Francisca axe

The francisca is a throwing axe used as a weapon during the Early Middle Ages by the Franks, among whom it was a characteristic national weapon at the time of the Merovingians from about 500 to 750 AD and is known to have been used during the reign of Charlemagne (768–814). Although generally associated with the Franks, it was also used by other Germanic peoples of the period including the Anglo-Saxons, and several examples have been found in England.

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Availability: In stock 23pcs!

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  • Product No: 8226

Variants in stock

not hardened construction steel DIN USt37-2 | GOST St2kp (may get deformed in use) | without spare handle
pcs (13 pcs In stock)
oil-quenched spring steel DIN 54SiCr6, approx. 54 HRC | without spare handle
pcs (10 pcs In stock)

Francisca axe

The francisca is characterized by its distinctly arch-shaped head, widening toward the cutting edge and terminating in a prominent point at both the upper and lower corners. The top of the head is usually either S-shaped or convex with the lower portion curving inward and forming an elbow with the short wooden haft. Sometimes the head is more upswept forming a wider angle with the haft. Most franciscas have a round or teardrop-shaped eye designed to fit the tapered haft, similar to Viking axes. Based on the measurements of modern replicas the francisca had a haft length of around 40-45 cm (16-18 in) and a 10 cm (4 in) cutting edge with an average weight of around 600 g (21 oz, 1.3 lb).


  • 15*10 cm – approx. size of the axe head
  • 38,5 cm - approx.  shaft length
  • sharp edge!
  • shaft from oak or beech wood
  • weight approx. 748 g

Instructions for use:

Note that a throwing axcan cause severe injuries! It does not belong in the hands of children!

  1. Before you throw the ax, make sure that it is not damaged or soiled.
  2. Do throw with put on leather gloves to protect your hands from abrasions.
  3. Before you proceed to throw, create enough space around yourself (at least a circle with a radius of 2 meters) and always see to it that nobody is standing beside or in front of you!
  4. Choose a target from soft materials (such as soft woods or special target boards of hi-tech materials). Avoid throwing on living trees or soil.
  5. The distance from the target should correspond with your skills and experience. Acceptable is a distance of 5 meters and more.
  6. Remember that the ax sometimes misses the target and bounces off of objects around the target.
  7. Sharpen a damaged blade with a diamond file.
  8. After use, make the throwing axe dry and clean. Then you should oil it to preserve from rusting. Acceptable is e.g. the oil  WD40.
  9. Keep your throwing ax out of reach of children!

Product review

Number of product reviews: 4 Rewieved so far: 1 customers.

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18.7.2013 13:58

Jiří Holuša


Zakoupil jsem verzi nekalenou z 11 oceli.Sekera odpovidá historické předloze,zpracování velmi dobré, drobné povrchové vady ve formě pár černých teček nemohu odsuzovat ,protože mnoho lidí dnes klade důraz na autentičnost historických replik a nevíc sekyře nevadí a je jich jen pár a lze se jich snadno zbavit. Pokud sháníte vrhaci sekeru se kterou začít anebo chcete historicky přesnou repliku či dekoraci, vše vám tento produkt splní a to za dobrou cenu. A proč jen čtyři hvězdy? No je zde ještě verze kalená ze 14 oceli kterou si třeba časem také pořídím.

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Advisory Service: Questions and Answers

What is the difference between industrially rolled and hand-forged blades?

In the case of hand-forged blades, our blacksmith takes the already rolled spring steel and forges it by hand on the anvil or under the drop hammer. The steel gets more solid (denser) by forging. In the case of industrially rolled spring steel blades, the sheets of steel plate is cut to strips under drop snips, then ground or milled and immediately forged into the annealing furnace and oil-quenched. The properties of both kinds of steels are not very different, since industrial rolling is already very good! On forged blades are usually blacksmith marks, which give them an authentic and unique look.

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