A Bec De Corbin is a type of polearm and war hammer that was popular in medieval Europe. The name is Old French for "raven's beak". Similar to the Lucerne hammer ( a type of polearm which was popular in Swiss armies during the 15th to 17th centuries), it consists of a modified hammer's head and spike mounted atop a long pole. Unlike the Lucerne hammer, the bec de corbin was used primarily with the "beak" or fluke to attack instead of the hammer head. The hammer face balancing the beak was often blunt instead of the multi-pronged Lucerne, and the beak tended to be stouter; better designed for tearing into plate armor, mail, or gambeson. The spike mounted on the top of the head was also not nearly as long and thin as on the Lucerne. "Bec de corbin" occasionally becomes a catchall for any type of warhammer, such as a maul or a horseman's pick.
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Bec De Corbin
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