Medieval Battle Axes: Far More Brutal Than Thought

The Wars of the RosesThe Wars of the RosesThe battles lasted from 1455 to 1485. The Yorks and Lancasters fought these wars. The whole civil war boiled down to Lancastrian Henry Tudor (soon Henry VII) winning against Yorkist Richard III at Bosworth Field. Henry married Elizabeth of York. This united the houses, ended the war, and started the Tudor dynasty. The Battle of Towton happened in 1461, right in the middle of these fights.

The war's name uses symbols for each house: a red rose for the Lancasters, a white for the Yorks. When Henry and Elizabeth joined the houses, Henry merged them into the famousTudor Rose.

By the15th centuryMedieval European weaponry shifted toward infantry weapons like axes, swords, and spears. Gunpowder technology, using cannons and simple handguns, also became common in medieval warfare.ArmorArmor changed. Heavier suits replaced leather, simple chain mail, and piecemeal metal plates used in earlier Middle Ages to handle new, deadly weapons.

TheBattle of TowtonHistory removed the Battle of Towton from memory during the late 15th and 16th-century Tudor Dynasty. The battle occurred in northern England on March 29, 1491. Fifty thousand to eighty thousand Englishmen fought that day. Some estimates suggest the two sides were equal. Others claim theLancastershad a number advantage.

As the battle went on for many hours, neither side gained an edge. But in the cold wind, the Lancastrians pushed forward so their arrows could hit the Yorkist line. Archers stopped firing. The two groups went into close combat. Momentum shifted to the Lancastrians until York reinforcements arrived. The Lancaster line broke, and they pulled back. York fighters chased them, killing them as they ran.battleLancasters waged the battle over many hours. Neither side gained an edge. Cold wind forced the Lancastrians to advance so their arrows hit the Yorkist line. Archers stopped firing. Both forces moved to hand-to-hand fighting. Momentum shifted to the Lancastrians until York reinforcements arrived. The Lancaster line broke. They retreated. York fighters pursued and killed them as they fled. Contemporary sources count the dead at28,000men, which was 1% of England's population then. Still, the battle was a Yorkist victory.

The Battle of Towton took place in ameadow, land that stayed undeveloped until the 20th century. A large grave found at Towton in 1996 included38 skeletons, 28 full males aged about 20 to 50. Further digging uncovered as many as51 skeletons, all showing signs of violent death.

Wounds on the bones showed past injuries but also healed ones.wounds, showing the men were veterans who ran out of luck that Sunday in March. Only one skull lacked a head injury; others showed up to13Wounds were inflicted at Towton.

Towton 25.The 25th skull from the mass grave showed a blade wound crossing its face diagonally across the eye, nose, and jaw. Scientists recreated Towton 25's last hours and found he took at least five non-fatal blows to the head on the battlefield.

Towton 25 clearly fought with his hands and suffered slashes.A lethal blow struck the back of his head, ending Towton 25's life. However, one of the two later blows—the one crossing his eye, nose, and jaw—is his legacy.That later blow ended Towton 25's life, but the one that cut across his face remains his legacy.

An article in The Economist reports this.The Economist reports this.Towton 25 sustained multiple axe blows to his head, yet the first five blows did not kill him during the Battle of Towton.

Towton 25 got eight head wounds that day. Fracture directions show the order: the first five blows, delivered by a bladed weapon to his head's left side, likely came from a right-handed opponent. None of those five blows were likely fatal.

The next blow almost certainly killed him. Someone swung a blade from behind, carving a downward-up line through the air. This blow made a huge horizontal cut into the back of his head.

The brain trauma from the blow to the back of Towton 25's head likely involved fragments.Skull fragments entered his brain.Archeologists and scientists suggest the blade hitting Towton 25's head from behind swung upward.The blade moved in an upward manner.A right-handed enemy swung the blade.

Towton 25 sustained eight wounds at the battle. The one crossing his face cut to the back of his throat, but he was already dead when that blow landed.

Besides the slashing wounds and hard blows Towton 25 took, bones in the Towton graves show skulls with puncture wounds.The graves show puncture wounds.They also show evidence of blunt force trauma and incapacitating damage.They show incapacitating damage.They show numerous fractures and other broken bones.They show numerous fractures.No signs of torture or prisoner restraint suggest the men did not all die in the battle.

People in the Towton grave were killed late in the battle.The pit is a mile from the main battlefield, so the individuals in the Towton grave died as the Yorkists chased the fleeing Lancastrians.Towton 25's fellow fighters suffered similar fates because the pit was a mile from the main battlefield; they died late as Yorkists chased fleeing Lancastrians.

The evidence from the Towton grave shows how brutal medieval battles could be, proving what happened.The Towton grave evidence shows how horrible medieval battles could be, proving what Hollywood portrays.Battle axes were portrayed this way. Real battle axe use involves much more complex issues than the single-swing kills Hollywood shows in Braveheart.Braveheart.

Towton 25 sustained many blows. Healed wounds on other bones show medieval fighters endured repeated pain and suffering.

Numerous types of axes existed.axesmedieval period used axes, from short hand-held axes to longer poleaxes.poleaxes, which often featured a spike on the blade's back. Anglo-Saxons and Vikings used these weapons.axesAnglo-Saxons and Vikings used axes with thicker-bearded or triangle heads. Eastern Europe used axes with much thinner blades.metalBattle axes made of various metal or metal combinations did not always break armor; just the curved blade often glanced off.

By the 14th century, a poleaxe replaced the short hand axe. The poleaxe gave more momentum and a harder swing. Its spike could pierce plate armor in one hit.

Learning about the medieval era reveals more.the clearer the picture becomes.This was not a primitive "Dark Age." It was a time of major change: religious and military conflicts, plus complex social ties.military conflicts, and surprisingly complex social relationships. Check these staff picks to explore this history.

Medieval Warrior: Weapons, Technology, And Fighting TechniquesThis guide shows the battles, warriors, wins, and losses that shaped Europe from 1000 to 1500 AD. It includes 300 color illustrations and deep looks at medieval fighting. This shows the myth of messy, disorganized "Dark Age" fighting. It also covers soldiers who fought, like English longbowmen, Norman knights, Hussite handgunners, and Mongol horse archers.

The director's cut of Ridley Scott'sKingdom of HeavenThis film shows moral and cultural clashes during the Crusades. The 13th Warrior takes some freedom with its Viking characters. Some parts stem from the real 10th-century account of Ahmed ibn Fadlan, an Arabic traveler who met Norsemen.The 13th WarriorThis takes some freedom with its Viking heroes. Some parts come from the real 10th-century story of Ahmed ibn Fadlan, an Arabic traveler who met Norsemen.

There are video games aiming for historical accuracy. These includeKingdom Come: DeliveranceandAge of Empires 2.

Merchants sell period-accurate medieval replicas, including various helmets, gauntlets, and utensils.helmets, gauntlets, and evenutensils.

This also offers lists exploring different sides of medieval life:

13 Of The Dumbest Things Pop Culture Has Us Believe About Medieval Knights

18 Medieval Artifacts That Made Us Say ‘Whoa’

9 Medieval Knights So Savage They Sound Made Up - But Aren’t