Norman Weapons

Weapons depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry of 1077 (depicting 1066).Roughly from left to right: spears and kite shields, a dane axe, sword, another dane axe. The object held by the third man from the right is unclear.

Weapons depicted in the Maciejowski Bible of 1250. Left to right: a studded club (just visible), a spear (or possible glaive - compare the length of the head with the other visible spear), crescent axe, a short glaive or two handed weapon refered to as a fussart or fussar (shown elsewhere being used two-handed by a mounted knight), the top of a heavy cleaver type weapon("Godenak?" or some form of falchion), swords and heater shield, dagger (at the back), a spear/lance (broken).

(Left) The basic form of spear. Shafts ranged from 7 to 9 feet, the shorter lengths having a smaller head, for use with one hand only.

(Right) An alternative form, the "winged" or "boar" spear. When hunting, they stop an already skewered (and somewhat unhappy) boar from forcing his way up the shaft to get at you.In combat, the wings can be used to block and trap an opponents weapons, or to hook his shield away.

A typical early Norman sword has a blade 28 to 32 inches long, with single wide fuller to lighten and strengthen the blade (not to act as a "blood groove"). It would have a relatively short undecorated cross piece (which would later be called quillions), with a pommel to fix the handle firmly in place and balance the weight of the blade, shaped like a brazil-nut, tea cosy, or wheel. Early blades did not have a point, being used for shearing and not thrusting. Toward the end of the 13th Century a more pointed form capable of thrusting develops, possibly due to improvements in metalurgy and in reaction to improvements in armour.

Our re-enactment blades are made of tempered EN45 steel, which is robust in use, and forms blunt burrs if struck. While there is a small risk of breakage, this is more than offset by the higher risk of forming sharp burrs with other types of steel.

Direct sword to sword contact would generally have been avoided in period fighting, due to the high potential of damage to the delicate cutting edge of the blade, all parrying and deflection would have preferably been carried out with the shield, or if the blade had to be used, the flat would have been employed in preference to the edge.

Falchion A variety of single edged sword appearing during the 13th Century, and having (at this time) a heavy widened cleaver type blade for slashing. May have a curved or flat back.

(Left) Durham Conyers falchion dated around 1265, preserved in Durham Catherdral.

Mace - either round or star-shaped ball of iron on a wooden handle designed to crack your opponent's skull open. While maces have been in use since prehistoric times, at around the time of the norman conquest, the mace was principly a symbol of rank with minimal offensive capability - William and Bishop Odo carry them onthe Bayeux Tapestry. The mace as an offensive weapon appears to develop following the early crusades, 12th century examples having a relatively small cast bronze head (probably of eastern-european or saracen influence) on a wooden haft. This then develops in the later 12th and 13th centuries into an iron flanged design (with either straight or spiral flanges), but still on a wooden haft.

(Right)A a late 12th century cast bronze mace head, about 2 inches diameter, 1 inch high.

(Left)A replica of a late 13th/early 14th century flanged mace, examples of which have been found in the River Thames, and at Ely in Cambridgeshire. The flanges are about 4 inches (10 cm) long, the haft about 25 inches (65 cm).

Examples of scramseaxes, single edged knives that used both as general tools and weapons. Blades were made of plain iron, or pattern welded. Handles would be of of wood, antler or horn. The blades could be inlaid for decoration. Most have blades 6 - 12 inches long. The heavy blunt back could be used as a hammer. The Frankish style had a curving blade, the Scandinavian style a more curving back.

Prior to the mid 13th century, most knives were single edged. About this time, the dagger as most people know it starts to appear - a double edged pointed blade, specifically designed for punching through mail or, later on, the joints in plate armour.

Shield - Most men on the battle field would have carried a shield. A shield is a weapon - a defensive one. Originally it would have been made of laminated planks of lime (linden) or similar wood, which is relatively light, and fibrous - it will tend to trap and bind a weapon that cuts into it.

The basic norman shield shape is the instantly recognisable "kite". This may have evolved to provide protection for the legs as leg armour was little used in the early Norman period, or for better protection when mounted. As mail leg armour improved during the 12th and 13th centuries, shields gradually decreased in size to become the more manouverable triangular "heater" shape. Kite shields could either be strapped for carrying with the arm across or up depending on whether for foot or mounted use. Many different stapping patterns can be seen of the Bayeux Tapestry, or deduced from the position of the rivets on the shield face. Some of our kites are strapped to hold with the arm in the downwards position - as far as we can deduce this is not authentic, but makes a heavier shield a lot easier to carry. Knights would have several spare shields in reserve entrusted to their squires. In reality, a shield would have lasted one battle, if that. We expect ours to last a little longer (they do get destroyed every now and again!) - a shield is primarily there to deflect blows directed at the person behind it, not for decoration.

The kite shield reaches its maximum size during the crusades of the late 12th Century, then, probably in response to improvements in leg armour,shrinking over the next century to the smaller triangular shape now called a "heater" (allegedly named after the shape of a 19th century flat iron).