Northern Europe mainly refers to Iceland in the north, Norway and Sweden starting from the Scandinavian Mountains in the northwest, Finland in the east, Denmark in the south across the many Gulf Straits, and the colonies of the dependent territories of these countries, the Åland Islands and the Svalbard Islands.
In ancient times, Eric Bloodaxe, the ruler of Norway in the tenth century AD, had a frightening nickname, Eric Bloodaxe, the King of the Blood Axe. The King of the Blood Axe once wielded his great axe as ruler of Norway, and then ruler of Northumbria (parts of present-day northern England and southeastern Scotland).
So at that time, when swords, guns and swords were equally developed, why was the single axe particularly favored by the rulers and was heavily equipped in the Nordic army? To explain this problem, we must first understand the special combat environment of Northern Europe and the development of axes.
Of course, the situation of the Nordic army equipped with axes mentioned in the article refers to the era of mainly fighting with cold weapons, and for modern times when everyone is equipped with guns and ammunition, and the army has weapons of mass destruction, axes will certainly not be equipped as the main combat weapon.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > one: the perfect combat equipment for the Nordic Navy , the axe</h1>
The northern European region is characterized by an extreme abundance of marine water resources, and driven by the environment, the main means of travel of the local people are various types of boats.
According to sources, in ancient times, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian people would frequently drive ships south to the northern part of the European continent, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea coast to trade and plunder goods. As a multi-functional strategic device that can repair ships in idle time, kill enemy earthquake fields in wartime, and blunt can break armor and seal throats, the axe firmly occupies the first position in the arsenal of Nordics.
The Nordic region has many bays and straits, whether it is a war between neighboring countries or civil wars, sometimes need to reach the site of operations by ship, and sometimes directly at sea. For the Navy, axes can be used both as hammers and shovels to mend ships when there is no war, and as a melee weapon in the event of war.
Tomahawks are much lighter than the ones we usually see, but at the same time heavier than other weapons such as guns, spears, knives, and swords. In melee combat, soldiers can not only use its wide axe face and sharp and long axe blade to bring a large number of casualties to the enemy at one time, but also use the gravity brought by its weight to successfully break through the opponent's heavy armor with a suitable combat method, greatly enhancing the lethality of the army.
The battle axe with excellent combat capabilities also has another very important advantage for the Nordic army that needs to change the location of the battle frequently, its placement conditions are relatively simple, and it is very easy to carry. Tomahawks, which are much smaller in size than heavy hammers and much shorter in length than spears and spears, are more suitable for carrying on warships.
Spears, spears and the like need for special storage racks, which is too troublesome for the navy that needs to fight at sea for a long time, even if the ship is equipped with a storage rack, it is very easy for the javelin to fall to the ground during the bumpy march of the ship.
As for the sword, the sea is humid, the sword is very easy to rust, the rusty sword combat effectiveness has decreased sharply, and the axe does not need to worry about this, if the axe is rusty, just grind it, there is really no grinding tool, you can still fight with it, after all, most of its combat power comes from its weight.
< h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > two: it allows the Nordic cavalry to break through the strongest iron shield</h1>
In the less developed years of firearms, spears, spears, swords, shields, and tomahawks were more common combat equipment. Among these barren combat weapons, the spear is lighter in magnitude, not enough to break through the opponent's shield and armor, and there is a certain degree of difficulty in storage; while the spear is more suitable for long-distance throwing and piercing, and likewise, it also has higher requirements for the storage location;
The warhammer is too bulky to be suitable for large-scale equipment; as for the sword, its biggest drawback is that the cost is too high, and the loss rate is too fast, and the requirements for the country's economic strength are very high, so in the ancient Nordic period when war was frequent, it was obvious that it could not be equipped with a large number of soldiers.
Finally summed up, only the comprehensive strength of the tomahawk is the most powerful, the proper use of the tomahawk can not only easily break through all kinds of solid protective equipment in close combat, but also cause a certain scale of lethality in long-distance warfare, the most important point is that the tomahawk used by soldiers is extremely low cost, and it is very easy to maintain, and it will not consume too much of the national treasury.
There were a wide variety of axes used by cavalry in the Medieval period, ranging from medium-sized Dane axes (also known as Dane axes) suitable for close combat, to larger, thick-bodied two-handed axes.
King Cnut (Danish), who conquered England, Denmark and Norway, was recorded to be best at using a two-handed axe, as well as a halberd for medium-range combat, which, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica Online, was usually "between 1.5 and 1.8 meters long" and had a hook on the axe to fight the cavalry.
The History of War article writes that the long axe "better deals with spears and spears, and at the same time, the hooks on its head can be used to sweep cavalry on horseback into the ground." ”
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > three: Why are the Nordic armies mostly equipped with axes? </h1>
Northern Europe is a relatively scattered land distribution area, under the action of crustal movement and glacial movement, the nordic land region has a long and winding coastline, and all independent ruling areas will have many fjords, islands, and straits. Whether it is daily life or the army fighting, ships are an indispensable tool.
For the military, the axe can be used as both a ship repair tool and a combat weapon, which is a cost-effective equipment with multiple uses. At the same time, the axe is a product that has evolved through a long history, has a relatively advanced preparation technology in the local area, and has many excellent combat plans for military operations.
When the army uses the axe, it can directly refer to the methods used by its predecessors, and there is no need to spend any other time to study its combat methods.
The axe is constructed in its special shape to become the strongest combat weapon in the hearts of the Navy, it has a sharp surface that can open the screw, it also has a wide face that can knock the tenon, and at the same time, when the enemy attacks, it can instantly become a blood-sealed heavy weapon.
According to the History of War, the halberd was the main weapon of warfare for the Swiss army from the fourteenth to the early fifteenth century.
It not only has the advantages of other axes such as easy armor breaking and large strike surface, but also because of its long handle, if it is used on horseback, it can use gravity acceleration from high to low to directly break the opponent's backing, if it is used on land, you can first use the long handle and the sharp hook of the axe top to sweep the opposing cavalry into the ground, and finally use the sharp axe to kill the opponent.
The appearance of long axes on european battlefields is very common, and the Excavations of Richard III: A Cold Clue to the Death of the Emperor records that "Richard III (the last king of the York Dynasty of England) was stabbed in the head from the back by the long axe during the Battle of Bosworth. ”
There are many types of tomahawks, ranging from two-handed axes and long axes suitable for close combat to throwing axes suitable for long-distance combat. Throwing axes were used among infantry and cavalry in the Middle Ages.
The head of this axe is arched into a long strip, except for the sharp axe blade in the front section, the rest of the place is widened, the handle is longer and the axe is shorter, and the whole is transformed into a suitable for throwing, which is convenient for the army to cause large areas of damage to the opponent in long-distance combat.
Even in the eighteenth century, throwing axes still played a role on the battlefield, and during the American Revolutionary War, the British army issued this throwing axe as a standard weapon to regular soldiers in the colonies.
The comprehensive strength of the axe is extremely strong, in all kinds of weapons and equipment and living tools are not developed enough in ancient times, for the cold climate of Northern Europe, whether it is ice breaking, or cutting wood, in the eyes of individual soldiers, the most convenient is the axe. Whether an army soldier needs to burn a fire to keep warm or go into the forest to hunt between battles, an axe is the best choice.
The harsh cold climate in the north makes most of the local trees very hard, and if it is a general weapon, such as a knife, a sword, etc., it is impossible to cut down the trees, and only an axe can achieve the goal.
For financial reasons, for the rulers, compared to other weapons, the axe is cheaper and easier to maintain, even if the axe body is cut off, it can be repaired at a very low cost, so they are more willing to let the army use the axe for the purpose of saving military costs.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > IV: Summary</h1>
The main reason why the ancient Nordic armies were equipped with axes was the local special geographical environment and the excellent military achievements of the axes themselves.
The cold climate and the geographical environment of many bays and straits make it often necessary for the army to use ships to fight, and when on the water, the axe is not only a powerful weapon for killing the enemy, but also a very effective equipment for repairing ships; and on land, the appropriate axe can effectively fight against cavalry and infantry, and in the time of truce, it can also break the cold ice on the ground and cut down the hard trees to burn fires for warmth.
The axe is a long-standing combat weapon, after a long period of exploration by predecessors, in the Medieval period, the Nordic army in a variety of tomahawks, not only suitable for close combat two-handed axes, Dane axes, as well as suitable for short-distance combat, but also suitable for long-distance combat throwing axes.
The cost of manufacturing and maintaining axes is much lower than that of knives and swords, and the daily maintenance and storage of axes is much simpler than that of spears and spears. This was important for Nordic armies, which often needed to fight at sea and land.
Therefore, whether it is the rulers at the top who take into account military expenses, or the highly mobile army soldiers in the lower layer, both sides prefer axes to other weapons.
bibliography:
1. The British Encyclopedia Online
2. "History of War"
3. The Excavations of Richard III: A Cold Thread to the Death of the Emperor