Dane Axe - Famous Historical Figures Associated With The Axe

Famous Historical Figures Associated With The Axe

After the Battle of Stiklestad, the axe also became the symbol of St. Olaf and can still be seen on the Coat of Arms of Norway. However, this is because the axe is the implement of his martyrdom, rather than signifying use.

King Stephen of England famously used a Danish axe at the Battle of Lincoln 1141 after his sword broke.

Richard the Lionheart was often recorded in Victorian times wielding a large war axe, though references are sometimes wildly exaggerated as befitted a national hero: "Long and long after he was quiet in his grave, his terrible battle-axe, with twenty English pounds of English steel in its mighty head..." - A Child's History of England by Charles Dickens. Richard is, however, recorded as using a Danish Axe at the relief of Jaffa. Geoffrey de Lusignan is another famous crusader associated with the axe.

In the 14th. century, the use of axes is increasingly noted by Froissart in his Chronicle, with King Jean II using one at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356 and Sir James Douglas at the Battle of Otterburn in 1388. Bretons were apparently noted axe users, with Bertrand du Guesclin and Olivier de Clisson both wielding axes in battle. In these cases, we cannot tell whether the weapon was a Danish axe, or the proto-pollaxe.