These sources also describe the Francisca as being a fierce melee weapon. Some sources, strangely, describe the Francisca as both the "main weapons" of the Frankish infantry around the time of Clovis. The francisca also had a psychological effect, in that, on the throwing of the francisca, the enemy might turn and run in the fear that another volley was coming. Even if the edge of the blade were not to strike the target, the weight of the iron head could cause injury. The weight of the head and length of the haft would allow the axe to be thrown with considerable momentum to an effective range of about 12 m (40 ft). Procopius makes it clear that the Franks threw their axes immediately before hand-to-hand combat with the purpose of breaking shields and disrupting the enemy line while possibly wounding or killing an enemy warrior. And they are accustomed always to throw these axes at one signal in the first charge and thus shatter the shields of the enemy and kill the men. Now the iron head of this weapon was thick and exceedingly sharp on both sides while the wooden handle was very short. each man carried a sword and shield and an axe. 500–565) described the Franks and their use of throwing axes: Based on the surviving heads of franciscas recovered at Burgh Castle and Morning Thorpe in county Norfolk, England, the length of the head itself measured 14–15 cm (5–6 in) from the edge to the back of the socket. Based on the measurements of modern replicas, the francisca had a haft length of around 40–45 cm (16–18 in) and a 10 cm (4 in) cutting edge with an average weight of around 600 g (21 oz, 1.3 lb). Most franciscas have a round or teardrop-shaped eye designed to fit the tapered haft, similar to Viking axes. Sometimes the head is more upswept, forming a wider angle with the haft. The top of the head is usually either S-shaped or convex with the lower portion curving inward and forming an elbow with the short wooden haft. The francisca is characterized by its distinctly arch-shaped head, widening toward the cutting edge and terminating in a prominent point at both the upper and lower corners. The régime of Vichy France used the image of a stylised double-headed francisque as part of its iconography (compare fasces). 538–594) in his History of the Franks uses two Latin terms for the Frankish axe: securis and bipennis. 560–636) as a name used in Hispania to refer to these weapons "because of their use by the Franks". The term francisca first appeared in the book Etymologiarum sive originum, libri XVIII by Isidore of Seville (c. After a volley, enemies would often run fearing that another volley would follow.Blade of a Francisca of the Alamannic graveyard of Weingarten (6th century) The Francisca would often have a random trajectory so it was difficult to predict where the axe was going to go. They provided a psychological edge to their war efforts. Other historians claim that the axe was thrown before hand-to-hand combat. It was difficult to get within an arm’s length of an animal so thrown weapons were often used.
Instead, they believe that it was used in the hunting of food. Play against your friends or make new ones as you throw axes weekly in. They believe it would be folly to throw away a prized weapon and then be unarmed in the face of their enemies. Join our league community & experience 8-weeks of competitive axe throwing awesomeness. Some historians believe that the thrown axe was not actually used in battles. Commonly associated with the Franks, for whom it was the national weapon, it was also used by many of the other Germanic Tribes at the time. It was used in the early middle age as a weapon. The Francisca axe is probably the most famous types of throwing axes. However, thrown axes were not used until 400-500 AD. Initially, they were made without a handle (or haft) and the cutting edge was made from stone. Axes are some of the oldest tools known to man.
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