"Common Weapons - Dark Age Europe" Topic

I understand this may be a broad question…

What was the most common hand weapon found among the more lower tiered troops?

There is the every present spear, the sword, the hand ax.

I am starting to wonder if the long knife, or Seax, would be the standard side weapon for most "fryd/levy" troops after the spear.

Or was the sword a common hand weapon for such troops?

Thanks

I would say improvised agricultural tool, club, spear, ax, long knife/Seax would be the most common weapons for the lower class troops. A few might have a sword, but it would not be common as swords were expensive.

The Sword was probably not that common even amongst the hersir. I think the spear would be the most common weapon ikn all classes, with axes next. Seax could get pretty long, but I reckon that most folks wanted to stay as far away as they could from the other guy. Even Hersir would appreciate the reach of spears.

Spears, spears, and more spears.

Contrary to popular belief, peasants didn't really fight in armies. Maybe if their village was attacked by marauders, and certainly after a good night's drinking they would fight!

Your levy/fyrd fellers were freemen with a bit of wealth and status. Wealth, status, and military service were interlinked. There tended to be a stipulation that those who owed military service must provide a certain minimum of kit, usually a helmet and spear. Maybe a horse.

The fyrd was not a population-in-arms or levee-en-mass type deal. Lords wanted properly armed troops not peasants with pitchforks…

Fyrdir were only allowed at a muster with at least a spear and shield.
Saxes came in all sizes, everyone would have a small one for eating with and meal preparation.
I am sure that larger Saxes were fairly common as a backup to the Gar, but not that many bigger than a short sword.

Cerdic

That is an interesting point. I should see the Fyrd more as a "Middle Class" with enough wealth to own some base equipment.

I keep thinking of Dark Age representations, such as the Viking TV series, where so many soldiers have swords or axes.

or in miniatures

Outside of the spear I just don't know how common that would actually be.

Many Saxon ranges have Ceorls (Peasants) in considerable numbers. Saga (which in all fairness is not necessarily ultra historical) also encourages their use as do other rule sets. This is probably incorrect. As Cerdic says, the fyrd wwas made up of thegns and a few retainers, not a 'nation in arms'. Swords became more common after around 1000 AD/CE as advances were made in ironworking. Non pattern-welded blades were stronger and more widespread after this time. I'd think helmets and mail would also increase. The equipment required by the laws of Aethelred in the early 11th C. bears this out. Every thegn is required to have a helmet and mail coat – that's at a conservative estimate 10,000 men in England.

Elite cavalry in Francia are show mailed and armoured even earlier.

Earlier English artwork shows fewer helmets. The Franks casket from the 8th century shows what might be a typical elite Warband, a chief's bodyguard – helmeted chief, some mail, a few swords. What seems odd is the use of mail without helmets – but that might well be correct.