Battleaxe with triangular iron blade: 10th-mid 11th century

Battleaxe with triangular iron blade. This battleaxe has a triangular blade and a plain socket, the handle is a modern replica of the original wooden handle. This battle axe is part of a group of axes and spears that were found during building works at the north end of London Bridge in the 1920s. They may have been lost in battle or thrown into the river by the victors in celebration. In the late 900s and early 1000s Scandinavian rulers like Swein Forkbeard of Denmark and Olaf Tryggvason of Norway tried to gain control of the Danelaw and of the rest of England, and eventually Swein's son Cnut won the English throne. There were a number of battles along the Thames and around London Bridge.