Original European Executioner Beheading Axe with Long Blade Circa 1550-1700 - 61¾” Overall Length
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Original Item: Only One Available. An Axe is a tool, there are many types of axes for many different jobs. The market is awash with modern reproduction Executioner's Axes but 99% are based on pure fantasy. Many original medieval axes were purpose made for specialized purposes but today are passed off as for severing heads.
In the fourteen-hundreds, beheading was the traditional death sentence, whereas Nobility were dispatched using a sword, most notably Anne Boleyn, second wife of English King Henry the VIII. Common folk, however, were sent to the Axe.
By the late 1700s and the time of the French Revolution an mechanical device known as the Guillotine had been adopted all over France as it was considered more humane. Medieval Europe depended on the local headsman with his axe, and every large town had an executioner.
This example measures 61¾” in overall length, with an 18½” blade and a 53¾” shaft. There may have been markings on the blade at one point, but they are now gone. The edge of the blade is a bit inconsistent, so this piece may have been re-shafted at one point. If it was, it was done a very long time ago, as the wooden shaft now has heavy woodworm damage near the bottom. The head is not very tight to the shaft, and an extra piece of wood has been inserted to keep it tight, but it still wobbles a bit.
This is a great piece well-worthy of deeper research. Comes ready for further research and display.
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle
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