War hammers, maces, and battle axes
Hungarian / Polish war hammer:
Let us view a few weapons like these as they were very popular in Hungary and in Europe. The first is a war hammer from Poland or Hungary, from the 17th century: it is displayed in the Wallace collection in England:
Here is a description of the Wallace Museum:
“War Hammer (Czákany), with a square, stepped, hammer-head with a square face and moulded neck, balanced by a long, slightly drooping, fluted beak. Short, socket straps with shaped edges at top and bottom. Octagonal wooden haft covered with leather and studded with groups of brass-headed nails (probably modern). The haft projects beyond the head at the top and is finished at the top and bottom with a steel cap with a small button in the center.
Polish or Hungarian, the first half of the 17th century.
This type of hammer is called Csákányfocos by J. Szendrei (1896, no. 6681).
J. Kalmár describes a similar hammer as Hungarian, using the name Czakany (Regi Magyar fegyverek, 1971, pp. 34-7, fig. 50). On the other hand, M. Pasziewicz describes A977 as Polish (J.A.A.S., VIII, no. 3, 1975, pp. 225-8, pI. LXXXIV B). A comparable hammer is in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (G. M. Wilson in A. MacGregor, 1983, pp. 204-6, no. 92, pI. LXVI). A comparable hammerhead said to have been found locally, is at Dyrham, Gloucestershire. There is a detached head of very similar form in the Henderson Collection, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.”
The dimensions are:
- War hammer
- Unknown Artist / Maker
- Poland or Hungary
- Date:1st half of 17th century
- Medium: Steel, wood, leather, and copper alloy
- Length:62.2 cm
- Weight:0.64 kg
- Source: https://wallacelive.wallacecollection.org:443/eMP/eMuseumPlus?service=ExternalInterface&module=collection&objectId=61474&viewType=detailView

Hungarian mace (buzogány) and a war ax (fokos), about 1550:
These items are in the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Hofjagd- und Rüstkammer, Austria.

There are many “fokos” dances that have been preserved in Hungarian folklore, here is one of them – imagine that they are practicing (dancing) with battle axes or swords instead of sticks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1A7Vr0WxxI

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