A war hammer (French: martel-de-fer, "iron hammer") is a weapon that was used by both foot soldiers and cavalry. It is a very old weapon and gave its name, owing to its constant use, to Judah Maccabee, a 2nd-century BC Jewish rebel, and to Charles Martel, one of the rulers of France. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries the war hammer became an elaborately decorated and handsome weapon. The war hammer was a popular weapon in the late medieval period. It became somewhat of a necessity in combat when armor became so strong that swords and axes were no longer able to pierce and ricocheted upon impact. The war hammer could inflict significant damage on the enemy through their heavy impact, without the need to pierce the armor. Design A war hammer consists of a handle and a head. The length of the handle may vary, the longest being roughly equivalent to that of a halberd (5 to 6 feet or 1.5 to 1.8 meters), and the shortest about the same as that of a mace (2 to 3 feet or 60 to 90 centimeters). Long war hammers were pole weapons, or polearms, meant for use on foot, whereas short ones were used from horseback. War hammers, especially when mounted on a pole, could in some cases transmit their impact through helmets and cause concussions. Later war hammers often had a spike on one side of the head, making them more versatile weapons. The spike end could be used for grappling the target's armour, reins, or shield, If against mounted opponents, the weapon could also be directed at the legs of a horse, toppling the armoured foe to the ground where they could be more easily attacked. The side of a war hammer was usually first to knock out and stun an enemy and, once they were on the ground, reversed to punch a hole through the helmet and deliver the coup de grace. A powerful swing from a war hammer can hit its target with a force of several hundred kg/mm2. This is the same penetrating force as a rifle bullet. Maul A maul is a long-handled hammer with a heavy head, of wood, lead, or iron. Similar in appearance and function to a modern sledgehammer, it is sometimes shown as having a spear-like spike on the fore-end of the haft. The use of the maul as a weapon