A bearded axe is an axe used as both a tool and a weapon, with origins dating to the sixth century AD and wide use across medieval Europe. Its distinctive feature is a hook, or beard, on the lower part of the axe head, which extends the cutting edge below the width of the head's butt, giving a wider cutting surface without adding much weight. In combat the beard was useful for disarming an opponent, hooking a weapon or shield out of their grip. Scandinavian mercenaries carried the design to the Byzantine Empire through the Varangian Guard, and Ottoman forces later adopted similar axes as a mark of continuity with Byzantine tradition, from where the design spread further into Poland and Hungary. 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
Introduced When (Circa)Bearded axes were in use as both tool and weapon as early as the sixth century AD, across medieval Europe. 1 OriginCarried into the Byzantine Empire by Scandinavian mercenaries of the Varangian Guard, the bearded axe's design later spread, through Ottoman influence, to Poland and Hungary. 1 Introduced era (class) In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Bearded axe (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section, first sentence
A bearded axe (Old Norse Skeggøx, [Skegg, "beard", and øx, "axe"], Polish topór brodaty, Slovak/Czech bradatice), is any of various axes, used as a tool and weapon, as early as the 6th century AD.
Second paragraph, first sentence
Through the Scandinavian mercenaries fighting in the Varangian Guard, the design entered the Byzantine Empire.
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