want to dull my good axe" something like that