Medieval Flails and Maces

Admit it.  Medieval flails are pretty awesome.  Granted, it wouldn’t be so cool to be on the receiving end of one, they are really interesting weapons.  There are many different variations of flails and maces, and their history is pretty neat.

The use of a flail in the Middle Ages was brought about by peasant farmers.  These agricultural flails were sometimes used by the peasants to defend themselves in an uprising.  This evolved into a weapon, and the appearance changed.  The new weapons had studs or spikes embedded in the end.  These flails were used in the German Peasants War in the 16th Century.

Later on, the long handled flail gained popularity in India.  Not so much as a weapon, but as a status symbol.  There is an example of a mace with two iron spiked balls, attached with separate chains in the Royal Armouries collection.