Social Studies: Flail

The flail is a medieval weapon made of one (or more) weights attached to a handle with a hinge or chain. It was commonly used in Europe from the 13th century to the 15th century. The martial flail began as a variant of the normal agricultural flail. It was probably farmers called up for military service or peasant rebels who discovered its usefulness as a weapon. A few added spikes made the flail even more dangerous. Unlike a sword or mace, it doesn't transfer vibrations from the impact to the wielder. This is a great advantage to a horseman, who can use his horse's speed to add momentum to an underarmed swing of the ball, but runs less of a risk of being unbalanced from his saddle. Controlling the flail is much more difficult than rigid weapons.

The flail was not just a European weapon. Examples existed in India and many other countries. In southeast Asia, lighter flail weapons such as the nunchaku or sansetsukon were more common.

Sources: Wikipedia