Amanda Sopchockchai, Class of 2027, College of the Holy Cross

This pollaxe was likely made for a noble owner, a knight or another man-of-arms, to battle with, possibly in quarterstaff fighting, a mode of combat involving staffs, during war or a tournament. Specifically, this weapon would have been favored for the express purpose of breaching an opponent’s plate armor as the axeblade or the thrusting tip could cleave or pierce through steel, even penetrating through the fabric of a surcoat or tabard, which were worn at times to prevent armor from rusting, or display heraldry, a form of identity through a bloodline’s particular coat-of-arms, shown during war or to the crowds at a tournament.

The pollaxe’s blade could have been used to disable an opponent, either by tripping him or by disarming him, and the spear tip and hammer face could serve to carry out thrusts. Additionally, without the metal langets to reinforce the pole, an opponent could have hacked through the wood itself, ruining the weapon.