Francesca

Francesca is a type of a throwing axe that was used in the early Medieval Ages. The axe was mainly used by the Franks but it was also used by Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons. The Francesca was a characteristic weapon between 500 and 750AD at the time of the Merovingians and during the Charlemagne reign (768-814AD). The Franks threw their axes right before hand-to-hand combat. The purpose of the axe was to throw it at the opponents with the purpose of breaking their shields, ranks and wounding and killing them. The Francisca was also a good intimidation tool as the sight of multiple axes thrown at the enemy was very intimidating. In many cases this may have caused the enemy to simply run.