Lucerne hammer

Man with Lucerne hammer, 18th century.

The Lucerne hammer is a type of polearm which was popular in Switzerland during the 15th to 17th centuries. It was a combination of the bec de corbin with the blunt war hammer.

The name comes from a discovery of many of these weapons in Lucerne, Switzerland.^[1] The 'hammer' was actually a three- to four-pronged head mounted atop a 2m-long (7 foot) polearm stick. It bore a long spike on its reverse, and an even longer spike extending from the very top. It proved effective at puncturing or smashing armor, and much like a man catcher was used for dismounting riders.

References

1. Oakeshott, Ewart (1980). European Weapons and Armour. Guildford and London: Lutterworth Press. p. 51. ISBN 0-7188-2126-2.

External links

• Spotlight: The Medieval Poleaxe, by Alexi Goranov