Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Combination Halberd / Matchlock for comment

Matchlock · 8th September 2014, 06:43 PM

Hi templarnight, and all,

Here is what this item is, or rather, was:

A combined firing and throwing axe, made and employed in Southern Germany, Austria or Switzerland, in ca. 1520-30; in 1524 and 1525, the Peasants Wars were raging in these areas, especially from the Nuremberg region of Franconia (which is Northern Bavaria today) down south to Swabia, most of all in the Lake Bodensee area, including Switzerland.
Originally, it had nothing to do with the earliest American colonists.

Basically, this type of short war axe is known as a throwing or axe, so the comparison with a tomahawk is correct; in this special case, though, the iron haft, usually spiked at the rear end, was wrought as a short barrel instead.

It NEVER HAD a "matchlock", however; that long and thin piece of iron still present would have never worked as a serpentine or tinderholder (rather than a matchholder); it would have been way too long in terms of proportions, and would not have acted properly, except when spring-loaded, which it clearly was not.

What it actually was is a carrying hook, including its use as a belt or saddle hook, and by either a Landsknecht/mercenary afoot, or by a horseman. Remember the fact that the 1520's and 1530's simultaneously were the high time, and the sundown, of the age of the mercenaries.
Obviously, the originally tight rivet has lost its grip, as a consequence of the heavy acid-cleaning that has ruined the original surface of the iron forever and almost allows to identify remains of the smith's mark struck twice.
Please note the characteristic Late Gothic/Early Renaissance ornament of the trefoil (German: Dreipass), which is the ultimate simplification of a bunch of grapes; this axe blade was pierced three times, instead of the easier method of engraving, by striking three dots.

Also, the fact that combination weapons were characteristic of Northwestern Europe in the 16th century, and foremost between ca. 1520 and 1560, supports this statement.

The guy who carried this weapon the hidden firing power of which could not be detected at fist sight, and, moreover, was totally unexpected by any opponent, of course had to have a length of matchcord ready a well, slowly glowing at both ends, but the presence of a hempcord would not have been paid special attention to. When in danger, he could, all of a sudden, press one end of that match into the - relatively large! - touch hole and fire a load at short distance. Next, he could either have sent the axe hurling at the enemy, or hit, and let him have it, man to man.
Most probably, the matchcord was carried wound around the mercenary's arm, or - even better - the haft/barrel of the axe, as contemporary historic sources of illustration prove:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ght=slow+match

The small trough-like recess surrounding the touch hole denotes that a small amount of igniting powder, mingled with a bit of glue or resin that would make it harden and stay there, completely covered, and perfectly hid!, the actual touch hole.
Please cf. my threads:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...rliest+barrels
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...highlight=1481
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...igniting+irons

We know that such combination weapons were quite popular in India in the 18th and 19th centuries, and they were certainly influenced by German, mostly Nuremberg manufactured, objects taken to Asia by trade ships from ca. 1500 onwards, like the Bom Jesus in 1533:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ighlight=jesus

The attachments depict an almost identical, but "conventional" all-iron throwing axe of ca. 1500-30.
Please note the hook riveted for attaching the axe to either a belt or a saddle.
The two bottom attachments I owe to my friend Armin König, who photographed a throwing axe preserved in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nürnberg.
What is remarkable: this axe, too, is in a state of excavation, and was heavily acid-cleaned as well. As a result, the rivet of its carrying hook is also loose, and the item is exhibited with the hook pointing upward in the direction of the head, instead of downward, which should not happen with a museum presentation.
Moreover, it is displayed with the right-hand side up, and both the hook and maker's marks sadly hidden.

As the author has stated before, the Early Renaissance period, which put an end to the Medieval Age and, by circa 1500, marked the sunburst of the Modern Age, was characterized by a completely new way of thinking. Man started exploring literally everything: his environments, the world, far-off continents, the sky and planets above him.
Revolutionary thoughts of freedom went together with an importance, and self-confidence, of all artisans and craftsmen alike, and hitherto unknown - including the men of war. For the first time ever, the little ones did count as well, not just the nobility. When it all came down, kings and knights were actually nothing, had it not been for the peasants, skilled soldiers, and craftsmen.
The self-established Landsknechts/mercenaries were free-lancers, fighting for who would offer the best pay, and booty. Most of them were still loyal to a certain warlord, though - but now, the choice was theirs, and that made all the diffence.

It was the age of geniuses like Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Dürer - and, among others, the smiths of weapons. Starting out from Italy, the Renaissance triggered a widely based new way of cultural, philosophic and political thinking, at the same time giving birth to brilliant ideas that lead to mechanical inventions like the use of screws and springs on objects, especially the first clocks in Nuremberg - and, of course, the closey related wheellock. Nails now got threaded, thus replacing the former rivets by screws, which allowed delicate adjustments of movable parts, and made repairs a lot easier to do.
A new profession was born: the mechanically skilled locksmith, who, from now on, only wrought delicate and ingenuous actions.

It was also the age of the ludo globi:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Ludo_Globi

Mankind started playing with everything nature provided, and the human mind could think of. As nobody wished to carry more different items along than necessary, the respective functions of separate objects were now preferrably combined in one single item, uniting them all - even up to a level of creating things quite impractical for everyday use, like three- and four-barreled firing maces:
http://www.vikingsword.com
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...l+mace+meyrick

- and the famous so-called Monk's Gun, which, according to the formal, stylistic and technical criteria set up by the author, should be correctly dated "ca. 1525-30", and was almost certainly made in Nuremberg or Augsburg.
Up to now, various arms experts have suggested a very wide time line of dating the Monk's Gun, from "ca. 1450-1550" (Claude Blair: "Further Notes on the Origins of the Wheellock", in: Robert Held (ed.): Arms and Armour Annual, December 1973, pp. 28-47, esp. 42ff.,
up to "before 1667, probably ca. 1600" (Maus I. Rattinger),
see second attachment to my follower post.

Please also note my thread on that famous "riddle" of weaponry:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=19033

Actually, the Monk's Gun is a combination of a tubular padlock and a firerarm activated by friction, when the rear ring-shaped bolt is pulled; with a usual padlock, that bolt would, of course, be a key with a threaded haft.
It is preserved in The Saxon Royal Collections, which is the Rüstkammer in Dresden.

Attached to my next post, please find photos of the Monk's gun, of a large tubular padlock formerly in the author's collection, and also made in Nuremberg, for a heavy chest, at the very same time, ca. 1525-30.
Also attached is a source of contemporary illustration, an engraving dated 1533, and depicting two padlocks of exactly the same tapering form, securing a huge money chest.

Best,
Michael

Michael Trömner
Rebenstr. 9
D-93326 Abensberg
Germany

Self-established Academic Medievalist
Graduated from Regensburg University in 1982
Stipendiary recipient and Member of the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes, Bonn
Author of BEHÄLTNISSE FÜR KOSTBARES 1500-1700, 2005
Member of vikingsword.com, with more than 4.100 threads and posts since 2008
M. of the Arms & Armour Society, London since 1991
M. of the Gesellschaft für Historische Waffen- und Kostümkunde e.V., Berlin since 1987
Expertises in European weapons, ironworks and furniture of the 14th through 17th centuries
Preservation and academic documentation of museum collections

The last two photos in this post copyrighted by Armin König, Hohenberg a.d. Eger.

8th September 2014, 06:43 PM	#9
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	Hi templarnight, and all, Here is what this item is, or rather, was: A combined firing and throwing axe, made and employed in Southern Germany, Austria or Switzerland, in ca. 1520-30; in 1524 and 1525, the Peasants Wars were raging in these areas, especially from the Nuremberg region of Franconia (which is Northern Bavaria today) down south to Swabia, most of all in the Lake Bodensee area, including Switzerland. Originally, it had nothing to do with the earliest American colonists. Basically, this type of short war axe is known as a throwing or axe, so the comparison with a tomahawk is correct; in this special case, though, the iron haft, usually spiked at the rear end, was wrought as a short barrel instead. It NEVER HAD a "matchlock", however; that long and thin piece of iron still present would have never worked as a serpentine or tinderholder (rather than a matchholder); it would have been way too long in terms of proportions, and would not have acted properly, except when spring-loaded, which it clearly was not. What it actually was is a carrying hook, including its use as a belt or saddle hook, and by either a Landsknecht/mercenary afoot, or by a horseman. Remember the fact that the 1520's and 1530's simultaneously were the high time, and the sundown, of the age of the mercenaries. Obviously, the originally tight rivet has lost its grip, as a consequence of the heavy acid-cleaning that has ruined the original surface of the iron forever and almost allows to identify remains of the smith's mark struck twice. Please note the characteristic Late Gothic/Early Renaissance ornament of the trefoil (German: Dreipass), which is the ultimate simplification of a bunch of grapes; this axe blade was pierced three times, instead of the easier method of engraving, by striking three dots. Also, the fact that combination weapons were characteristic of Northwestern Europe in the 16th century, and foremost between ca. 1520 and 1560, supports this statement. The guy who carried this weapon the hidden firing power of which could not be detected at fist sight, and, moreover, was totally unexpected by any opponent, of course had to have a length of matchcord ready a well, slowly glowing at both ends, but the presence of a hempcord would not have been paid special attention to. When in danger, he could, all of a sudden, press one end of that match into the - relatively large! - touch hole and fire a load at short distance. Next, he could either have sent the axe hurling at the enemy, or hit, and let him have it, man to man. Most probably, the matchcord was carried wound around the mercenary's arm, or - even better - the haft/barrel of the axe, as contemporary historic sources of illustration prove: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ght=slow+match The small trough-like recess surrounding the touch hole denotes that a small amount of igniting powder, mingled with a bit of glue or resin that would make it harden and stay there, completely covered, and perfectly hid!, the actual touch hole. Please cf. my threads: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...rliest+barrels http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...highlight=1481 http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...igniting+irons We know that such combination weapons were quite popular in India in the 18th and 19th centuries, and they were certainly influenced by German, mostly Nuremberg manufactured, objects taken to Asia by trade ships from ca. 1500 onwards, like the Bom Jesus in 1533: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ighlight=jesus The attachments depict an almost identical, but "conventional" all-iron throwing axe of ca. 1500-30. Please note the hook riveted for attaching the axe to either a belt or a saddle. The two bottom attachments I owe to my friend Armin König, who photographed a throwing axe preserved in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nürnberg. What is remarkable: this axe, too, is in a state of excavation, and was heavily acid-cleaned as well. As a result, the rivet of its carrying hook is also loose, and the item is exhibited with the hook pointing upward in the direction of the head, instead of downward, which should not happen with a museum presentation. Moreover, it is displayed with the right-hand side up, and both the hook and maker's marks sadly hidden. As the author has stated before, the Early Renaissance period, which put an end to the Medieval Age and, by circa 1500, marked the sunburst of the Modern Age, was characterized by a completely new way of thinking. Man started exploring literally everything: his environments, the world, far-off continents, the sky and planets above him. Revolutionary thoughts of freedom went together with an importance, and self-confidence, of all artisans and craftsmen alike, and hitherto unknown - including the men of war. For the first time ever, the little ones did count as well, not just the nobility. When it all came down, kings and knights were actually nothing, had it not been for the peasants, skilled soldiers, and craftsmen. The self-established Landsknechts/mercenaries were free-lancers, fighting for who would offer the best pay, and booty. Most of them were still loyal to a certain warlord, though - but now, the choice was theirs, and that made all the diffence. It was the age of geniuses like Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Dürer - and, among others, the smiths of weapons. Starting out from Italy, the Renaissance triggered a widely based new way of cultural, philosophic and political thinking, at the same time giving birth to brilliant ideas that lead to mechanical inventions like the use of screws and springs on objects, especially the first clocks in Nuremberg - and, of course, the closey related wheellock. Nails now got threaded, thus replacing the former rivets by screws, which allowed delicate adjustments of movable parts, and made repairs a lot easier to do. A new profession was born: the mechanically skilled locksmith, who, from now on, only wrought delicate and ingenuous actions. It was also *the age of the ludo globi: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Ludo_Globi* Mankind started playing with everything nature provided, and the human mind could think of. As nobody wished to carry more different items along than necessary, the respective functions of separate objects were now preferrably combined in one single item, uniting them all - even up to a level of creating things quite impractical for everyday use, like three- and four-barreled firing maces: http://www.vikingsword.com http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...l+mace+meyrick - and the famous so-called Monk's Gun, which, according to the formal, stylistic and technical criteria set up by the author, should be correctly dated "ca. 1525-30", and was almost certainly made in Nuremberg or Augsburg. Up to now, various arms experts have suggested a very wide time line of dating the Monk's Gun, from "ca. 1450-1550" (Claude Blair: "Further Notes on the Origins of the Wheellock", in: Robert Held (ed.): *Arms and Armour Annual, December 1973, pp. 28-47, esp. 42ff., up to "before 1667, probably ca. 1600" (Maus I. Rattinger), see second attachment to my follower post.* Please also note my thread on that famous "riddle" of weaponry: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=19033 Actually, the Monk's Gun is a combination of a tubular padlock and a firerarm activated by friction, when the rear ring-shaped bolt is pulled; with a usual padlock, that bolt would, of course, be a key with a threaded haft. It is preserved in The Saxon Royal Collections, which is the *Rüstkammer in Dresden. Attached to my next post, please find photos of the Monk's gun, of a large tubular padlock* formerly in the author's collection, and also made in Nuremberg, for a heavy chest, at the very same time, ca. 1525-30. Also attached is a source of contemporary illustration, an engraving dated 1533, and depicting two padlocks of exactly the same tapering form, securing a huge money chest. Best, Michael Michael Trömner Rebenstr. 9 D-93326 Abensberg Germany Self-established Academic Medievalist Graduated from Regensburg University in 1982 *Stipendiary recipient and Member of the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes, Bonn* *Author of BEHÄLTNISSE FÜR KOSTBARES 1500-1700, 2005* *Member of vikingsword.com, with more than 4.100 threads and posts since 2008* *M. of the Arms & Armour Society, London since 1991* *M. of the Gesellschaft für Historische Waffen- und Kostümkunde e.V., Berlin since 1987* Expertises in European weapons, ironworks and furniture of the 14th through 17th centuries Preservation and academic documentation of museum collections The last two photos in this post copyrighted by Armin König, Hohenberg a.d. Eger. Attached Images Last edited by Matchlock; 9th September 2014 at 05:10 AM.