Medieval flail

Product description

The medieval war flail was a shorter weapon consisting of a wooden shaft connected by a chain, rope, or leather strap to one or more striking heads. It originated during the Crusades from the threshing flail. Because the steel ball was attached to a chain, it proved effective against enemies carrying shields. Variants of this weapon — sometimes smooth, sometimes spiked — spread from Eastern Europe to the West from the 10th century onward. Illustrations from the 15th to 17th centuries depict both large, two-handed flails and shorter, one-handed versions. Well-known depictions may be found in the painting Battle of Orsha (1520–1534), in The Travels of Marco Polo (c. 1410), and in the military treatise Bellifortis (c. 1450).

The flail has a handle with a length of 32 cm and two steel balls.

This item cannot be sold to Belgium due to Belgian weapons legislation.