The Dane axe, also called the long axe or Danish axe, is a European two-handed battle axe of the early medieval period, with a haft ranging from about one meter up to 1.7 meters or more. It emerged during the Viking Age and remained in use into the transition to the High Middle Ages, spreading beyond Scandinavia from the ninth to eleventh centuries through Viking trade, influence and independent development elsewhere. Its blade was broad and thin, twenty to thirty centimeters along the cutting edge, with pronounced horns at the toe and heel, and it was built for powerful cutting strokes against shields, cavalry and unarmored opponents. The design later lengthened into the poleaxes and halberds of the later Middle Ages. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Weapon Class Introduced Year Classification
Service Status Weapon Class
Weapon Class (category)Sword / Polearm / Bladed 1 Connections
Operated By
Source Wikipedia: Dane axe
Used In
Source Wikipedia: Dane axe
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Dane axe
Lead paragraph
The Dane axe or long axe (including Danish axe and English long axe) is a type of European early medieval period two-handed battle axe
- Weapon class classified from the entity's own sourced description text.
- Weapon class (sword-polearm-blade) is a pre-industrial/melee weapon type by its own nature per the entity's own sourced description text; not carried in current active military service.
Article text
The Dane axe became widely used throughout Europe from the 10th century, with axes gaining acceptance as a knightly weapon not long after; albeit not achieving the status of the sword.
Used In: Norman Conquest, Article text: sections
In the Bayeux Tapestry, a visual record of the ascent of William the Conqueror to the throne of England, the axe is almost exclusively wielded by well armoured huscarls.
In Group: Medieval Maces, Axes and Striking Weapons, Lead sentence
The Dane axe or long axe (including Danish axe and English long axe) is a type of European early medieval period two-handed battle axe with a very long shaft, around 0.9-1.2 metres (2 ft 11 in, 3 ft 11 in) at the low end to 1.5-1.7 metres (4 ft 11 in, 5 ft 7 in) or more at the long end.
View the SourceWikidata: Dane axe
Wikidata Q1269770, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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