What Kind of Damage Can a Medieval War Hammer Do?

A contemporary weapons expert is about to test a medieval war hammer on a steel breastplate from that era. The aim is to find out how much damage this fearsome instrument of death could deal.

[noahjones]

"Such blows can break a man's neck, possibly leave him stunned or worse."
Ah yes humans are indeed often stunned by having their necks broken

[ToddHoff]

Maybe I've been spoiled by mythbusters, but shouldn't you put some sort of simulated brain or sensor inside the helmet to characterize the force?

[hrprreview]

So this is what Robert Baratheon's fighting style actually look like.

[catbus]

What kind of damage can a medieval war hammer do?
My brain: probably a lot

[AzngameFreak]

In football we had helmet straps that would clip on with metal on the ends. These straps were long enough to hit other helmets. The metal was only a few inches long, but it was enough to make the loudest of sounds vibrating through the helmet. We would dread when it happened. Imagine the sound metal on metal at full force from the warhammer to the helmet. That sound alone could send a man shaken, rattled, and discombobulated.

[megathicc]

That test doesn't show the balance of the human body. When someone gets hit with a hammer they will go back and not stay in place like a piece of wood

[APAstronaut]

I was expecting more self defense from the lifeless armor, really

[gl]

I imagine the horse's speed adds to the impact but what about chaotic battles? If the horse was surrounded, the height difference to the foot soldiers would make for a great game of wack-a-mole

[randygreen]

It's still a formidable weapon today.

[joshuasim]

Question: "What Kind of Damage Can a Medieval War Hammer Do?"
Answer: "A LOT."

[ethanpetrea]

"it can break his neck... or worse"

[robinsonnguyen]

You really gotta admit, that was a solid hit.

[efsdws]

I could have done that. I was expecting some scientific quantification of the impact. Instead, “ there is a dent.”

[colmhain]

Well, if they didn't work, they wouldn't have used them.

[bobbycollings]

It's official, I'd rather just be shot then go through the horror of medieval warfare

[andreweden]

What we would call the "one percent" were the only ones who could afford full plate armor. We're talking about the Late Middle Ages here(1300-1500). Many people incorrectly assume that impact weapons such as maces and war hammers were "peasant weapons". However, it turns out that quite the opposite was true. If you possessed a war hammer like that, people would know you were rich, and that you were prepared to fight other wealthy men. Maces and war hammers are specifically armor-defeating weapons, and they were designed for men who could afford armor, and would be fighting armored opponents. They were actually status symbols for the wealthy.

[GNZOU]

If you guys are wondering where this place is, it's near Nykøbing Falster, it's a city not a village like the narrator says.

It's called The Middle Ages Center (Middelaldercentret), and located in Sundby, Denmark.

[Jayvee]

Plate armor: Resistant to slashing damage, weak to bludgeoning damage

[BytebroUK]

That was a fairly light-weight description, but not bad. Look forward to further investigation of this. That is a very impressive weapon/tool, in its place.

[jessestanley]

They didn’t even use the more effective side