13-16thC Studded Peasant Flail

This large, two-handed peasant flail is based on those found throughout manuscript pictures and the archeological record.

These war flails started life as agricultural tools that were converted to crude but effective weapons. They then started to be adopted by higher levels of society and started to be made better, nastier and even more brutal.

This particular flail has a 47″ (120cm) oak shaft, with a 16.5″ (42cm) ash head with an overall length of 63″ (160cm). The head has an array of steel studs covering the head. The head and the shaft are joined via a small chain link section.

This weapon is derived from a medieval agricultural tool of the same name: the threshing flail. It was mainly a peasants weapon, as conscripted or rebellious peasants would convert their tools to weapons of war in times of conflict. The basic agricultural tool would often be upgraded to be more deadly, like this example, by adding metal spikes, studs and weights to the head. They were most common across Germany and Central Europe, and are particularly associated with the Hussites and their use in the mid 15th Century.

The long length of the flail would allow lesser trained soldiers to strike from a distance, and the chain link means the head is likely to swing round and hit some vulnerable section of an opponent, even on a poor hit. They would have been cheap to make and readily available, relatively easy to train to use, and allowed even peasants to stand a chance against better armed and armoured enemies. They were even used in Hussite war wagons, where the long length of the flail allowed the wielder to hit enemies from within a defensive wooden wagon!

Please note there are a few marks on the main shaft. Dents acquired during testing!

Matt Easton (Schola Gladiatoria) and Tod got together for two ‘Weird Weapons’ films exploring similar weapons in greater detail: