Art in an Early Global World at WAM: A WAM/College of the Holy Cross CollaborationMain MenuAmanda Luyster17d39c1ecea88fb7ff282fe74a410b89478b8327Created by the Worcester Art Museum and the College of the Holy Cross, with the Worcester Public Schools AP Art History class of 2024. Financial support provided by the Medieval Academy of America and "Scholarship in Action" at Holy Cross.
Battle of Poitiers
1media/Battle of Poitiers, miniature manuscript illumination from Grandes Chroniques de France, c. 1415._thumb.webp2024-03-30T21:04:49-07:00Amanda Sopchockchaic166c893d3f8e85f5083bab6661445b2a8c3894a448012Battle of Poitiers, miniature manuscript illumination from Grandes Chroniques de France, c. 1415. - BL Cotton MS Nero E II, f.166.plain2024-04-11T12:19:35-07:00Amanda Sopchockchaic166c893d3f8e85f5083bab6661445b2a8c3894a
Pollaxes were effective, multi-faceted weapons. This particular pollaxe was ornate and suited for a nobleman. It witnessed a culture that valued military prowess in battle as well as displays of status, including celebration of noble lineage with all its pageantry. Such values around showmanship would especially be present in sporting events, like the joust, in which competitors would wear heavy plate armor, like the Composite Stechzeug from Nuremberg, which a pollaxe could have punctured. The pollaxe was used in tournaments drawing diverse audiences and participants, including foreigners who appreciated the warlike spectacle as much as the locals did.
