Polish Nadziak or Czekan War Hammer Axe

A rare survivor from the period of the 17th century and the Battle of Vienna, this distinctly Polish or Eastern European battle war hammer axe is a type referred to as a nadziak. This particular example also have some elements of the Polish czekan as well.

The Polish nadziak, a fierce battle weapon, is directly borrowed from the Turkish meaning to “pierce with something . . .” The hammer head, as on this example, is usually square with a molded neck and with a slightly drooping beak, often fluted (as on this example). The Wallace Collection (See Ref. No A A977) has an example of this type demonstrating the distinct fluting found on Polish/Hungarian war hammers. Another less common style is also known where the hammer neck and beak form one continuous line and the beak is shorter and its point is formed by cutting off the top side at an angle. This war hammer has elements of the classic nadziak, but also the czekan.

The czekan is classically formed as as a hammer-head (usually with a square face) on one side and an axe with a short, slightly curved blade on the other, which closely describes this example.

In addition to the classic nadziak and czekan features of this war hammer, the collar is formed of brass with white, green, and blue enamel. This form of enameling is found on Eastern European arms, particularly in Russia, Hungary, and Poland, in the 16th-17th centuries. It is rare to find this form of decorative element on a war hammer of this period. The shaft of classicly formed hardwood.

Historically these axes war hammers were wielded by the great Polish warriors of the 16th and 17th centuries when the battles against the Ottoman Empire were fought on Eastern and Central European soil. The Polish-Ottoman War of 1672-1676 in the Polish territories in the Ukraine presaged the Great Turkish War, which began with the Siege of Vienna in 1683 and ended with the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699.

The Polish 18th century historian Jędrzej Kitowicz wrote [translation by Paszkiewicz,M. (1975)]:

'When a nobleman was leaving the house he would buckle the sabre to his side and take an ‘obuch’ in his hand, an instrument which was also called ‘nadziak’ and ‘czekan’. It consisted of a haft, one inch thick and waist-high; the handle was round and elongated made of silver, plated or plain brass, and with a hammer on the other side, made of steel, silver or brass. This hammer had a hammer-head similar to the shoemaker’s; if on the other side it was formed into the shape of an axe, it was called ‘czekan’, if it was in the form of a thick, slightly sloping spike, it was called ‘nadziak’, and if curved like a round cracknel, then ‘obuch’.'

“It was a terrible instrument in the hand of a Pole, and particularly so when he was in the mood for quarrels and scuffles. With the sabre one could cut off somebody’s hand, cut the face, injure the head, and the running blood of the adversary would calm down the rancour. But with the obuch one could cause a deadly wound without even seeing the blood, and – not seeing it – he would not calm down instantly, but would strike several times without cutting the skin, breaking ribs and bones at the same time.”

“The nobleman walking with an obuch often injured his serfs and sometimes even killed them. Because of the danger it represented it was forbidden to come armed with a nadziak at the time of big meetings, sessions of parliament, sessions of the local councils or tribunals where scuffles were common. At the entrance to the Gniezno cathedral there is a fixed notice warning people whosoever would enter this house of God with such a brigandish instrument he would be excommunicated. And indeed it was a brigandish instrument for if someone should hit somebody else with the nadziak’s sharp end behind the ear he would kill him instantly, pushing through his temples a fatal iron.”"

References:
Paszkiewicz, M. (1975) Polish War Hammers: Czekan, Nadziak, Obuch. pp. 225-228. Journal of the Arms and Armor Society. VIII(3)
Kitowicz, J. (1855) Opis obyczajów i zwyczajów za panowania Augusta III. B.M. Wolff.