The mace was radically symmetrical so that the hit could be delivered equally with any side of the head (Medieval Weapons and Armor).The mace was very effective against heavily armored enemies (Medieval Middle Ages). Foot soldiers and knights used maces to defend themselves against many other swords and weapons (Medieval Middle Ages).
Maces were made out of many different types of materials and had different attachments on the tip, but the designs were all similar. The earliest maces did not have metal blades or spikes, but rather heavy objects attached at the end (Medieval Weapons). The mace was generally had a long handle and were sometimes made out of wood or more commonly a metal shaft with a weighted head on the top (Martherne). They were light weapons and usually had a security chain at the bottom of the handle to strap to the soldiers wrist (Medieval Chronicles). Maces were made out of bronze, iron, steel, silver, and gold (Medieval Chronicles). The most common metal that the mace was made out of was bronze (Medieval Chronicles). Silver and gold maces were used for ceremonial …show more content…
It was a jointed weapon consisting of a spiked, flanged, or knobbed steel ball (Medieval Life). The ball was attached by a chain to a short wood or steel shaft (Medieval Life). The flail was an extremely effective weapon, but it was not popular among knights (Medieval Knights). Once the flail was swung, the chain could wrap itself around the enemy’s shield which would cause it to be useless (Medieval Knights). There were two types of flails, the one handed military flail and the two handed Great Flail (Medieval Chronicles). After some time multiple chains and balls were attached to the handle causing the weapon to be even more dangerous and deadly (Medieval Life). The two handed flail started as an agricultural tool that was used by peasants for corn farming (Medieval Chronicles). It had a handle that was about 6ft long with a 2ft long swindle. Agricultural flails were sometimes used by peasant armies entering into military services or those who engaged into rebellious uprisings (Medieval Warfare). The one handed military flail was designed as a combat weapon and was not used for anything else (Medieval Chronicles). They were very short, measuring up to 1 to 3 feet long (Medieval Chronicles). The flail was not a great defensive weapon. Because of the constant swinging of the weapon over one’s head, exhaustion came quick to the individual. For these reasons was why most knights favored the classic mace for both battles and