Browse Medieval Weapons Collection

During the Middle Ages metal armour and chainmail protected against the blows of edged weapons and block arrows and other projectiles. Solid metal maces, battle axes and war hammers proved able to inflict damage on well armoured knights, as the force of a blow from a mace is large enough to cause damage without penetrating the armour. One example of a mace capable of penetrating armor is the flanged mace. What makes a flanged mace different from other maces is the flanges, protruding edges of metal that allow it to dent or penetrate even the thickest armor. However, the battle axe took this one step further, by concentrating the weight on a wedge it crushed through armor and easily cut flesh.