Many of the swords of the 11th century were of a form commonly called "Viking" swords today. The earlier forms of the cruciform medieval swords would also almost certainly been in the hands of some of the Norman lords. Our Shifford Viking Sword, Anglo-Saxon Sword, and Viking trainer are all good representations of some of the swords carried by both sides at the battle, while our St Maurice Sword is an example of an early cross hilted weapon.
Although they are iconic, swords were almost certainly not the most common weapons used at the Battle of Hastings. Spears and Axes would have dominated the field. Spears appear the primary weapon depicted in art from the battle and would have been the preferred weapon of many fighters. Lances are, of course, a variety of spear used from horseback, but there were also a wide variety of spears used afoot.
Our Javelin, Celtic Spear, and Norseman Spear would all be good examples of these weapons. The first two were often thrown, while the later would be wielded either in two hands or in one hand with a shield in the other.
Javelins and spears on the tapestry
Axes in Action
Possibly the most dominate weapon on the battle field used in the period of the Norman Invasion, and depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry are large battle axes. Our Dane Axe and Type L War Axe both available with reinforced cutting edge. Are great examples of these long handled axes for use with two hands. Single handed axes were also popular during the period and could be used with a shield. Here is a video of some cutting with our Type L Fighting Axe. Our Nordland Axe is a classic belt axe of the period and would have been carried by many foot soldiers.
Dane Type L Axe with reinforced edge
Sword, spear, and axe were the dominate weapons of 11th century warfare, and lay the foundation for all the developments of European arms and armor to come.
The main thing to remember is don't forget to pick up your toys at the end of the day
Nathan Clough, Ph.D. is Vice President of Arms and Armor and a member of the governing board of The Oakeshott Institute. He is a historical martial artist and a former university professor of cultural geography. He has given presentations on historical arms at events including Longpoint and Combatcon, and presented scholarly papers at, among others, The International Congress on Medieval Studies.
Craig Johnson is the Production Manager of Arms and Armor and Secretary of The Oakeshott Institute. He has taught and published on the history of arms, armor and western martial arts for over 30 years. He has lectured at several schools and Universities, WMAW, HEMAC, 4W, and ICMS at Kalamazoo. His experiences include iron smelting, jousting, theatrical combat instruction and choreography, historical research, European martial arts and crafting weapons and armor since 1985.