Maces and flails

The use of a club-like weapon wasn't really a novelty - it's the first weapon of documented use anyway

During the middle ages, a mace or flail would be the second or (usually) third weapon of many mounted warrior and especially western knights and any Byzantine cavalry, allthough all cultures (even steppe nomads) were using them.

Especially those who had to face armored enemies: penetrating an armour (especially plate) with a lance or sword, could be a tricky task (one would need to find the weak spots in the armor), while a mace would deliver the full force of the blow to the body covered by the metal gear and you didn't even have to aim for a specific part (even though the head was also the best target for such a blow).

At the same time, it was a handy weapon, requiring little or no skill and expertise to basically weild it (unlike a sword, which needed years of training and practice) and thus was easy to use even for part time soldiers. Also, it especially favored by physicaly able (=strong) individuals, those could deliver really devastating blows.

In battle, such a weapon (mace) would be used usually in melee, after the initial charge when the lance-kontos-spear was broken. Many fighters would initially use the sword, but in horseback melee sometimes a more handy and easy-to-weild weapon like the mace is preferable, so they'd draw that first.

Regarding the flail, I've never really heard about wide use of it in the battlefield. I know it was quite popular in unmounted duels, but it never seemed to be very popular in regular battlefield. Could be wrong though, someone who knows more about medieval weaponry than I do, could enlighten us.

Here is what Stoffel(an Heaven Games moderator) could tell me about maces and flails:

So from what I have heard flails were not very popular and probably were no because of the need of training.

Wow

That was very interesting!

Alot Islamic cavalry used them as well.  Really a very effective weapon as it negates the effects of armor more than most melee weapons do.

DIdnt Korean cavalry use flails too? Or was that an obscure somethng else?

Sure, all the peasent have used very "simple " weapon during rebellions (like flails, scythes, axes etc) , but I think it was only Hussities who have worked up the tactical way of use the flails...

The flailmens in Hussite army have been formed in the second line  after the spear- or pike-mens, but in fact as the using of flail have required quite big experience frequently the falilmens have been repleaced by soldiers equipped with scyths or halberds.. however during the defence of the tabor falilemens were most often using unit - they were assign to eliminate the enemy knights who have (rarely) enter the tabor. As flailmens were rather designed for the some kind of duels their armour was much better then the other hussite infantry mens.