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

This weapon was made in the late 1400s in Northern Europe, and the design of its cutouts and inlaid ornament, consisting of broad frames and recurring geometric motifs, resemble other designs emblazoned on suits of plate armor from the early 1500s.

Northern Europeans still lived primarily in agrarian societies, comprised of smaller farms and sweeping, feudal estates. Subsistence farming was common among the peasantry, yet urban areas had a high demand for grain exports. Among the great landlords were the Knights of the Teutonic Order, whose tenants were originally free, but were later bound to the land as serfs. This pollaxe may have belonged to a Teutonic Knight or a nobleman with interests in combat.

More than a century before this pollaxe was forged, the Black Death ravaged northern Europe (1346-1353). Survivors still farmed, guilds and apprenticeships persisted, and laborers could request higher rates of pay due to a decimated labor force. Knights were exempt from imperial taxes and had the ability to wage private wars. They clung to their privileges during their decline that took place after the fall of the Hohenstaufen line, refusing to be reduced to mere subjects under the crown. Many knights became highwaymen or mercenaries, and others were forced to sell their estates.

Another institution, the Church, was in decline as well, as power grew among the laity. Princes levied high taxes on the Church, and the number of clergymen dwindled due to the Black Death. Life was becoming more secular, as the ideals of humanism and the Renaissance grew. Northern Europe also saw the emergence of the Reformation and the rise of Protestantism.